4/5 I'm reminded of another holiday movie...
  by E. D. Garcia (San Francisco, CA)
While watching "Nothing Like the Holidays" I was repeatedly reminded of the touching/dramatic/ridiculous/hilarious "Home for the Holidays" (directed by Jodie Foster). Dysfunctional family gets together for a holiday, hilarity ensues.

Both movies feature similar themes: family member in denial, family member with career troubles, family with an emotional struggle, and so on. And both movies were hilarious. "Home..." was funny in a mostly dry-witted manner, while "Nothing..." is nearly pie-in-the-face funny.

But the seasonal message from both movies is the same: Spend time with your family; whether you want to not.

Nothing Like the Holidays is a solid entry into the modern family editions of Christmas Movies.


4/5 GREAT STORY........!!!
  by Dana Y. Bowles (West Chester, PA USA)
Heartwarming holiday tail about Christmas with the Rodriguez family. The entire clan has gathered in Chicago to spend the holidays at the family homestead; one son is returning from a tour of duty in Iraq; the other "successful" son is trying to balance his wife's career aspirations with his desire for a child and his mother's yearning for a grandchild, while the Rodriguez daughter returns home from Hollywood with admissions that her life is not as successful and glamourous as otherwise thought...all the while trying to deny her attraction to a close family friend who struggles to stay away from a dark past. When the family matriarch makes a shocking announcement, the rest of the family struggle to cope....having know idea that there is an even bigger fight coming their way.

Full of humor and familial struggles and rivalries, Nothing But The Holidays provides readers with a window into an urban Latino Christmas...driving home that despite any surface difference, we are really all very much the same.


DYB

4/5 Worth watching
  by Penguin Chick
I got this mostly because I like Debra Messing and I really liked her in this role. The movie is not what you'd call spectacular or award winning, but it's cute and good for a few laughs. It would be a good movie to bring when visiting family for the holidays. There would likely be at least one character everyone could relate to.

3/5 Nothing New About Family Holiday Plot Basics, but Enjoyable Otherwise
  by Jarucia Jaycox Nirula (Seattle, WA, USA)
I'm a holiday movie addict. I love anything set to Christmas time. Well almost anything.

What I don't care for are movies that rely on time-tested story material with only minor changes based on family ethnicity and general dynamics.

I'm a realist; many American holiday tales look the same from family to family regardless of cultural heritage. Having been raised in several ethnically diverse households, the biggest differences lie in what we eat, when we go to church, and some activities the family does when they get together.

But the basic plot and players are the same.

Nothing Like the Holidays was enjoyable for its acting primarily. I got a few good laughs out of it.

Beyond this, I felt there were too many sub-stories going on that were only held together loosely by the meta-story. Further, I often found myself thinking "Oh, I've seen this character's story in __________".

Overall, this is a serviceable holiday film enhanced by Puerto Rican aspects. I wondered if this would be more enjoyable to Puerto Ricans (particularly in the Chicago area) or if they'd think it was too flat as well.

I give it three stars because it's a relatively cute albeit mindless holiday dramedy. And I love almost all holiday movies.

4/5 Charming Family Holiday Movie for Everyone
  by Cynthia Sue Larson (San Francisco bay area, CA USA)
As the title of this film suggests, the Rodriguez family Christmas gathering is not exactly Norman Rockwell picture perfect, due to tensions and conflicts between their father, Edy Rodriguez (Alfred Molina), and their mother, Anna (Elizabeth Pena). The Rodriguez children come in from as far away as Iraq, with their youngest son, Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) coming home wounded in action. While this film boasts a strong Puerto Rican ethnic flavor of life in Chicago's Humboldt Park district, the central themes are relevant to people from every ethnicity.

One of the most impressive things about "Nothing Like the Holidays" is it's wonderful heart, which shines through the inevitable brushes with cliché that all holiday films must face. It's a joy to watch the stellar cast create such a believable family of characters that every scene feels right and true... especially since some of the challenges being faced aren't neatly resolved in every case.

More of a drama than a laugh-a-minute comedy, this ensemble film hits the right chord when dealing with the ways some family members are treated differently than others, as well as the way some families seem like they're arguing every time they talk. While a good deal of the story line feels rather predictable, there are heart-warming surprises along the way.