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This Christmas

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This Christmas (2007)

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Reviews Counted:78

Fresh:42

Rotten:36

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: This Christmas features strong performances and a sharp portrayal of family dynamics, but relies too heavily on holiday movie clichés.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for comic sexual content and some violence.

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 21, 2007 Wide

Box Office: $49,121,934

Synopsis: Like many holiday films, THIS CHRISTMAS mines the ample humor and drama of a family Christmas. Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine) is the matriarch to the large and loving Whitfield family, which consists of... Like many holiday films, THIS CHRISTMAS mines the ample humor and drama of a family Christmas. Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine) is the matriarch to the large and loving Whitfield family, which consists of her three daughters--Kelli (Sharon Leal), Lisa (Regina King), and Mel (Lauren London)--and her sons--Michael (Chris Brown), Claude (Columbus Short), and Quentin (Idris Elba). They are an extremely attractive and successful bunch, but no sooner have they shared their first meal together than the hidden tensions begin to boil to the surface. Long-kept secrets come tumbling out, and the Whitfields soon engender enough drama to support several spin-off soap operas. There's interracial marriage, infidelity, gambling debts, an AWOL soldier, and repressed dreams of musical stardom, to name just a few of the issues they are forced to tackle in between stuffing the turkey and decorating the tree. Will their many problems and misunderstandings be resolved by Christmas day? Since this is a family holiday flick, the odds are, of course, quite good. Despite the often heavy subject matter, the film has the glow and sheen of a lighthearted romantic comedy. The characters may be awash in drama, but they contend with their troubles in impeccable wardrobes and settings, so that even the barroom brawls have an almost cozy look to them. While some might feel the packed storyline was in more need of trimming than the tree, the tidy ending makes for perfect feel-good holiday fare. If only all family discord could end with a dance-off to Kool & the Gang! [More]

Starring: Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown

Starring: Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Columbus Short, Regina King, Keith Robinson, Laz Alonso, Sharon Leal, Lauren London, Mekhi Phifer

Director: Preston A. Whitmore

Director: Preston A. Whitmore
Screenwriter: Preston A. Whitmore
Producer: William Packer, Preston A. Whitmore
Studio: Screen Gems

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Release:

Nov 11, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • This year Christmas with the Whitfields promises to be one they will never forget. All the siblings have come home for the first time in years and they've brought plenty of baggage with them. As the Christmas tree is trimmed and the lights are hung, secrets are revealed and family bonds are tested. As their lives converge, they join together and help each other discover the true meaning of family.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for This Christmas

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    A happy Christmas package that more or less ignores the fact that it's a black American family story

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    12/04/08
    Andrew L. Urban
    Andrew L. Urban
    Urban Cinefile
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Jam! Movies
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Bob Mondello
    Bob Mondello
    NPR.org

    Family holiday dramedy has some iffy content.

    Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
    07/16/08
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Common Sense Media
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    04/03/08
    Boxoffice Magazine

    If you’re looking for a film that celebrates the holiday spirit, This Christmas would be my first suggestion because it’s heartfelt and not too sweet.

    Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
    01/02/08
    Lori Hoffman
    Lori Hoffman
    Atlantic City Weekly

    Here's a family you'll want to visit for the holidays. Maybe you'll event want to stay through New Year's.

    Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
    12/11/07
    Linda Cook
    Linda Cook
    Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

    ...there's a genuine feeling of a real family's real Christmas, with all its heat as well as warmth, the kind of thing that's missing from the plastic platitudes of holiday junk like Fred Claus...

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    12/03/07
    Jim Lane
    Jim Lane
    Sacramento News & Review

    While formula is still the same, it's quite amusing, romantic, and a delightful holiday treat for a family to enjoy.

    Full Review Source: BlackFilm.com | comment Comment
    12/01/07
    Wilson Morales
    Wilson Morales
    BlackFilm.com

    o matter how silly the situation, each member of the uniformly strong cast creates a nice balance between sentimental and sweet -- which is just how every holiday gathering should feel.

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    12/01/07
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    New York Daily News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This is a very entertaining movie, despite all the inplausablities, and doesn't get down to the insipidness of most Holiday family outings.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
    12/01/07
    Eric Lurio
    Eric Lurio
    Entertainment Insiders

    If you like schmaltzy, music-saturated family movies, This Christmas will set all the right bells jingling.

    Full Review Source: This is London | comment 1 Comment
    11/30/07
    Charlotte O'Sullivan
    Charlotte O'Sullivan
    This is London

    "Destined to become a Yuletide classic, " claim the press notes. Well, they do say Christmas is a time for dreaming.

    Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    Independent

    A strong wire netting will keep out unwanted super-soaps such as the first, in which a black family in LA proves that being Afro-American is no inoculation against outbreaks of schmaltz and piety.

    Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    Nigel Andrews
    Nigel Andrews
    Financial Times

    It's laboured and obvious, and not even a Yuletide movie: Christmas is little more than a device to bring the family back under one roof. Still, its plot is as overstuffed as any turkey.

    Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    David Gritten
    David Gritten
    Daily Telegraph

    It's formulaic and corny as hell, but a top-notch cast keep this festive family drama believable - just.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    Peter Bradshaw
    Peter Bradshaw
    Guardian [UK]

    The clumsy dialogue is so busy explaining the back stories that it doesn’t have time for decent one-liners.

    Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    Sun Online

    Like discovering a family pet mutilated under the mistletoe, this second Christmas offering does its damnedest to suck all joy out of the festive season.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    Daily Mirror [UK]

    No Christmas cracker but a likable holiday movie, This Christmas is full of seasonal cheer, some witty banter and a raft of enthusiastic performances from its high-spirited cast.

    Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
    11/30/07
    Jamie Russell
    Jamie Russell
    Film4
     
     
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