Amber Nash Makes Her Feature Film Debut in 'How to Ruin the Holidays'

Sometimes the only thing worse than spending the holidays alone is spending them with your family. The sniping, the judgment, the endless rehashing of old arguments, and nursing old wounds make a challenging time of year that much more difficult. That’s something Michelle (Amber Nash) understands very well. The struggling comedian lives in Los Angeles, far from her family in Atlanta, Georgia, and hasn’t been home in years. Michelle’s plans for a quiet holiday in the city are upended when her sister Andrea (Kate Lambert) calls with concerning news; their father (Colin Mochrie) has suffered a bad fall, and they’re not sure he’ll make it through the holidays. With a major professional opportunity looming over her head, Michelle reluctantly returns to Atlanta for a reunion with unexpected results.

I’m on record as the Internet’s biggest fan of Pam Poovey\Amber Nash, so I was excited to see her feature film performance. While it’s not perfect, I’m glad I saw it. Based on writer/producer/Nash’s husband Kevin Gillese’s relationship with his brother, How to Ruin the Holidays is a solid debut for the pair, supported by a strong cast and natural dialogue. It’s also a reunion of sorts; Nash and her Archer co-star Aisha Tyler are roommates and friends here, despite going for the same roles. Tyler and Colin Mochrie are of course old colleagues thanks to Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and they all bring something to the production. Mochrie is great as their grouchy but affable father, a single man who’s turned a bit strange in his years and spends much of his time feuding with the Trump fan next door. He’s libertarian but vehemently anti-conservative - he believes climate change is real, he just doesn’t think the government should do anything about it.

Most of the best lines are reserved for Mark (Luke Davis), Andrea and Michelle’s special needs brother, and a real standout in the film. He’s determined to have independence and be treated as an adult despite needing daily assistance to make sure he doesn’t burn down the house, and his father is determined he gets the respect and autonomy he deserves.

Meanwhile, Andrea, as the sister who stayed, is forced to deal with her father’s advancing years and her brother’s needs while putting her dreams of screenwriting aside so she can hold the family together both emotionally and financially. Her desperate need for her sister’s support and approval is evident, as is Michelle’s constant efforts to disengage from someone she sees as too clingy. Michelle is the opposite, the sister who ran when her father’s unthinking discouragement became too much to bear. She’s a sympathetic character even as she leaves her family in the lurch whenever tensions rise. She displays a strong range of emotions as the movie’s tone shifts from black comedy to tragedy and back again, and the family’s difficulties are very real to anyone with aging parents or a special needs sibling/child.

The talented cast buoys the film during its weaker elements. Some scenes drag on longer than they should, though that’s true of a lot of indie features. At the same time, the film’s indie roots are betrayed by a third-act shock that feels telegraphed and a final confrontation schmaltzy enough for the Hallmark Channel. Several scenes are filmed from a middle distance too far for intimacy, too close for separation. An editor could cut several minutes from the already lean runtime without losing anything. Those complaints aside, the movie is worth watching for the performances alone. And Kate Lambert has a hell of a singing voice.

Gillese and Nash offer an honest glimpse into the distance that grows between family members with different personalities, politics, and professional goals. Lambert, Nash, and Davis nail the sibling dynamic, and I can only wish my more… politically difficult relatives were as relatable as Mochrie’s father figure. It feels real even when it moves into absurdist territory, and at about 90 minutes it’s an easy watch. How to Ruin the Holidays is out in limited theaters beginning today, and available for streaming beginning December 1.