You could do worse this Christmas than “This Christmas.”
As holiday-themed movies about dysfunctional family go, you can’t expect much more than for the requisite corniness to be kept to a minimum and for the cast to be genuinely likable. Such is the case here with director-screenwriter-producer Preston A. Whitmore II’s laid-back, jovial dramedy. In it, an upper-middle-class African-American clan gathers in Los Angeles to celebrate the birth of its Savior and — eventually, after resolving much conflict — a renewed unity.
It’s an easy way to spend a couple of hours, hanging out with the Whitfields in their invitingly cozy home (courtesy of some gorgeous decoration by production designer Dawn Snyder). The plot’s to-and-fro, as the various young-adult characters take their turns having the focus of scenes, seems less important than the movie’s overall air of feel-good togetherness and relatable family dynamics.
Much of the credit for its general good mood goes to the always-charming screen presence Loretta Devine. She plays loving if exasperated matriarch Shirley “Ma’ Dere” Whitfield, who has six grown kids still in need of her mothering.
Ma’ Dere is the glue for a brood that includes: the prodigal eldest son Quentin (Idris Elba), a wayward musician who finally returns with two loan shark thugs on his trail; the put-upon eldest daughter Lisa (Regina King), in a marriage with a greedy jerk; two juicy, eligible younger daughters (Sharon Leal and Lauren London); a soldier son Claude (Columbus Short), who is not only AWOL but also secretly married to a pregnant white gal; and the youngest son, Baby (played by current hip-hop sensation Chris Brown), who harbors showbiz dreams for his future that would horrify Ma’ Dere.
Together for the first time in ages, private agendas collide. Should they sell the family dry-cleaning business? How will some of the siblings react when they find out that Ma’ Dere has been shacking up with her longtime boyfriend, Joe (Delroy Lindo)? Will the specter of the father that deserted them all years ago ever be purged so that everyone can move on from their collective abandonment issues and be happy?
“This Christmas” being, yes, a Christmas movie, you know that even thorny problems will be magically settled by story’s end. But instead of suspense, this production has another element that brings chills just as potent. The highlight comes when the adorable-looking and spectacularly talented pop prodigy Brown gets to sing. He covers the rock classic “Try a Little Tenderness” in dulcet tones. It’s a true showstopper, alone worth the price of admission.
‘This Christmas’
***
Starring: Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Regina King, Delroy Lindo
Director: Preston A. Whitmore II
Rated PG-13 for comic sexual content and some violence
Running time: 118 minutes
