Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a sophomore slump, as Phil Morrison’s holiday-themed follow-up to his feature debut, Junebug (2005), regrettably proves. Having just been released from the clink, a Quebecois thief (Paul Giamatti) joins his former partner-in-crime (Paul Rudd)—who’s also stolen his buddy’s wife—in the latter’s get-rich-sloooowly scheme of selling Christmas trees in New York City. Awkward banter, a lack of narrative thrust and concentrated character deep-digging, and a performance by Sally Hawkins as a Russian maid that seems beamed in from another movie all contribute to the cinematic equivalent of a half-baked fruitcake.
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