Nothing Like the Holidays

One of the major difficulties inherent in a film that seeks to span two or more genres is devising a set of circumstances that fulfill the requirements of each type of story. In the case of the comedy-drama the demands are compounded by the fact that the requirements frequently all on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. The chosen situation should also be one that is relatable to the members of the audience. Both comedy and drama are most effective when the viewers are able to emotionally connect with the characters putting themselves in their place. Many settings are able to do this but few are as natural as families during ‘the holiday’. That magical time of year running roughly from Thanksgiving to Christmas is one that encompasses the entire gamut of emotions from child-like wonder and anticipation to the resentment of adult children once again under the influence of their parents. Although ethnic group and religion frequently result in some interesting variations gathering several generations of a family together under one roof with the intended purpose of bounding is universal; we have all been there. Typically matters are made worse by the unrealistically high expectations reflected in the seasonal songs. The go on about the trip to grandmother’s house but neglect to mention ten hour delays at the airport or highways turned into virtual parking lots. People sing about decking the halls, peace on the earth and giving thanks but none of these carols go into drunken relatives, sibling rivalry or ruined dinners. Each year millions of people go through the ritual of hoping for a Norman Rockwell gathering only to find it is an impossible dream. All of this translates to being one of the most popular and enduring plot devices employed in movies. One of the latest to enter an admittedly crowded field is ‘Nothing like the Holidays’. While this is not destined to ever be included in any ‘year’s best list but it does meet reaches the goal the cast and crew set; to provide a fun piece of entertainment that will make it as a reasonable popcorn flick.

The screenplay was written by Rick Najera and Alison Swan. Najera has been a staff writer for such cult classic skit comedy series as ‘MAD TV’ and ‘In Living Color’. Swan has one previous work, ‘Mixing Nia’ a comedy drama that she wrote and directed. It appears that Swan provided the baseline story that was then punctuated by the high jinks that is part of Najera’s work history. Together they came up with a workable script that is a cut above what has become standard for this particular type of movie. There is no pretense contained within this story, the film does not attempt to over reach or stretch beyond being s good old fashion enjoyable tale. There is heart within the story but much of it is done to help the audience relate not to manufacture some prerequisite holiday message of good tidings. In short the movie was refreshingly honest for a flick with the word ‘holiday’ in the title.

The premise of the movie is simple; a family that has scattered coming back together for a holiday reunion. Adding to the potential for conflict, both comic and dramatic, is heightened by adding an ethnic cultural slant into the mix. In this case Hispanic, more specifically Puerto Rican. This is not done for some cheap, exploitation either a quick laugh or artificially induced melodrama. The presentation is done more like a sociologist peaking in on the cultural ceremonies of a proud and strongly defined people. It also quickly becomes obvious that no matter what cultural background you are from you will be readily be able to place yourself in the circumstances depicted here. Like so many families the children of the Rodriguez clan have grown up and moved out of their parental home to make their own way in the world. Now they have come back home to help celebrate the holidays together in the economically mixed neighborhood of Chicago neighborhood, Humboldt Park. Family patriarch Eduardo (Alfred Molina) runs the family business, a neighborhood bodega, with his wife, Anna (Elizabeth Peña). Like most such establishments it is a fixture of the area. Ed has always wanted one of his sons to eventually take over the business but life appeared to have other plans. Mauricio (John Leguizamo is the eldest of the Rodriguez boys who moved to New York City to become a successful stoke broker, he returns home now with his wife Sarah (Debra Messing), who is also a successful business woman. Younger son Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) has returned home with some emotional baggage obtained from his tour in Iraq. Their sister Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) taking a break from Hollywood where she is pursuing her dream of becoming a famous movie star. Extended family also show up to the holiday reunion including an archetype most of us are familiar with, the strange cousin. Here that role is filled by Johnny (Luis Guzmán). Just to make things a bit more complicated id the appearance of Jesse’s ex-girlfriend, Marissa (Melonie Diaz). The direction by Alfredo De Villa is apparently loose as part of his style here. he is relatively new to the field but demonstrates as lot of potential. First and foremost he has already learned a valuable lesson that escapes many new directors; don’t micro manage the film with the inclusion of a lot of film school techniques. He realized that he had an incredibly talented, experienced cast, he took the best possible course of action; point the cast in the right direction and keep the camera rolling. The result is episodic but that managed to fit with the overall premise. This is an enjoyable movie that will be sure to entertain.

Posted 10/20/09