Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10505 in DVD
• Brand: STARZ/SPHE
• Released on: 2009-10-27
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.20 pounds
• Running time: 98 minutes

Features

• NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS (DVD MOVIE)

Amazon.com
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)

Customer Reviews

We're Spending Christmas Together Whether You Like it or Not
Allow me to quote from my review of "Four Christmases," released only a few weeks ago: "I don't need to spend $8.75 to be told that we should spend time with our loved ones, even if they're completely insane. By now, I think we all know." As much as I believe this to be true, films like "Nothing Like the Holidays" prove that even well established messages can still be effective. This movie is everything "Four Christmases" was not: funny, touching, and intelligent, with drama that actually feels genuine. While it gives us just about everything we've come to expect from the typical holiday movie, it makes the most of what it's got, and I have a feeling that just about everyone will find it relatable to certain degree. It's a family drama that has just the right balance of humor and heart, and it features a number of actors that naturally fit into the material.

"Nothing Like the Holidays" tells the story of the Rodriguez family and the drama that befalls them during the Christmas holiday. The father, Edy (Alfred Molina), is the owner of a Puerto Rican grocery store in the middle of Chicago, and he'd like nothing more than for one of his sons to someday take over the business. Unfortunately, he and his wife, Anna (Elizabeth Peña), are having a great deal of problems. Anna is a very unhappy woman. For one thing, she has reason to believe that Edy is cheating on her, with his constant cell phone calls and late nights out. Furthermore, she would like nothing more than for her son, Mauricio (John Leguizamo), and his wife, Sarah (Debra Messing), to bless her elderly years with a grandchild. When in the same room together, Anna regards Sarah not with scorn, but with a quiet air of disappointment, as if to say she could be doing a much better job.

Sarah and Mauricio are having problems of their own. While they're successful executives in New York City, business opportunities are threatening both their marriage and their prospects for having children, which Sarah may not be ready for right now. It would help if Anna would stop asking for a grandchild. She's trying her hardest to be on friendly terms with Anna, offering to help clean, practicing Spanish, insisting that she's learned a great deal about Puerto Rican cuisine. There's a wonderful moment just after Anna announces at the dinner table that she's divorcing Edy; after everyone leaves in disgust, Sarah remains where she is, calmly asserting that she isn't finished eating. For the first time, Anna gives Sarah a genuinely loving look.

Unfortunately, Mauricio is unwilling to accept his parents' divorce, probably because, as a married man himself, he believes that spouses are supposed to ride the ups and downs of life together. Ultimately, he says, you end up falling in love all over again. What he seems to be forgetting is that his mother suspects his father of cheating, which is unforgivable after over thirty years of marriage.

And then there are the other two children. The younger son, Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez, also one of the film's executive producers), is a soldier returning home from the Iraq war. He carries a lot of guilt, not only because he broke up with his girlfriend, Marissa (Melonie Diaz), but also because of an event that went horribly wrong in Iraq. Now back home, Edy is putting pressure on Jesse to take control of the grocery store. But does Jesse want that kind of responsibility? What exactly does he want? Whatever it is, he doesn't believe he'll find it in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago. He certainly won't be getting any support from Mauricio, who has always felt that Jesse had virtually everything handed to him.

The sister, Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), is an actress visiting from Los Angeles. While she has managed a few small roles, she has yet to get her big break. She is being considered for a part in a new television series, but given the fact that her agent calls frequently with little to no news, it's difficult to say what will happen. What she really doesn't understand is why everyone around her thinks she has been living such a glamorous life; they seem to forget that many actors struggle to pay their bills.

Intertwined with all this are a couple of minor subplots, including the Rodriguez's outspoken cousin, Johnny (Luis Guzmán), Marissa's relationship with a new man, and Roxanna's friend, Ozzy (Jay Hernandez), a former gang member who still has some unfinished business. There are also a few interesting scenes with a tree that's been standing on the Rodriguez's front lawn for years. Anna has always wanted it cut down; it doesn't give her a view. Attempts to destroy it only make its metaphor for family all the more obvious--it may by twisted, obstructive, and just plain ugly, but it's also indestructible and deeply rooted. Messages like this are expected in holiday movies, and I can't fool myself into believing that "Nothing Like the Holidays" gives us anything new in the way of family drama. But I also can't deny the fact that the filmmakers made it work. This movie, for all intents and purposes, feels authentic from beginning to end. It's funny at times, yet it never goes for a series of cheap laughs. It's sad at times, yet it doesn't resort to overblown moments of melodrama. It gave me the gift of an enjoyable movie going experience, and I'm sure it will do the same for you.

Really fun with a twist
This is a fun movie - lots of hilarious moments with a great ensemble cast. You get the feeling that the actors had a lot of fun when they did this film.
Beside being funny it also makes some valuable statements about family life, forgiveness, healing and accepting our humanness.
An altogether warm viewing experience - something there for every generation!

Pretty good Christmas film
I first saw this film in the theater. To give full disclosure, one of my businesses is a movie theater, so I see a lot of films. This one isn't bad at all. It is a feel-good flick about a Puerto Rican family living in Chicago, and one very difficult Christmas holiday season. Some excellent actors and a good storyline make this one worth watching, as long as you like feel-good Christmas films. I do.