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Christmas movies need a change. They’re becoming just like that bland old tie Uncle Carl gets every year: the colors and style may differ, but it’s really just the same old thing. Why does this happen? Because you don’t know what else to get him, just like “creative” Hollywood minds don’t know what else to do with Christmas.
“Nothing Like the Holidays” reminds us how tired Uncle Carl is of getting that tie. It’s your typical “dysfunctional family” Christmas dramedy that’s supposed to make you laugh and cry, but will really just leave you bored and indifferent.
Director Alfredo De Villa thinks he’s adding an original twist to the genre by centering on a Puerto Rican family, and in theory this could offer an intriguing perspective. Too bad all we learn is that Puerto Rican families have the same difficulties as others, except they say things like “oh, mi nino” when emotional about their children.
Meet the Rodriguez familia. Father Edy (Alfred Molina) owns a bodega and is apparently cheating on wife Anna (Elizabeth Pena), which prompts her to dramatically announce that she’s leaving him. This upsets the adult children: Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) just returned from Iraq and yearns for the girl (Melonie Diaz) he left behind five years earlier; Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) is a “star” actress in L.A., which of course is a lie; and lawyer Mauricio (John Leguizamo) must endure his mother’s yearning for a grandchild while his gringo wife (Debra Messing) painfully plays along. And if this isn’t enough chaos, friends Ozzy (Jay Hernandez) and Johnny (Luis Guzman) don’t leave the family alone for long; Ozzy even develops a crush on Roxanna.
For all the secrets that are kept hidden, the grudges that have gone on for too long and the love that is lost, found and regained, De Villa does a poor job of creating and sustaining dramatic tension. The multitude of storylines makes this difficult, as it becomes a balancing act with each character rather than a plot with a cohesive flow. As a result the film is oddly flat and bland, meaning the good performances (Pena, Leguizamo) and occasional laughs are easy to forget about 20 minutes after the movie ends. Worse, the script by Alison Swan and Rick Najera barely evokes a Christmas spirit. It’s cold and snowy in the suburban Chicago setting, and there’s a neighborhood sing-a-long that never happens in real life, but the movie never feels very Christmas-y.
Just once there should be a Christmas movie about a happy, well-adjusted family having a great time together. No big revelations, heated disputes or awful gifts, just some good humor and yuletide cheer. You know, happiness. This idea might lack drama, but at least it’s in tune with the holiday spirit Christmas is supposed to inspire.
“Nothing Like the Holidays” is nothing like this notion of what Christmas movies should be, nor is it original enough to be a success. Even Uncle Carl knows that’s bad news.
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