Nothing Like the Holidays [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Special Edition] [Blu-ray]

Director: Alfredo De Villa

Overview

Freddy Rodriguez, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Alfred Molina, and Elizabeth Pe?a star in Washington Heights director Alfredo de Villa's earnest family drama about the importance of familial relationships in times of personal crisis. The snow is falling and Christmas has come to Chicago. For the Rodriguez family, there is particular cause to celebrate this year; youngest sibling Jesse (Rodriguez) has recently returned home safe and sound after fighting in the war overseas. But as the members of the Rodriguez family converge on their parent's home, there's a strange sense of tension lingering heavy in the cool winter air. Despite the fact that Jesse is doing his best to get back in the good graces of his old flame, she seems reluctant to forgive him for leaving in the first place. Meanwhile, his older sister, Roxanna, has little to show for time spent chasing her Hollywood dreams, and eldest brother Mauricio (Leguizamo) is married to a high-strung executive who seems more interested in advancing her career than starting a family. But while none of this sits too well with concerned mother Anna (Pe?a), the bombshell she's about to drop could prove the straw that broke this family's back. When Anna announces to her children that she is planning to divorce their father, Eduardo (Molina), Roxanna, Jesse, and Mauricio instinctively pull together and begin to reevaluate their past while looking at the future in a whole new light. Later, as lingering resentments are let go and weakened bonds are reaffirmed, the Rodriquez family begins to experience the healing power of laughter while discovering that together as a family they are far stronger than they ever could be apart.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/27/2009
UPC:	0013138306982
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Starz / Anchor Bay
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	27,991

Special Features

Disc One: Nothing Like A Family: Cast Reunion; Audio Commentary with Actor/Producer Freddy Rodriguez, Director Alfredo De Villa and Producer Robert Teitel; ; Picture-In-Picture Insider Exclusive with the Cast ; Bloopers; Theatrical Trailer; ; Disc #2: Digital Copy of Nothing Like The Holidays for Portable Media Players

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Leguizamo	Mauricio
Freddy Rodr?guez	Jesse
Debra Messing	Sarah
Alfred Molina	Eduardo
Elizabeth Pe?a	Anna
Jay Hernandez	Actor
Vanessa Ferlito	Roxanna
Melonie Diaz	Actor
Ramses Jimenez	Actor
Alfred	Actor
Luis Guzman	Actor
Paul Oakenfold	Composer
Scott Kevan	Composer

Technical Credits

Rick Najera

Alison Swan

Ted Perkins

Alison Swann

Rick Najera	Screenwriter
Alison Swan	Screenwriter
Ted Perkins	Screenwriter
Robert Teitel	Producer
George Tillman Jr.	Producer
Reid Brody	Executive Producer
Paul Kim	Executive Producer
Rene M. Rigal	Executive Producer
Freddy Rodriguez	Executive Producer
Mary Vernieu	Casting
Alison Swann	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Everybody has a favorite Christmas carol: a song that if by chance you hear it anytime during the year you'll recall wonderful winter memories of family and friends. Everybody also has a 37th favorite holiday tune: one that they never think about, but don't mind hearing when it comes on the radio some time after Thanksgiving. In that regard, Nothing Like the Holidays is more "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" than "Silent Night." For a while, director Alfredo de Villa whips up a light and enjoyable variation on the traditions of the large dysfunctional-yet-functional-family holiday film. Alfred Molina plays convenience store owner Edy, the father of the rambunctious Rodriguez clan, which includes oldest son Mauricio (John Leguizamo), a successful white-collar professional married to Wall Street warrior Sarah (Debra Messing), a WASP who's never felt totally accepted by her in-laws. Then there's only daughter Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), a struggling actress in L.A., and youngest son Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez), an Iraq War vet who pines for an old girlfriend, and suffers from guilt for causing the death of a fellow soldier. All the while, matriarch Anna (Elizabeth Peña) cooks a never-ending supply of delicious-looking food, and constantly complains about not having grandchildren. The first half-hour of the movie gets all these people under one roof to celebrate Christmas together, and watching the ensemble is enjoyable -- the playful bickering has a warm familiarity to it. And if the film maintained this breezy tone for the entire time, it would be a low-key charmer, but when resentments and secrets come spilling out of everyone, the film's attempts at drama can't match the comedy. Serious scenes involving infidelity, lost love, and survivor's guilt never feel as natural as the good-natured moments of familial bonding, but instead feel like ham-fisted attempts to inject the characters with some emotional weight. While it is true that nothing all that original happens during the funny parts of the movie either, the family's Puerto Rican heritage gives the movie's comedy a unique spin. For example, Uncle Johnny (a scene-stealing Luis Guzman) kids Mauricio about when he and Sarah will make some "sorta Ricans." If the drama were as culturally specific as the comedy, the movie would be much more memorable.