Nothing Like the Holidays
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alfred Molina, Debra Messing, Freddy Rodríguez, Jay Hernandez, John LeguizamoBrand: ANCHOR BAY
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-10-27
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Nothing Like the Holidays
Movie Review: I CAN RELATE TO THIS
Summary: 5 Stars
NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS
When watching this movie I noticed something crazy going on and it hit home with me a little, well more so than that. This movie more or less is actually happing to me right now, so that may affect how much I like or dislike this film. This may be a spoiler so you may want to turn away now if you don't want to know. But as of now during Christmas my family has come together up at my mom's in Maryland. Nextly and to add to the time period comparison is that this film about a Latin family is true with me as well since my brother, sister, and girl all are at least half Latin of some kind. And lastly much like the father in this film my mother has cancer; she will beat it no doubt as she has before [twice]. So I can relate with this film in many ways and thusly appreciate it a lot more.
The Rodriguez family is finally all going to be home together as all members from direct to family friends will all be coming back to Chicago. Of course some are still there like the parents and family friends, cousins and such. But one son and wife are coming away from their big jobs, the daughter is coming home from Hollywood, and another son is coming back from serving time in the military over in the war. Of course the parents could not be happier and the family business is going good but a lot of tension and jealousy is bubbling underneath the surface. For the parents the husband is getting mysterious phone calls that are putting a strain on the relationship, potentially leading to a divorce. The married son is having marital problems of his own since his career driven wife does not want kids like he does, and the famous movie star daughter is not as famous as she says. In fact she is still waiting on a call from her agent that could lead to her biggest role yet. And then there is the war hero son that is not so proud of what happened over seas that lead to his return home and the pressure put on him by his father to take over the family business is crushing him. Add in a bitter ex girlfriend who has moved on with someone else and you have the makings of the typical family Christmas.
We open with nothing more than good times as war hero son Jesse Rodriguez [Freddy Rodriguez] is being picked up by best friend Johnny [Luis Gusman] and Ozzy [Jay Hernandez]. Good times are had after as all of the family makes their way to the parent's house [Alfred Molina & Elizabeth Pena], son Mauricio [John Leguizamo] and his wife Sarah [Debra Messing] arrive as well. Their acting sister Roxanna [Vanessa Ferlito] shows as well of course and the family is all together once more for the first time in forever apparently. Still the good times role even after Jesse's ex and her new man show up, as the family gathers for a huge meal the fun kicks in. It is at this point that all is revealed and the family starts to fight like only a family can. We all know how that works out since your family can throw all kinds of personal hurtful stuff out there.
Of course the film not only deals with the family's problems but with the friends as well and Johnny wants to kill the man that killed his brother and is now free on the streets. That is explored as far as it could be and results in a good moment. Of course as mentioned before the father has cancer and is battling that through the holidays. This is the par that hits home with me the most as it is happening right now with my mama, I love my mama. This story arc got especially emotional for not only me, my brother, and sister but mostly for my grandparents [her parents]. My grandmother in particular has she cannot stand what is happing to her baby. But much like the father in this my mother is strong and will beat this without a doubt. She will be the three time defending champ against cancer after battling and beating brain cancer since that tumor was supposed to kill her. Then there was a separate non related cancer in her uterus, and now another different non related cancer that attacked many different parts of her.
Aside from my personal stuff going on there is also wonderful performances and such from all. Alfred Molina is brilliant as the father in this film giving a wonderful performance, his battle with cancer hits home. His wife played by Elizabeth Pena is very strong and should be noted that she steals scenes easily. Freddy Rodriguez is great as the son who returns home after being injured in the war, he also is scared in more ways than one. Luis Gusman and Jay Hernandez are great as well as the two friends that are there to pick him up, one is really funny and the other is a little more deep. Vanessa Ferlito is wonderful as always as the sister aspiring for an acting career. John Leguizamo and Debra Messing are absolutely perfect as a married couple who are having problems in deciding if they want a baby, add in Debra is white in an all Latin family and you have real fun then. Alexander Bautista, Melonie Diaz, Ramses Jimenez, and Manny Sosa all turn in great performances as well. Turns out to be very wonderfully acted, of course it is all in how much you relate.
To be honest I may have enjoyed this more so than the average viewer but I would still recommend this film. Check it out as a rental at least because it is a good movie regardless. Director Alfredo De Villa and writers Alison Swan, Rick Najera, Robert Teitel, and Rene M. Rigal all did a good job with this film. The film is funny at times and a little more dramatic at others, there is something for everybody in this. Does this film have problems, to be honest it probably does but I liked it. Maybe the situation affected my judgment but isn't that the point of a review.
Summary of Nothing Like the Holidays
John Leguizamo (Ice Age, Moulin Rouge!), Freddy Rodriguez (?Six Feet Under,? Bobby), Debra Messing (?Will & Grace,? ?The Starter Wife?), and Alfred Molina (The Pink Panther 2) lead a hilarious ensemble cast in this humorous and heartwarming holiday story that is ?laugh-out-loud-funny and downright touching." (MoviePictureFilm.com) It?s Christmastime in Chicago, and the far-flung members of the Rodriguez family are converging at their parents? home to celebrate the season. During the course of this eventful week, traditions will be celebrated, secrets revealed, old resentments forgotten, familial bonds re-affirmed and the healing power of laughter will work its magic. Nothing Like The Holidays is a ?heartfelt,? (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) gift for the whole family.If Nothing Like the Holidays appears to have little in common with Frank Capra's small-town perennial It's a Wonderful Life, Alfredo De Villa's urban dramedy also mixes the bitter with the sweet. The fireworks begin when Eduardo and Anna Rodriguez (Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Peña) welcome their Puerto Rican brood to celebrate Christmas in Chicago: Iraq War veteran Jesse (Illinois native Freddy Rodríguez), struggling actress Roxanna (Death Proof?s Vanessa Ferlitto), and attorney Mauricio (John Leguizamo) and his tightly-wound spouse, Sarah (Debra Messing). While Roxanna finds herself drawn to family friend Ozzy (Jay Hernandez), a former gang-banger, Jesse struggles with his feelings for ex-girlfriend Marissa (Melonie Diaz), who's moved on in his absence, and Anna laments her lack of grandchildren, but when she announces she's divorcing Edy, a bodega proprietor, the entire clan decides to make the most of their last holiday together. If De Villa's intentions are honorable, and his cast is up to the task--especially Molina and Rodríguez--the two halves of his film make for an awkward fit. Jesse's shell-shocked veteran, for instance, belongs to a different movie than that of his wisecracking cousin, Johnny (Luis Guzmán). Then, when Ozzy picks up a gun in an act of revenge, domestic drama and ethnic comedy collide with the hood flick. Unlike the many brash and materialistic entertainments crowding the multiplex at the end of the year, Nothing Like the Holidays prioritizes cultural and emotional matters, but still registers as more of a missed opportunity than a contemporary classic. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Stills from Nothing Like the Holidays (Click for larger image)
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