Nothing Like the Holidays

Some reviewers find this film not typical cheery holiday fare, comparing it to what they viewed as a happy Christmas film--It's A Wonderful Life--which, while a Christmas classic, could hardly be thought of as mindlessly cheerful, dealing as it does with the leading character's possible suicide and the likelihood of a divided town becoming a Potterville--where Lionel Barrymore and his bank win all the chips. Sure, the Capra tale has a happy ending, but the grim possibility of the little people losing their beloved homes to the banks seems a little prophetic in light of contemporary political gridlock and the foreclosure scandal. Its A Wonderful Life Is a fairy tale. A nice one, but a fairy tale. Nothing Like The Holidays is not. This little drama, hardly a comedy, is not typically mindless holiday fare, but an enjoyable watch, zeroing in on the problems that accumulate when a son returns at Christmas from Iraq to a family where his parents are considering divorce, a sister unable to make it as an actress, and a brother whose values seem to contrast with the Puerto Rican roots of his family. With Freddy Rodriguez, Alfred Molina, Debra Messing and John Leguziamo all giving strong and likable central performances, and a script that holds the attention from start to finish, this is probably a more accurate portrayal of the way families spend their Christmas today--the good and the bad things that happen when folks get together hoping for the best but knowing that there are ghosts in the closets that may slip out now and then--and while no masterpiece, the 98 minutes seem to be an honest reflection that perhaps will comfort those of us not living a fairy tale.

This film is about how a Puerto Rican family spend their eventful Christmas together.

I thought "Nothing Like the Holidays" would be a comedy with a festive environment, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. I find the film far too loud and noisy. The filmmakers seem to have a pressing urge to fill every single second with loud music or loud conversation. Sometimes two or more people talk over each other. People keep shouting, cursing and blaming at each other, firing sentences at 10 words a second. The film is like an acoustic war zone. There is no peace or quiet, serenity or tranquility.

The story is not engaging at all until the last 20 minutes or so, which finally starts to pick up. However, I was already thoroughly bored and annoyed by the movie already. "Nothing Like the Holidays" is definitely nothing like I expected.

The title gives the impression that this will be a clichéd holiday flick that won't take long to be forgotten. However, while Alfredo De Villa's 'Nothing Like The Holidays' may have a similar story outline to other Christmas holiday flicks but what makes this stand out is the humour, the wonderful ensemble cast and the richness of the Puerto Rican culture. They story, though familiar, has heart. Movies like 'The Family Stone' come to mind but 'Nothing Like The Holidays' stays true to its story and characters unlike the aforementioned example. I liked that it did not have a fairy-tale ending.

What's also impressive is that that character and situations in the movie are easy to relate to and recognizable. The family Rodriguez very much felt like a real family. Each family member and their friends, Ozzy and Johnny carry their own burden but there is a strong bond of love and support that keeps them together. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments but 'Nothing Like The Holidays' can also be described as an interesting family drama and the themes such as sibling rivalry, reconciliation and forgiveness are well handled. I enjoyed how the Puerto Rican culture was brought by the family. It felt very natural and authentic.

Needless to say, the entire cast has done nothing short of an excellent job. Initially, it was a bit awkward to see John Leguizamo play Elizabeth Peña's son but after a few minutes of watching their interaction, I managed to look past that and enjoy the characters. It was also good to finally see Debra Messing in a movie where she is given a role of substance instead of 'the sidekick friend' or 'cheating wife'. Alfred Molina brilliantly downplays his part. The romance between Ozzie and Roxanna, played delightfully by Jay Hernandez and Vanessa Ferlito forms a nice little subplot. Melonie Diaz has a strong presence. Luis Guzman is the comic relief and Freddy Rodriguez is simply great. To sum it up, the cast seemed to have superbly worked off each other and as a result they were really convincing as a likable but real family.

In my opinion, 'Nothing Like The Holidays' is much superior to most Christmas holiday flicks. A great movie to watched with loved ones and even though it feels familiar, its charm, humour, treatment, culture and heart make it worthy.

If you can envision mixing Thomas Bezucha's "The Family Stone" (2005) with Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights" (still running on Broadway), you will get a rough idea of what this 2008 family drama is all about. It's refreshing to see a holiday feature focused on the vibrancy of the Hispanic community, and director Alfredo De Villa does an energetic job celebrating the ethnicity found in Chicago's Puerto Rican-dominated Humboldt Park neighborhood. However, he gets little help from the by-the-numbers screenplay by Rick Najera and Alison Swan, which is mired in clichés and stock characters. The story works strictly within predictable convention by using a Christmas family reunion as an excuse for melodramatic revelations and confrontations among its members.

The plot elements are laid on thick. The Rodriguez family is headed by jovial bodega owner Edy, whose recently secretive behavior has convinced his hot-tempered wife Emma that he is having an affair. She unceremoniously announces at the family dinner table that she wants to file for a divorce. Oldest son Mauricio has become a smug, rather insufferable New Yorker and brings with him his high-powered wife Sarah, an uptight gringo on the verge of managing her own $300 million hedge fund. Much to Emma's chagrin, they have decided to put off having children to focus on their careers. Looking battle-weary and acting disengaged, younger son Jesse has just come home from a tour of duty in Iraq to find his ex-girlfriend settled down with another man. Daughter Roxanna is a struggling actress in LA whom the neighborhood thinks is going to be the next big star. Her life gets complicated by a budding romance with ex-gang member Ozzy, who is tormented by the shooting death of his brother. And as if it isn't obvious, an old, ugly tree in the Rodriguez front yard stands as a symbol of the family's solidarity.

All the characters are sketched in broad strokes rather than developed with nuance, so the film feels more suitable as a TBS TV show. Nonetheless, the cast is likable and sometimes a bit more when given the chance. Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2"), a Brit of Spanish-Italian ancestry, has mastered a diverse array of ethnic roles in his career and plays Edy with convincing Latino flavor. Elizabeth Peña ("Lone Star") is a welcome sight as Emma. A surprisingly restrained John Leguizamo ("Moulin Rouge!") plays Mauricio, and an unsurprising Debra Messing ("Will and Grace") plays to type as Sarah. Effective albeit limited work comes from Vanessa Ferlito ("Grindhouse") as Roxana, Jay Hernandez ("World Trade Center") as Ozzy, and Luis Guzmán providing comic relief as a jokester cousin obsessed with his hair. The film's best performance comes from Freddy Rodriguez (Federico in "Six Feet Under") who realistically conveys Jesse's pain with a minimum of help from the trite script. Paul Oakenfold contributes the percolating soundtrack. The 200 DVD offers an entertaining commentary track from De Villa, Rodriguez, and producer Robert Teitel; a 12-minute featurette that reunites some of the cast members to discuss the making of the film; the original theatrical trailer; and the inescapable blooper reel.

(Synopsis) The whole Rodriguez family is rejoicing and celebrating the reunion of all of their family members coming together to be with their father, Edy Rodriguez (Alfred Molina), and their mother, Anna (Elizabeth Pena), in their Chicago home during Christmas. They have come from around the world, especially, their youngest son, Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez), who has just returned from Iraq after being wounded. Jesse's older sister, Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), is a struggling actress who flew in from Los Angeles. The oldest son, Mauricio (John Leguizamo), is a successful attorney married to Sarah (Debra Messing), a hedge fund manager who drove in from Manhattan. The children are surprised when their mother announces to them at the dinner table that she wants a divorce, and their father doesn't even put up a fight. The entire family is put into an uproar and begins to question their future.

(My Comment) This story is a slice of ethnic life focusing on the Puerto Rican community in west Chicago's Humboldt Park district with a predominantly Latino cast. A large part of the movie was filmed inside the house with everybody joking around, arguing, and reconnecting with each other. The storyline is exactly like any family saga, but told with a different accent. The script is fairly predictable with no unexpected moments; you know exactly what is coming next. As in all families, when a real crisis happens, the whole family comes together. There are several scenes that tend to be contrived. Overall this Christmas movie is entertaining and can be enjoyed by all, and not only an ethnic audience. (Overture Films, Run Time 1:33, Rated PG-13)(6/10)