This Christmas (DVD)

This Christmas

This is the story of a solidly middle-class African-American family that reunites for Christmas for the first time in several years. Ma'dere (Loretta Devine) is the Matriarch who's Los Angeles home is where the vast majority of the story takes place. As with any family gathering there are topics that are best not discussed. When they are discussed here they end up in fights -verbal or physical (an excellent sister-on sister catfight stands out here).One sister is encouraging the siblings to sell the family dry cleaning business and split the profits. One brother is running from loan sharks. One brother is AWOL from the Marine Corps and one sister has brought along the man she's dating at a historically black college. Despite what the trailers and TV commercials may lead you to think this is not a warm syrupy comedy. There are dramatic moments, violence and course language. It is however very much a slice-of-life that not enough Hollywood features present. This family, warts and all, is definitely not a Hollywood feel-good film with blackfaces. It is authentic in it's portrayal of themes facing African-Americans in particular, but Americans in general.