This Christmas

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. Touted as a comedy but filled with its share of drama, This Christmas focuses on a middle-class African American family celebrating the holiday together at the matriarch’s home. Ma’Dere Whitfield (Loretta Devine) lives with her youngest son Michael (singer Chris Brown) and her longtime boyfriend Joe (Delroy Lindo). Though all the kids know about her relationship, Ma’Dere insists that Joe temporarily move out every holiday season. Her kids don’t care that they’re cohabitating, but they play along. The Whitfield kids are a hodge podge of trouble: Eldest daughter Lisa (Regina King) tries to convince Ma’Dere to sell her home and business at the behest of her wandering husband; Claude (Columbus Short) is a Marine whose holiday leave actually is a euphemism for AWOL. And even sweet Michael looks like he might break his mama’s heart by pursuing a career in music (a nice setup that treats viewers to a few songs by Brown). Ma’Dere’s husband had left the family years ago to follow his musical dream and she’s afraid her son will follow suit. The Whitfields definitely are a dysfunctional family with numerous skeletons stuffed away in the closet. Though not earth-shattering in terms of plot (one of them is having a relationship with a Caucasian!), the film touts a strong cast that makes some of the implausible elements relatable. King, who grew up on television on shows such as 227, does a superb job adding depth and emotion to a rather unlikeable and bossy character. While not warm and fuzzy, This Christmas is a welcome addition to any holiday viewing. Just make sure small children aren’t included in the audience. –Jae-Ha Kim

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5 Responses to “This Christmas”

1. Rocky Raccoon on December 29th, 2009 7:31 am

   Sometimes funny and heartwarming, the Whitfield’s Christmas homecoming often comes off as a fragmented, episodic, soap opera. The heart’s in the right place, but the execution could have resonated more than a substandard holiday greeting. However, when there’s singing and dancing, the whole venue shines like a holiday star. (The soundtrack is a must though. )
   Rating: 2 / 5

2. Tony Kelly on December 29th, 2009 8:22 am

   Hi Amazon community, this is my first movie review here. . .

   I wish I would’ve skipped this movie (
   It just felt like it was a waste of time. . .
   As a comedy, it didn’t make me laugh.
   As a drama, it shot everywhere but didn’t hit a thing.

   The only good part, most actors are above average and they really tried their best.

   But,the soundtrack felt like it was pushing a bit too much. . . Like, let’s see how many Xmas songs we can put in one Xmas movie?
   The story was a whole bunch of family drama stuff that we’ve all seen before a million times so nothing new there. . .

   My wife and I kept watching and thinking it would get better since most reviewers here recommended this movie, so we kept watching and watching and nothing good, funny or touching ever happened. . .

   IF you’re looking for a good Xmas movie, this isn’t it.

   Oh, white girls can’t dance then???

   Rating: 1 / 5

3. L. Stewart on December 29th, 2009 11:16 am

   I watched more than 1/2 this movie but I could never get into it at all – I am surprised it got good reviews on Amazon. Try ‘Perfect Christmas’ instead.
   Rating: 1 / 5

4. Shamontiel L. Vaughn on December 29th, 2009 12:19 pm

   Cons: I despised the movie “Waiting to Exhale” because I think women who destroy a man’s property because she’s mad that he’s cheating on her is not only corny, but it’s childish. There was an SUV scene in this movie that was beyond stupid to me, and I turned up my lip in disgust. Then there was another scene that annoyed me about a domestic dispute, but I heard females cheering during that part. For the life of me, I do not understand why females think it’s funny for a man to be physically abused under ANY circumstances, but if a man does it, then it’s wrong (and this is coming FROM a woman’s perspective). That scene almost made me walk out of the theater because it’s so hypocritical and shows just how adolescent a female can be and not know how to use her wits instead of her hands to solve an issue–situations like this separate technically grown females from grown women.

   There were some plot scenes that were a little overused, such as the mother’s name, the mother cooking big meals, the couple going through marital issues, and the one son being chased by bookies. After awhile, I started thinking the plot to this movie was a blend of several other movies I’ve seen. However, it’s not like these plots are not common within African American households, so I shrugged and kept watching.

   Pros: Chris Brown. Flat out, he made this movie interesting for me. Whereas Columbus Short was the highlight of “Stomp the Yard” and Chris Brown fell to the sidelines, Chris Brown really showed out tremendously within this movie. I liked him as a singer before, but I LOVE him as a singer now. He did a couple of songs within this film, and I’ve never heard his pipes be so on point. I was impressed and grinned big during every one of his scenes. He’s such a great artist no matter what he does: acting, dancing, singing, comedy (he isn’t a comedian, but he’s hilarious). Other than Chris Brown, there were some stellar actors in this movie like Idris Elba (even with his rough hairstyle); Delroy Lindo (who gets more handsome and charismatic in every single movie I see him in and always an excellent actor); Laz Alonso (who played a jerk to a tea–great job!); Regina King (love her acting generally but did NOT care for her character in this movie at all); Sharon Leal (who I’m seeing more and more–she’s such a pretty woman and does a great acting job as well); Keith Robinson (the pantry scene was cute); Lauren London (pretty woman and improving in every single movie she’s in, although I think my favorite will always be “ATL”); Loretta Devine (who played a great mother, but I liked her spin with having a man and her own mind; her back story with her ex was a refreshing switch from the usual widow story); and David Banner trying out his acting chops. All of the actors were cool in this film. The scene in Chicago looked way too warm for the wintertime. I enjoyed the musical parts of the plot and all of the siblings got along. I also appreciated how they flipped the script on the white wife scene (although I won’t go into that and ruin the plot).

   I enjoyed the film, but those cons are what gave this movie three stars. Other than that, thumbs up.
   Rating: 3 / 5

5. CJ on December 29th, 2009 2:27 pm

   I didn’t see this at the movies, so I couldn’t wait for it to come out on dvd. It finally came out yesterday, and I ran to the red box rentals to get it. I was disappointed. It is not a bad movie, but I heard so much “hype” about the movie, I expected more. I expected something along the lines of “Soul Food”, but it doesn’t even come close.

   So to put this review in a nutshell, would I buy the movie, NO. Would I rent it, YES.
   Rating: 3 / 5

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