|
|
|
|
We all know the pattern for a certain kind of family comedy-drama: a scattered nuclear family comes back home to celebrate a holiday or attend a funeral, and everyone learns too much about each other's problems. Old grudges are aired. Skeletons come out of every closet, until one big issue trumps all the others, and challenges the family to forget its differences and truly reunite. Unfortunately, I can't think of the classics of this particular genre -- my memory is blocked by 2005's The Family Stone. That collection of bad one-act plays makes sure that no hot-button topic is forgotten, as the characters line up behind issue themes -- infidelity, gayness, etc. The Big Reveal crisis is that mom has a serious illness that she's keeping from everyone. The movie's thoughtful basis -- that family gatherings shouldn't be taken for granted -- is lost amid the schematic distribution of personal problems. Nothing Like the Holidays is a lively ethnic take on the same theme, done with enthusiasm and restraint. It shows the same faults as the example above but is far less pretentious and undemanding, both of the audience and of itself. We like the people involved, which in itself is a big plus. The grown children of Chicago's Rodriguez family return for Christmas to face various personal problems. Fresh from Iraq is Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez), who is still troubled by the loss of a friend in combat; he's also dismayed to find that the girl he walked out on years before, Marissa (Melonie Diaz) has already had a child by another man. TV salesman Johnny (Luis Guzmán) likes to snipe at his brother Mauricio (John Leguizamo), a New York lawyer whose anglo wife Sarah (Debra Messing) doesn't want children. Beautiful Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) is waiting on a callback and fears that she's wasting her time in acting; she's attracted to Ozzy (Jay Hernandez) but doesn't want to be tied down. Paterfamilias Edy Rodriguez (Alfred Molina) seems to be rushing Jesse to take over the family grocery market & delicatessen. Mama Anna (Elizabeth Peña) drops the biggest bomb right at the dinner table: she wants to divorce Edy for infidelity. On the surface Nothing Like the Holidays is written strictly to formula: in any given year somebody in the family has a dire personal problem, so compress all of them into one momentous Christmas visit and you've got a surefire drama machine. The Rodriguez family has something for everyone, and some will find it loaded with clichés. The problem is that some themes are so universal that it would be wrong not to use them. Mama Anna is either hugging her children, cooking food or whining that she wants grandchildren. She puts undue pressure on her daughter-in-law Sarah. Papa Edy dotes on his prodigal son Jesse, who has returned with a few facial cuts and an overall feeling of personal failure. Lawyer son Mauricio tries to hard to gain Edy's favor, and is rudely ignored for his trouble. Roxanna is insecure about her stumbling acting career while Johnny amuses himself by making crude jokes and taking potshots at his brothers and sister. Nothing Like the Holidays advertises itself as coming from the producers of the Barbershop movies, and those who like quality drama will notice that too many dialogues and remarks lead with the issue of Puero Rican ethnicity. It takes half the movie before people stop making racial observances as if nothing else occupies their thoughts every waking hour. With a dozen characters to juggle and "place" in the dramatic scheme, the script takes a lot of short cuts. It's also talky, with a surfeit of "clever" lines. Usually a group will defer to the loudest mouth present (in this case Johnny) but too many instant comebacks give the show a sitcom flavor. But Nothing Like the Holidays works because its script allows most of the actors to flesh out their roles. Sarah begins as the odd relative out in a houseful of fast-talking Latinos, but holds her own and turns out to be an important part of the mix. The character reactions to Mom's bitter divorce announcement are very realistic. Even better, the script doesn't oversell any of its episodes. The men line up to prove their manliness by cutting down a large dead tree in the front yard, an effort that we know will lead to trouble, if not serious injury. Jesse foolishly goes after his old girlfriend, denying the fact that he made his choice years ago and now needs to live with it. Frustrated by Roxanna's turn-down, Ozzy decides to face off with a gang leader he blames for killing his brother -- with a gun, on Christmas Eve. The snowbound Chicago neighborhoods make for pleasant holiday images, highlighted by a parranda, sort of an impromptu caroling-like musical parade to the houses of friends. The film underplays its sentimental aspects to good effect. Only occasionally do scenes seem to cut off before they fully develop, as when Jesse or Roxanna go for walks with their romantic others. Nothing Like the Holidays is a light drama, engaging and entertaining. The actors make the difference. John Leguizamo is a slightly insecure yuppie, while Luis Guzmán's big mouth is a frequent embarrassment. Freddy Rodriguez is quietly unhappy as the soldier returned; Vanessa Ferlito's actress is tired of playing the wannabe game. Surprisingly, the better-known Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Peña are given short shrift as the older generation. Molina's 'big daddy' hides a secret even when he's accused of infidelity, but it's withheld to provide a revelation for the last act. Peña's outburst is a real shock; we realize that a Latin mother figure has to be really upset to sabotage her big reunion dinner. Yet her screen time seems to be limited to allow more time for the younger characters. On the periphery, the non- family characters played by Melonie Diaz (of Assassination of a High School President) and Jay Hernandez make very strong impresssions. Overture and Anchor Bay's Blu-ray of Nothing Like the Holidays is a beautiful encoding of a handsomely filmed widescreen show. Unlike too many deserving pictures these days, it did receive a very brief theatrical run last December. It's technically not Direct to Home Video, but that distinction needs to be upgraded in the present moribund theatrical environment. This should have been a solid crossover contender. Its only real fault is the generic-sounding title, which tells us nothing about the movie. Let me guess that a committee was involved ... Anchor Bay has included no extras but is giving Nothing Like the Holidays a solid push on DVD and Blu-ray. At a time when drama has to mean something edgy or self-importantly "heavy", there should be room for pictures like this one too.
On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor,
Nothing Like the Holidays Blu-ray rates:
Reviews on the Savant main site have additional credits information and are often updated and annotated with reader input and graphics. Also, don't forget the 2009 Savant Wish List. T'was Ever Thus.
Review Staff | About DVD Talk | Newsletter Subscribe | Join DVD Talk Forum |
| ||||||||||||||||||
