With less than a month to go, the telltale signs that Christmas is coming have begun appearing in shops and malls around the country. Fairy lights and tinsel adorn store displays while Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas plays on repeat.

Nowhere is the intersection of tradition and commercialisation more apparent than in the Christmas movie genre. Not surprisingly, the viewing of these films has become a holiday tradition in itself.

Oh. What. Fun. is Prime Video’s most recent foray into the festive season genre. In a self-referential gesture, wife, mother and grandmother Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) wonders in a voice-over “where are the holiday movies about moms?” before pointing out “I could name a dozen about men”.

The film promises to subvert genre expectations through foregrounding a disenchanted, disgruntled maternal point of view.

As her name would suggest, Claire comes into her own at Christmas. She shops, bakes and lovingly decorates the family’s Texan home complete with “Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle” sequined cushions and life-size inflatable figures of Santa for the front lawn.

This year, all Claire really wants for Christmas is appreciation – preferably in the form of a nomination for the Holiday Mom of the Year contest from talk show host Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria).

The opposite occurs when the family embarks on an outing without Claire, unwittingly leaving her home alone (in a clear nod to the 1990 John Hughes classic).

Feeling bereft and abandoned, Claire sets off on a road trip across the state.

Recent motherhood movies have been “

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