Nothing Like the Holidays (Overture Films)
Youll Like These People
The group of characters created by the actors in the new film Nothing Like the Holidays is a likeable lot. Oh they fuss and fight just like all families do but in the end you will find yourself rooting for each and every one of them. That makes this movie the antithesis of Four Christmases which was inhabited by a group of totally dislikeable people.
This film centers on the Rodriguez family. The mother and father live in Chicago and their three kids are all grown. The oldest son Mauricio (John Leguizamo) is a lawyer married to Sarah (Debra Messing) who is a successful hedge fund manager. The youngest son Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) is a soldier just back from Iraq. Their daughter Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) is an actress in Hollywood. All three are home for the holidays.
They are joined by Ozzy (Jay Hernandez), who works for Papa Edy Rodriguez (Alfred Molina), and Johnny (Luiz Guzman) who appears to be a relative of some sort, Eventually Jesses ex-girlfriend Marissa (Melanie Diaz) drops by with her son and new boyfriend.
Things are loud, boisterous and silly until Mama Anna (Elizabeth Pena) drops her bombshell. She plans to divorce Edy because she thinks he has been cheating on her. This hits everyone hard and most of the kids side with their mother.
With the divorce, Jesses problems with returning from Iraq, and Mauricio and Sarah arguing about starting a family; this movie is much more of a drama than a comedy though there are definitely some funny spots.
The acting in the movie is quite good with Pena, Messing, Molina and Rodriguez being the best. Singling these four out is not meant to take away from the talents of anyone else in the cast. They all create characters who interest the audience and make you want to know more.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and mild violence.
Nothing Like the Holidays is not the best movie of the year, nor is it a classic in any sense of the word. Still it fills the need at this holiday season for a movie about warm and interesting people who gather together at Christmastime. You will walk out of the theater glad that you spent a couple of hours in their presence.
I scored Nothing Like the Holidays a familial 6 out of 10.
