Film Review--Nothing Like the Holidays

Nothing Like the Holidays
directed by Alfredo De Villa
screenplay by Alison Swan and Rick Najera
story by Robert Teitel and Rene M. Rigal
starring Alfred Molina, Elizabeth Peña, Freddy Rodriguez, Luis Guzman, Jay Hernandez, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Vanessa Ferlito, Melonie Diaz

Giddy up for yet another family Christmas film with the added bonus of novelty as it stars a predominantly Latino cast and there is naturally a whole lot of dancing.

There really haven’t been very many Latino Christmas movies and this film is a game attempt at filling that void. It features credible performances, a narrative that doesn’t drag until the final act and enough confusion, self-loathing, and anxiety for any family to relate to and enjoy.

Edy Rodriguez (Molina) is a family man. He owns his own store which he one day wants to pass on to his youngest son Jesse (Rodriguez). He’s also a philanderer which pisses of his wife Anna (Peña) to the point that she announces at dinner that she is going to divorce him. Naturally this puts a corn cob in everyone’s stocking but she’s determined and leaves it to the kids to sort it out. Eldest son Maurico (Leguizamo) has brought his Jewish wife Sarah (Messing) along and she does everything she can to fit in including speaking haltingly in Spanish and trying her hand at Spanish dishes. Sarah is severe and fiendishly successful and it’s suggested that she is putting her career ahead of adding another nino or nina to the litter box.

Daughter Roxanna (Ferlito) is a tv and film actress who is waiting to hear from her agent about a TV series she has auditioned for. She’s pert and too pretty and feels a bit overwhelmed about being back home after three years in Hollywood. Still, she doesn’t glam it up or pull a diva act which is rather comforting in a film that clearly has no room for such antics.

The family is very tight and like every other cinematic Latino family they get a bit noisy around the dinner table as each member tries to out shout the rest of the clan. Sarah is confused at first but being the trooper that she is she eventually comes to understand what she is experiencing. She really does try very hard to fit in and at first it comes off as a tad bit forced. But she keeps at it and soon enough she has a breakthrough and starts to settle in with her new family.

Freddy Rodriguez gives a heartbreaking performance as Jesse, the kid who joined up and spent three years in Iraq. Coming back he is anxious and a bit depressed because one of his fellow soldiers died in a raid and he is convinced it should have been him. It’s all there in Rodriguez’s eyes. They are so filled with pain and anguish that one imagines a completely different film focused entirely around his character. Marissa (Diaz), his old flame whose heart he broke before heading to fight, comes a knockin’ at his house. He can’t forget her and the film focuses on his regret for hurting her like he did. She’s got a kid named Hector (Alexander Bautista) and a new boyfriend named Fernando (Ramses Jimenez) who gets aggressive with Jesse when he sees him trying to kiss Marissa. It clears the dance floor and expresses the impossibility of Jesse’s situation.

Music plays a huge part in this film. The soundtrack is naturally heavy with Latino music and there is as mentioned quite a bit of dancing scattered throughout the film. Basically the logic here is that it wouldn’t be a Latino film without a bit of Salsa and Merengue. It keeps the energy up but it occasionally stops the narrative dead in its tracks. Still, it’s necessary because it fits nicely with all the stereotypes Anglos have formed over the years about those hot-blooded Latinos. They are fiery and demonstrative and they know instinctively how to move their body provocatively.

There is quite a bit of neurosis in this film which somehow shocked me. I didn’t expect everyone to be so fraught with worry and self doubt. This is because I as an uninformed Ango expect Latinos to be insanely joyful about everything all the time. Again it goes along with the stereotype which makes this film refreshing in the end. It’s nice to see how everyone, no matter where their ancestors originated from, are totally messed up and how Christmas brings out the worst in people. That’s until they figure things out which is exactly what happens in this film and it’s regrettably predictable and trite. Everyone gets sorted just in time to celebrate in good cheer.

It’s interesting that there is zero religion in this film but that is the way with Hollywood and their generic atheism and loathing of all things traditional. Indeed, there weren’t any traditions shared here either which turns it into just another generic family Christmas movie which could have been made about any other family. It’s only a few of the performances which rescue this film from Santa’s bad pile. Otherwise, it’s just a slobbering wad of goo with a dollop of melodrama thrown in to make sure all bases are covered. The heavy bits aren’t always effective and they tend to drag the rest of the film along with them.

As mentioned Freddy Rodriguez owns this picture. This is yet another in a series of fine performances he has given since giving up his scrubs on “Six Feet Under”. He’s always a dynamic presence and his work is getting more nuanced all the time. I can almost guarantee that he will very soon be nominated for an Academy Award. Probably not for this film although he really ought to be. Soon. Alfred Molina captures his character’s exhaustion and the war he is fighting with himself, much like his son Jesse. Jesse brings back the war only it’s in his head and Edy relates because it’s a definite part of his life as well. Molina is just so good at saying everything without speaking. He possesses a quiet dynamism which he infuses into his character.
Debra Messing plays reserved, slightly cold, less apprehensive, and total sport. Her range of emotions in this film are handled expertly. She’s excellent at reacting to her environment and certainly projects her character’s good intentions.

Overall, this film has moments of clarity but they are often disrupted by scenes that tend to manipulate the audience into having specific reactions. It’s not a particularly adventurous film and doesn’t move outside the set guidelines that determine how most of these films are to be constructed. It doesn’t waver from what we expect and there is nothing really exciting going on here. They laugh, they dance, they eat, and they complain. It’s the same story only this time it’s considered new because the cast is Latino. Still, Hollywood just doesn’t afford this specific group very many opportunities to celebrate itself on screen and this film isn’t a terrible launching off point.