Review of Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) by Marcus F — 23 Mar 2010
"Nothing Like the Holidays" (AKA "The Mexican Tyler Perry Film"), is smarter, funnier, and better than I thought it was going to be.
The film centers around a family (Vanessa Ferlito, Alfred Molina, Elizabeth Pena, Freddy Rodriguez and John Leguizamo) who has come together for Christmas, only to discover that each of them has serious problems. Molina and Pena play the parents, who casually announce during dinner that they're getting a divorce; Freddy Rodriguez US Army vet that's plagued by guilt; John Leguizamo feels unappreciated as a member of the family; Vanessa Ferlito is a Hollywood actress who's not as popular as she wants her family to believe.
Debra Messing plays Leguizamo's wife; she feels rejected by Pena because Messing and Leguizamo don't have any children yet. Luiz Guzman (very funny here) plays a friend of Rodriguez.
All these dramatic problems are solved in fairly simple ways, but what I like about the film is that it never takes these problems too seriously. Even in the film's dramatic moments there is still some good humor spread throughout. Yes, it's predictable, it's sentimental, but it's also hilarious at times and the cast delivers some strong performances.
This review of Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) was written by Marcus F on 23 Mar 2010.
Nothing Like the Holidays has generally received mixed reviews.
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