2karl- A Christmastime drama centered around the Whitfield family's first holiday together in four years. this Xmas there's no place like family for the first time in 4years the Whitfield kids have come home baggage in all to see their parents ma Doré played Loretta deving and her boyfriend Joe played by delroy lindo they play the perfect African American family with the home decorated and tree trimmed secrets revealed no plots being given away relationships testes idris Elba has been cast in this film as a rogue family member but as their lives converge again they join together to rediscover the wonderful gift of family this film is just under 2hrs

danceability-1 A movie that is worth watching over and over I went to see this movie twice last year! it was sooooo good! I had a feeling that they were going have it come out on DVD around the holidays this year, which is good to watch wit the family for the holiday season! its a lot of laughs and some tears! very good movie! The movie is more than just excellent. It has an all star cast that not only delivers the story they live and are the entire story. This is already a classic in our home where it is watched on a regular basis. I love the growth of the entore family as they lived, loved, and fought around the holiday. Wow it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.Chris Brown, Regina King, Columbus Short, Nia Long, Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Laz Alonso, Sharon Leal, Lauren London, Keith Robinson, Loretta Devine danceability-1, Amsterdam Holland

raysond "O Come All Ye Faithful!" It's that time of the year. Time to make the pilgrimage back home to the folks. Everyone has family and being home for the holidays is near universal comfort--or dilemma. This is one of the reasons why a film like this was released during the week of the Thanksgiving holiday comes early before the rush of the Christmas movie madness,and righteously so. Director/Writer Preston A. Whitmore II,taps into this common thread with verve as frothy as spiked eggnog. Whitmore's previous films were a formulatic sports movie Crossover(a disaster with the casting and the movie debut of Britney Spears)and the poorly conceived war film The Walking Dead. This time around and for good measure he's eschewed genre films for a family comedy/drama/romance that not only recalls his own experiences,but experiences from any and every family member that we come to know and love in the most joyous time of the year.The result is a tumultanous holiday fete with a very personal feel and beguiling flair that will carry audiences over some arrhythmatic pacing. For the first time in four years,the Whitfeld family flocks to its Los Angeles home that has more bedrooms than the White House. The family matriarch,Ma' Dere (Loretta Devine) still resides here,thanks to a family dry-cleaning business that's on its last leg. She has put her kids through college and continues to give her youngest son Baby (Chris Brown)a roof over his head. Lisa(Regina King)arrives with her two kids and two-timing,domineering husband Malcolm(Laz Alonzo),who pressures Lisa to convince the family to sell their dry cleaning business to used the family's money for a financial scheme. Malcolm's the moral enemy of Lisa's feisty-independent sister Kelli(Sharon Leal). Claude(Columbus Short)surprises everyone;he's on leave from the Marine Corps. Mel(Lauren London),a perpetual college student,brings her latest boyfriend Devan(Keith Robinson). And Ma'Dere's lover man,Joe(Delroy Lindo),is the gentleman of the house;although he's living there on the down low. Presents are wrappedd. Dinner plans are made. Barbs exchanged. Love is in the air. Jealously and envy too. In between the holiday greetings,family drama and tangled relationships emerge. This is when the film goes from family-friendly perspective into a black soap opera. Its changes too when the family goes from season's greetings to season's ghetto.Characters get bitten by the love bug in which Kelli falls for the Gerald,the firemen(Mekhi Phifer). While the eldest brother Quentin (Idris Elba),makes a guest appearance,this gives the house one more alpha male too many. Tempers flare. Words are said. Feelings are hurt. Thugs show up,unexpected. The police arrive. Half of the family members are arrested and thrown in jail. Merry Christmas! This a movie that has its sexy moments,but there is no nudity or offensive language. There is only a wisp of blood. Tangy enough to please an adult,but it is safe enough for the kids. With this many characters,and accompanying conflicts happening just around every corner,the excessive subplots weigh the film down especially with the cast the live-wires such as Loretta Devine,Regina King,Sharon Leal and Delroy Lindo. The only saving grace here that prevented this film from going into a fiasco was the acting debut of R&B sensation Chris Brown--who steals the show with his breathtaking rendition of a R&B Otis Redding classic. With other music from Aaron Neville,James Brown and Kool and the Gang,its worth watching.

justlikegrandma I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! I watched this movie expecting it to be another movie making fun of us but instead I found it to be an enjoyable movie. I love the way it each character had real issues and real conflicts that affect real families. Regina King, as always, did an excellent job portraying a woman scorn that has had enough. This movie cannot be compared to any other movie out there because it offers something for everyone without nudity. Surely, everyone who watches this movie can relate it to themselves or someone in their family. Chris Brown rocked singing "This Christmas." He takes 2nd place with this song only to the original singer, Donny Hathaway. And who doesn't do the soul train line every once and a while?