Nothing Like the Holidays (2008)

Overrated and overhyped

Did you people see the same film I saw?

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Alfred Molina leads an all-star cast as his character is allowed to develop as the film goes on.We are dealing with a Puerto Rican family getting together for the holidays. The family consists of 3 adult children- a returning Iraq vet, an attorney, and a Hollywood aspiring actress. All 3 have their problems (naturally) but are awaiting the surprise of their young lives when the mother announces that she is divorcing the father after 36 years of marriage due to infidelity on his part.The film deals with strong family ties, their problems, their joys and sorrows as they try to cope with this devastating news. Special kudos in the acting department go to Elizabeth Pena and John Leguizamo, as two of the children. The returning vet is also quite good here. As we're dealing with an urban setting, naturally we shall attempt to have violence here. The film is great in depicting the aspects of Puerto Rican culture as Molina hides a secret from his family.

Now what can be so different about a family reunion holiday tape film.They are mostly WASP family & there have been many such films, WHAT is so different about this.It is an Hispanic (Puerto Rican) family.The large cast is made up of the Who's-Who of Hispanic actors. These are usually supporting players in other films. They ARE among others.Alfred Molina---- Elizabeth Pena---Luiz Guzman, Freddy Rodriquez---Jay Herrnandez---John Lequizano, Debra Messing. they all are first rate.The story line is more of a drama than a comedy, It is quite typical of many non-anglo stories which do not rely on comic hi-jinks or bawdy humor to get the meaning across.Thankfully it does not get tragic, just enough hints of what has happened before.The director was Alfredo DeVille, Alison Swan and Rick Najera wrote the screenplay.This takes place in the Humboldt Park are of Chicago at Christmas time.This is the type movie I could see this year as well.I was tempted to give this a higher rating even; It is that good.The movies does drag a bit & seems longer than it is,Ratings:*** (out of 4) 89 points (out of 100) IMDb 8 (out of 10)

Latino family gets together for Christmas and to welcome home one of their number from Iraq.Good solid family drama Shines thanks to a super cast (Alfred Molina, Elizabeth Pena, John Leguizamo, Luis Guzman, etc etc). To be certain the story is a bit cliché but the cast handless it with a great skill and they turn all of their characters into real people. Even Debra Messing as the one Caucasian in the bunch is fine once she sheds the fish out of water shtick she's handed. Its so nice to see what real actors can do to turn a well worn tale of a holiday home coming into something touching and affecting.Worth a look and repeated revisits,

Christmas has become so commercialized, no thanks to Santa Claus and the spirit of consumerism having to buy, buy, and buy some more to meet those pesky wish-lists of friends and family. I guess there's this feel good feeling to this holiday because it's just at the edge of the new year, and it's the spirit of sharing good tidings, and to look forward to better things ahead in the new year. But I share similar sentiments with the head of the Puerto Rican Rodriguez household, that it should be none other than a festival to have everyone get together.Edy Rodriguez (Alfred Molina) and wife Anna (Elizabeth Pena) look forward to Christmas because it's a time where family members far and wide, and doing their own thing, get to come back home to share in the festive spirit. This year's gathering is all the more special, because son Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) is permanently home from his tour of duty in Iraq. There's eldest son Mauricio (John Leguizamo) and his wife Sarah (Debra Messing) who are two accomplished corporate folks in New York, and daughter Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) who's a Hollywood star in the waiting. Add friends such as Johnny (Luis Guzman) and Ozzy (Jay Hernandez) and you have one happening get together party, right?Not quite, as the veneer of what would be a joyous occasion, get marred by everyone bringing their baggage to the table. Anna and Edy contemplate divorce, Jesse gets flak for being the hero, as well as being co-opted to run the family provision shop business. He also continues to nurse an aching heart toward ex flame Marissa (Melonie Diaz) who has now moved on. Mauricio and Sarah's marriage get strained by her refusal to bear children because of an impending promotion which she doesn't want to jeopardize. Roxanna is nowhere near being a star, still stuck at bit parts on television. Whew!While billed as a comedy, it's not laugh a minute, even though there were a couple of smart one-liners to tickle your funny bone. Instead, it's quite a thoughtful drama to see how each character navigates through the sea of their own problems, and whether they are able to come out tops. And everyone could identify with one or more of the characters, especially in their attitudes toward family member, being envious of the more successful sibling, of favouritism, of being at loggerheads, of reconciliation, and ultimately, the notion of blood being thicker than water.Not all subplots get resolved amicably and reasonably, which roots this film to a tinge of realism rather than opting for a feel good fairy taled styled finale where every loose end gets tied up with a smile. Which makes this film stand out amongst the crowd of feel good Christmas theme movies out there this season. It's quite a compelling drama to sit through despite some story threads being just a little bit bare, but for the powerful ensemble cast pulling everything through as a convincing family unit, you might want to invest some time on this film as well.