statman122 So I'm watching this and I think, who is this sara who can't act worth a darn? I look it up on IMDB and what do you know , it's the worthless and highly overrated Debra Messing proving once again how bad she is. This would have been a pretty good movie had they simply cast someone who could actually act in the role of sara

edwagreen Alfred Molina leads an all-star cast as his character is allowed to develop as the film goes on.We are dealing with a Puerto Rican family getting together for the holidays. The family consists of 3 adult children- a returning Iraq vet, an attorney, and a Hollywood aspiring actress. All 3 have their problems (naturally) but are awaiting the surprise of their young lives when the mother announces that she is divorcing the father after 36 years of marriage due to infidelity on his part.The film deals with strong family ties, their problems, their joys and sorrows as they try to cope with this devastating news. Special kudos in the acting department go to Elizabeth Pena and John Leguizamo, as two of the children. The returning vet is also quite good here. As we're dealing with an urban setting, naturally we shall attempt to have violence here. The film is great in depicting the aspects of Puerto Rican culture as Molina hides a secret from his family.

Chrysanthepop The title gives the impression that this will be a clichéd holiday flick that won't take long to be forgotten. However, while Alfredo De Villa's 'Nothing Like The Holidays' may have a similar story outline to other Christmas holiday flicks but what makes this stand out is the humour, the wonderful ensemble cast and the richness of the Puerto Rican culture. They story, though familiar, has heart. Movies like 'The Family Stone' come to mind but 'Nothing Like The Holidays' stays true to its story and characters unlike the aforementioned example. I liked that it did not have a fairy-tale ending.What's also impressive is that that character and situations in the movie are easy to relate to and recognizable. The family Rodriguez very much felt like a real family. Each family member and their friends, Ozzy and Johnny carry their own burden but there is a strong bond of love and support that keeps them together. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments but 'Nothing Like The Holidays' can also be described as an interesting family drama and the themes such as sibling rivalry, reconciliation and forgiveness are well handled. I enjoyed how the Puerto Rican culture was brought by the family. It felt very natural and authentic.Needless to say, the entire cast has done nothing short of an excellent job. Initially, it was a bit awkward to see John Leguizamo play Elizabeth Peña's son but after a few minutes of watching their interaction, I managed to look past that and enjoy the characters. It was also good to finally see Debra Messing in a movie where she is given a role of substance instead of 'the sidekick friend' or 'cheating wife'. Alfred Molina brilliantly downplays his part. The romance between Ozzie and Roxanna, played delightfully by Jay Hernandez and Vanessa Ferlito forms a nice little subplot. Melonie Diaz has a strong presence. Luis Guzman is the comic relief and Freddy Rodriguez is simply great. To sum it up, the cast seemed to have superbly worked off each other and as a result they were really convincing as a likable but real family.In my opinion, 'Nothing Like The Holidays' is much superior to most Christmas holiday flicks. A great movie to watched with loved ones and even though it feels familiar, its charm, humour, treatment, culture and heart make it worthy.

dbborroughs Latino family gets together for Christmas and to welcome home one of their number from Iraq.Good solid family drama Shines thanks to a super cast (Alfred Molina, Elizabeth Pena, John Leguizamo, Luis Guzman, etc etc). To be certain the story is a bit cliché but the cast handless it with a great skill and they turn all of their characters into real people. Even Debra Messing as the one Caucasian in the bunch is fine once she sheds the fish out of water shtick she's handed. Its so nice to see what real actors can do to turn a well worn tale of a holiday home coming into something touching and affecting.Worth a look and repeated revisits,