Some reviewers find this film not typical cheery holiday fare, comparing it to what they viewed as a happy Christmas film--It's A Wonderful Life--which, while a Christmas classic, could hardly be thought of as mindlessly cheerful, dealing as it does with the leading character's possible suicide and the likelihood of a divided town becoming a Potterville--where Lionel Barrymore and his bank win all the chips. Sure, the Capra tale has a happy ending, but the grim possibility of the little people losing their beloved homes to the banks seems a little prophetic in light of contemporary political gridlock and the foreclosure scandal. Its A Wonderful Life Is a fairy tale. A nice one, but a fairy tale. Nothing Like The Holidays is not. This little drama, hardly a comedy, is not typically mindless holiday fare, but an enjoyable watch, zeroing in on the problems that accumulate when a son returns at Christmas from Iraq to a family where his parents are considering divorce, a sister unable to make it as an actress, and a brother whose values seem to contrast with the Puerto Rican roots of his family. With Freddy Rodriguez, Alfred Molina, Debra Messing and John Leguziamo all giving strong and likable central performances, and a script that holds the attention from start to finish, this is probably a more accurate portrayal of the way families spend their Christmas today--the good and the bad things that happen when folks get together hoping for the best but knowing that there are ghosts in the closets that may slip out now and then--and while no masterpiece, the 98 minutes seem to be an honest reflection that perhaps will comfort those of us not living a fairy tale.

Now what can be so different about a family reunion holiday tape film.They are mostly WASP family & there have been many such films, WHAT is so different about this.It is an Hispanic (Puerto Rican) family.The large cast is made up of the Who's-Who of Hispanic actors. These are usually supporting players in other films. They ARE among others.Alfred Molina---- Elizabeth Pena---Luiz Guzman, Freddy Rodriquez---Jay Herrnandez---John Lequizano, Debra Messing. they all are first rate.The story line is more of a drama than a comedy, It is quite typical of many non-anglo stories which do not rely on comic hi-jinks or bawdy humor to get the meaning across.Thankfully it does not get tragic, just enough hints of what has happened before.The director was Alfredo DeVille, Alison Swan and Rick Najera wrote the screenplay.This takes place in the Humboldt Park are of Chicago at Christmas time.This is the type movie I could see this year as well.I was tempted to give this a higher rating even; It is that good.The movies does drag a bit & seems longer than it is,Ratings:*** (out of 4) 89 points (out of 100) IMDb 8 (out of 10)

finally a movie is made about my home place in chicago.i was born and rise in humbolt park until left for puerto rico in 2002..the movie was wonderful,only two soft part..the Christmas neighborhood gathering singing thru out the area is long history but it was a touch..the part of a brother's revenge against a gang member is too soft.gangs don't go to soft in humbolt park..yes,puerto rican family are nice in humbolt park back in the old days but as violent took over in the mid 70's puerto rican are not as nicely as this movie show..but it's nice that humbolt park was done in a nice and lovely way and kept the violent ways that it is today..in just like the other ricans movie,i like it like that..that also make the puerto rican a group of people with heart and let's not forget west side story'' nothing like the holiday bring a lot of joys and tears into eyes as i see my homeplace turn into a romance,comedy and heart warm and the traditional puerto rican food in west chicago...i give it a 9 for showing the whole world how great we are in a very hard place to be happy..

Sort of a Puerto Rican version of "The Family Stone", this holiday movie may be lacking in originality but more than makes up for it with it's humor and heart. Very talented cast of actors, especially Freddy Rodriguez, John Leguizamo, and Alfred Molina make this family one you care about. I certainly didn't mind spending an hour and a half getting to know them. My only criticism was Debra Messing who never quite had a handle on who her character was; at first seeming like an uptight bitch but then making a far-fetched complete turnaround. I also thought that the subplot with Jay Rodriguez's character seeking revenge on the man who had murdered his brother was underwritten and overall not necessary for this story.But these are small bones to pick. The movie ultimately achieved its goal; it entertained me and gave me a much needed reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the holidays.