Ma famille en cadeau

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was in this movie - despite having the brilliant Wendie Malick and always entertaining Cynthia Stevenson acting their hearts out, this leaden script is so horribly condescending and mocking of the Midwestern Christian family who are meeting the affluent Jewish Angelena to whom their son is engaged, as well as her tragically hip parents.

The boy's (and I use that deliberately, since both offspring are played by actors who look like high schoolers, not the mid-twenty somethings they purport to be) parents are a cartoonish depiction of the derogatory conservative Americans famously defined by Obama as "clinging to their guns and bibles". They are viewed by the sophisticated City Folk from LA as freakish species so far outside of the experience of the urbane denizens of either coast that they act as if they're at a freak show. Their efforts to be tolerant of the Stevenson character's efforts to include Hannukah traditions in the family's over-the-top Christmas rituals and decor come across as patronizing, even supercilious.

It's as if the writer used Rose Nyland as the model for the entire citizenry of the Midwest - naive, clueless and desperate to be liked. It is unlikely that anyone living in suburbia anywhere is as ignorant of other cultures as the Stevenson character- seriously, she does not know what a vegetarian eats? - one gets the impression that the writer had a checklist of lame Midwestern tropes and ticked as many boxes as possible. The son, with most of his hayseed extracted since he scored a rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan where his roommate (now fiancée) and worked as a lawyer, acts like Richard Attenborough explaining the odd habits and strange environment from whence he came.

I kept watching in the hopes that it would become the charming holiday flick we all devour but I was so turned off by the first half hour - the self-righteous vegetarian, baby-voiced daughter is aghast at the knowledge that the family hunts and sounds like she is dealing with the mentally ill when she speaks to her future in-laws. The smug superiority oozing from Malick, which works brilliantly when she is doing comedy or satire, is deeply offensive as this script is neither until well past the time when it could be saved in my eyes.

If the stereotype were on the other foot, the story would never have been made, though there are a few Jewish stereotypes included - but the attempt to mitigate the obvious bias falls flat as it appears the writer has little or no actual real life knowledge of either group. Fortunately, since it really focuses on mocking the last acceptable target - Christian Caucasians from flyover country - Lifetime felt safe in broadcasting this. The network, which has finally made strides in diversifying its casting for its popular holiday movies as far as race is concerned, must feel particularly proud of this offering because it includes Jewish holiday traditions.

I only give it five stars because of Malick and Stevenson, who are always worth watching.

For the person who was offended, lighten up! I am Jewish married to a very Catholic wife. The jokes were fine. Some were a little dumb, meaning too obvious or assumed overly stupid characters, but, offensive, no. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but, in this case, a joke is a joke. I can't imagine they intended to offend anyone. My parents were not thrilled I married non-Jewish and that was almost 25 years ago. Surely society has changed since then too. Since this is a Christmas movie, the settings for the comedy were appropriate if too predictable. It's not a great movie but it's certainly a Christmas movie worth watching.

The plot of this movie has to do with two families with different religious beliefs and a young couple getting married. The first time the families gather are during the Christmas holidays. One family is Jewish and the other Christian.

This movie has some great laughter and funny situations, which are so far-fetched at times that you can't help but laugh out loud. The mom that celebrates Christmas in her own colorful way is attempting to mix Judaism with Christianity when the families meet for the first time. Some of it is very funny while other parts are heart warming. The Jewish roots family manages to pull their own share of funny moments in sabotaging Christmas but not in a spiteful way.

While these situations and further discussions of their future keep creeping up the young couple are actually questioning whether they both want the same things in a marriage.

This movie is not a must see like "Meet the Fockers" however, it does have it have enough of a plot line that you will be entertained throughout the movie. It also educates you if you unfamiliar with either religion. If you want to have a few out loud laughs, then it is definitely worth your while to check this movie out. If anything it will remind you of your own special Christmas or Chanukah memories or even a mixed religious holiday.

This was a fun movie. The moms, Wendy Malick and Cynthia Stevenson, are excellent in their roles - really, all the main characters are good but these two women steal the show. Reagan Pasternak is especially funny as Mary in the nativity pageant. The usual Christmas scenes are there, but with twists and unexpected results that kept it from becoming the usual Christmas Hallmark dozer. I would watch this again. If you like Christmas movies that are funny, you'll probably like this one. Wendy Malick typically chooses good scripts.

It's interesting that some viewers saw this movie as being offensive; since it's really nothing more than a light-hearted, good-hearted look at how the holidays can be shared by those of the Christian and Jewish faiths. Will it be a happy, peaceful Chrismukkah?

Henry Kringle and Rebecca Fine have known each other only six months, but already live together in a NYC apartment, and are making plans to marry. Rebecca is Jewish and Henry is Christian, which causes them no problems.

Will it cause their parents problems, though? The holidays are coming and the couple will soon find out. They will spend Christmas with Henry's parents in Wisconsin, and Rebecca's parents will come for a day or so on their way to Aspen.

Due to bad weather, Rebecca's parents end up spending more time in "Jewish Hell" than they planned. All the houses in the neighborhood look right out of Christmas Town, only the Kringle's house has a Fiddler on the Roof decoration on the roof, too, to make the Fines feel welcome.

It's all for laughs, as well as for showing how differences between parents and differences between an engaged couple, can be overcome. If you are hyper-sensitive about religion, maybe this isn't the film for you, but it's a nice one for those looking for some holiday fun and for some sensitivity.