Office Christmas Party review: Apart from a great cast, nothing works in this film

Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, Kate McKinnon, TJ Miller, Courtney Vance

What's it about:
Overbearing CEO of a tech firm Carol Vanstone (Aniston) decides to close down a branch of her company run by her happy-go-lucky brother Clay (Miller) to prove a point. 
She challenges him to bag a potential client in record time. And while his crack team are up to the task, they're pre-occupied with more pressing matters, like organising the annual office Christmas party. It's when they decide to mix business with leisure that things get interesting.

What's hot:
A sea of comedic talent in one movie usually spells box-office gold. You go in thinking this is The Hangover of office comedies. The premise/genre is virtually untapped. Bateman and Aniston have interesting comedy and that's always something to look forward to. Except...

What's not:
It isn't any of the above. The only good thing about the movie is the cast. They're all stars of better films. The actors try their best to make of a bad situation (the absence of a script), but look awkward doing it. You almost get the feeling they know it's too late to back out and hence, are too fried to care. The gags are infantile and the laughs are laboured. 

What to do: 
Those two stars are for the great casting. The film itself is strictly for those with low standards. It's so bad, the trailer is better the actual film. Avoidable.

Rating: **