Nothing Like the Holidays

No holiday season would be complete without at least one movie depicting a dysfunctional family's Christmas celebration. Filmmaker Alfredo De Villa's Nothing Like the Holidays is a Latino cinematic re-gifting of familiar Christmas-movie tropes, including the heartsick son trying to reconnect with an old girlfriend, the financially successful couple pretending to be happy, and the terminally ill relative keeping the condition secret to avoid spoiling the family reunion. The story takes place in and around the Chicago home of the Puerto Rican Rodriguez clan, with parents Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Pena taking especial holiday joy in the return of their youngest son, a recently wounded Iraq War veteran (Freddy Rodriguez). A movie-star wannabe daughter (Vanessa Ferlito), first-born son and his Jewish wife (John Leguizamo and Debra Messing), and family friend (Jay Hernandez) round out the dinner table, with a cousin (Luis Guzman) popping in to spread some holiday cheer in the form of corny wisecracks. The acting is so-so, with talented dramatic actress Pena almost criminally misused in a flat, nearly cartoonish nagging-wife characterization. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Alfredo De Villa, producer Robert Teitel, and costar Freddy Rodriguez), a “Cast Reunion” featurette (12 min.), bloopers (15 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is a picture-in-picture insider exclusive with the cast and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing holiday flick.] (E. Hulse)