Review of Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) by James R — 08 Jul 2010

Interestingly enough, I watched this film immediately after I watched Four Christmases. Both films involve family, and some of the quirks and craziness that goes with family reunions around Christmas. But while Four Christmases is ultimately meant to be a comedy, Nothing Like The Holidays is a family drama. It does have some laughs, but it is much more emotional than humorous.

Nothing Like The Holidays takes the strong central ties of an Hispanic family and subjects them to a good deal of stress. One son has just returned from Iraq and just wants to feel home again. Another is a successful businessman in another city who is engaged to a Caucasian coworker and wants little to do with his Latino roots. One daughter is a struggling waitress across the country who has told her parents she's a successful actress. Other siblings and cousins have stayed in the area and remained close to the parents, but have their own issues as well. The mother wants grandchildren and thinks her husband is having an affair, and the father thinks he may be dying. Everyone longs for a loving, warm, family Christmas, but each one wants it only on his or her terms. Voices are raised, secrets are uncovered, fingers are pointed, and everyone is shoved way out of their comfort zones. It's not easy to watch, but as the adversity builds, the viewer gets to see just how much the family members really do care about each other, and what seems ready to fall apart slowly starts to come back together.

Logically, Nothing Like The Holidays features some of the best Latino and Latina (or at least Hispanic-looking) actors around today. Freddy Rodriguez, John Lequizamo and Luis Guzman anchor the cast, Vanessa Ferlito makes a great appearance (her first since Death Proof, I believe), Debra Messing is excellent as the one white woman in the middle of the Hispanic family issues, and Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Pena captivate the audience. Best of all, amidst all this Latino star power, the star of the film is really the family itself, not any one big name. And that, more than anything else, is what makes Nothing Like The Holidays work. Where Four Christmases is about families making their ways apart, Holidays is about a family trying to make it together. It's not a great film, but that aspect makes it, at least, a good one.