Holiday Movie Scorecard 2016

Critics Consensus: Fatally undermined by a clichéd, confused plot and a total absence of thrills, Shut In wastes its talented cast -- and viewers' time.

Synopsis: Mary Portman is a widowed child psychologist who lives in isolation in rural Maine. The horrific car accident that killed her husband also left her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Naomi Watts, Oliver Platt, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay

Directed By: Farren Blackburn

Critics Consensus: Well-meaning but fundamentally flawed, Collateral Beauty aims for uplift but collapses in unintentional hilarity.

Synopsis: When a successful New York advertising executive (Will Smith) suffers a great tragedy, he retreats from life. While his concerned friends try desperately to reconnect... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Peña

Directed By: David Frankel

Critics Consensus: Incarnate can't be accused of lack of ideas -- if only any of them made sense or coalesced in any meaningful or scary way.

Synopsis: After a single mother witnesses terrifying symptoms of demonic possession in her 11-year-old son (David Mazouz), a Vatican representative calls on wheelchair-bound scientist Dr. Seth... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno, David Mazouz

Directed By: Brad Peyton

Critics Consensus: Assassin's Creed is arguably better made (and certainly better cast) than most video game adaptations; unfortunately, the CGI-fueled end result still is still a joylessly overplotted slog.

Synopsis: A descendant of the mysterious secret society known as the Assassins uses his newfound knowledge and physical skills to battle the power-hungry Templar Order.

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson

Directed By: Justin Kurzel

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: During tough economic times, small-town business owner Matthew Peyton (Ryan O'Quinn) struggles with his desire for financial success and the responsibility of funding the annual... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryan O'Quinn, Shawnee Smith, Danielle Nicolet, Kevin Sizemore

Directed By: Billy Dickson

Critics Consensus: Loaded up with the same scatological and misanthropic humor as its predecessor but precious little of its heart or genuine wit, Bad Santa 2 presents a foulmouthed shadow of Christmas past.

Synopsis: Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) teams up with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks

Directed By: Mark Waters

Critics Consensus: Passengers proves Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence work well together -- and that even their chemistry isn't enough to overcome a fatally flawed story.

Synopsis: On a routine journey through space to a new home, two passengers, sleeping in suspended animation, are awakened 90 years too early when their ship... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne

Directed By: Morten Tyldum

Critics Consensus: Solidly cast but overall misconceived, Why Him? offers the odd chuckle, but ultimately adds disappointingly little to its tired father-vs.-fiancé formula.

Synopsis: During the holidays, loving but overprotective Ned (Bryan Cranston) travels to California to visit his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) at Stanford University. While there, he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally

Directed By: John Hamburg

Critics Consensus: Its cast of gifted comics is good for a handful of laughs, but Office Christmas Party's overstuffed plot ultimately proves roughly as disappointing as its clichéd gags and forced sentimentality.

Synopsis: When the CEO (Jennifer Aniston) tries to close her hard-partying brother's (T.J. Miller) branch, he and his chief technical officer (Jason Bateman) must rally their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Jennifer Aniston

Directed By: Josh Gordon, Will Speck

Critics Consensus: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has noble goals, but lacks a strong enough screenplay to achieve them -- and its visual innovations are often merely distracting.

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old private Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn), along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing Iraq battle and is brought... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund

Directed By: Ang Lee