'Nothing Like the Holidays' review

Freddy Rodriguez and Vanessa Ferlito (Credit: Chuck Hodes/Overture)

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A Puerto Rican-American family congregates for Christmas at its Chicago home. Eldest brother Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) has returned from Iraq, his brother (John Leguizamo) and sister-in-law (Debra Messing)—who may or may not be ready to try for a baby—are in from New York and his actress sister (Vanessa Ferlito) is in from L.A. But when mom (Elizabeth Pena) tells dad (Alfred Molina) she wants a divorce, everyone confronts their own notions of love and past and present choices, including Jesse pining for his ex-girlfriend (Melonie Diaz). Jay Hernandez and Luis Guzman also star.

The buzz: Worlds away from something like "Four Christmases," "Holidays" isn't going for broad comedy or larger-than-life performances. Despite the cliché situations, it's a small movie, focused simply on a neighborhood, a family and a celebration.

The verdict: Like a turkey with too much stuffing, "Holidays" has a lot of subplots that the movie can't quite hold. But that's not a huge problem when watching a family this well constructed, comprising characters who know each other at least as well as they know themselves—and whose sibling rivalry and jabs at each other legitimately come from a place of love. Watching this nice, warm movie feels good, without feeling like you're choking on eggnog that's 10 times too sweet.

Did you know? A local bargoer makes an interesting point. If you only take a sip of a shot, or only drink half of a drink, you shouldn't have to pay for the whole thing!

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