Nothing Like the Holidays

Many cultures have their unique holiday traditions. This movie gives us a view into the lives of one Puerto Rican family from West Chicago during a Christmas gathering. We get to see the Puerto Rican version of a White Christmas. I really liked the honesty of this movie. Although the setting was “Home for the Holidays”, it is anything like the Perry Como version. Life is messy and this movie explores how real people deal with it (or not deal with it). One of the characters is played by Luis Guzmán(you might remember him in “The Count of Monte Cristo” 2002). His portrayal of a macho Puerto Rican guy is hilarious! Debra Messing plays the pasty white wife of one of the sons. Her character’s effort to fit-in makes for some very entertaining scenes but is genuine. If you are looking for a movie with an ending that ties everything together in a nice bow you won’t like this one. If you are looking for a holiday movie that plays to real life issues this movie could be one you add to your holiday collection.