Almost Christmas Predictable But Entertaining

Almost Christmas Predictable But Entertaining

Hailee Walls, Staff Writer

From the maker of “Ride Along” and “Think Like a Man,” producer Will Packer is back with his latest comedy “Almost Christmas.” This is a movie with an all-star cast, who will have you laughing from beginning to end.

The movie begins by showing the progression of a young couple’s relationship between Walter (Danny Glover) and his wife Grace Meyers (Rachel Kylian). The film follows a young dating couple as they grow into a married couple, then eventually into a large family of six. The family consists of two daughters, Cheryl Meyers who is a doctor (Kimberly Elise) and Rachel Meyers who is a struggling single mother, (Gabrielle Union) as well as two sons, Christian Myers who is a politician (Romany Malco) and the youngest of all the children Evan Meyers, a star college football player (Jessie Usher).

After introducing viewers to the family, the film then transitions into present-day time which is five days before Christmas. Walter has invited his children and his sister-in-law Aunt May (Mo’Nique) down to spend the holiday together. Except this holiday will be unlike the others when his wife suddenly passes away.

Now without Grace, the peacemaker, problems arise when the family comes homes. There is tension between the two sisters, as well as marital problems involving infidelity between Cheryl and her husband Uncle Lonnie (J.B Smoove). Christian struggles to make time for his family with his busy campaign going on and Evan is having a hard time coping with the death of his mother.

In addition, a few secrets surface will divide the family. With all of these issues amongst them, Aunt May acts as a mediator and helps Walter keep the family together. She also plays a significant role in the success of the movie by providing its comedic moments. Almost every scene she’s in is a guaranteed laugh.

One funny moment is when she cooks a family meal consisting of foreign dishes. Nobody volunteers to be the first to try it because the food doesn’t look or smell good. So Christian makes his son Cameron (Alkoya Brunson) try it and he immediately has to rush to the bathroom. Instead of seeing if Cameron is ok, she argues with Uncle Lonnie for making fun of her cooking.

Although the film includes plenty of light-hearted scenes, some of them are a bit corny, and the movie’s plot line is predictable at times. Aside from that, the movie is filled with an all-star cast, who seemed to love being around one another. The acting was great and very believable.

If you’re looking for a warm family movie filled with laughs, this is the perfect film for you to see. However, if you plan on seeing it with a younger sibling beware that the film has its fair share of profanity, not overwhelming, but enough to give it a PG-13 rating.