This Christmas (2007)

Directed by: Preston A. Whitmore II | 117 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Keith Robinson, Laz Alonso, Columbus Short, Sharon Leal, Lauren London, Lupe Ontiveros, Jessica Stroup, Mekhi Phifer, Regina King, David Banner, Ricky Harris, Ronnie Warner, Haskell V. Anderson III, Ambrosia Kelley, Javion S. Francis, Amy Hunter, Stacy Meadows, Brandon Fobbs, Mark Craig, Aviva June, Nicholas Harvell, Brandon T. Jackson, Shelina Wade, Denetria Champ, Garry G., Mirtha Michelle, Mark Craig, Garry Guerrier, Imia Fleur Edwards

When the Christmas season comes again, the range of films will also adjust. Family films with a fraternizing message are shown in the cinemas and an arsenal of stale Christmas films are pulled out on television to get people in the right mood. And so every year we see ‘Home Alone’ (1990), ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000) and the countless variations on the time-honored Dickens story ‘A Christmas Carol’. In the United States it is standard practice to broadcast the classic ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946) and in our own country we have had our own atmospheric and nostalgic family films for several years now with ‘Kruimeltje’ (1999) and ‘Pietje Bell’. (2002). Director Preston A. Whitmore II hopes to find a new niche in the Christmas movie market by focusing on the Christmas experience within an African-American family. However, his film ‘This Christmas’ (2007) stands out mainly because of the countless storylines, which belong more in a soap series than in a family film.

The holidays are traditionally a time to get together with the whole family. So are the Whitfields, who gather a few days before Christmas in the beautiful villa of mother Shirley Ann “Ma’Dere” Whitfield (Loretta Devine). All children – and even mother – carry a secret with them. The eldest son, Quentin (Idris Elba), is an itinerant musician who hasn’t been home for four years. The fact that he is now there for Christmas is because he is on the run from some aggressive creditors. His brother Claude (Columbus Short) has secretly left the army. As if that wasn’t all, he turns out to be married to the white Sandi (Jessica Stroup) and she is pregnant with their child. Sisters Kelli (Sharon Leal) and Mel (Lauren London) have their own worries. Kelli is a tough businesswoman who has no life of her own and therefore only interferes with others. Mel is a perpetual student, especially since she switches majors every time she has a new boyfriend. The eldest sister, Lisa (Regina King), tries her best to trick the outside world into thinking she’s happily married to Malcolm (Laz Alonzo), but it turns out he’s having extramarital affairs. And then there’s the youngest, Michael (Chris Brown) affectionately known as “Baby.” He appears to be pursuing a career as a singer, but fears a veto from his mother, who does not want him – just like his father and eldest brother – to leave with the northern sun.

A beacon of calm in this maze of intrigue and personal drama is Joe Black (Delroy Lindo), who has been the mainstay of Ma’Dere since Pa Whitfield left. Lindo has already proven to be a pleasant and reliable actor and it is thanks to his stable performance that this film does not succumb to its own excess. Music also plays a crucial role. Although it is all very sweet what the immensely popular R ‘n B star Chris Brown and gospel singer DeNetria Champ show, it is the music that connects this film with Christmas. Leave out the music and you have a movie that could be set any time of the year. Director Whitmore, who also wrote the screenplay, has gathered some of the most interesting African-American actors around. Besides Lindo and Devine, Idris Elba (‘American Gangster’, 2007) and Regina King (‘Ray’, 2004) stand out because of their convincing performances, but the others also score more than satisfactory. In the supporting roles we see Mekhi Phifer, Ricky Harris and Keith Robinson. The camera work in ‘This Christmas’ is by Alexander Gruszynski, who, despite the limitations – the film was mainly filmed indoors – managed to turn it into something stylish.

It’s a shame Whitfield left so much behind when it came to the script. He takes too much on his fork and almost collapses under the pressure of all the problems of the characters. With everything that happens in this movie, you could fill an entire season of a soap opera! He also deviates with some surprising excesses from what is usual in Christmas films. Not bad in itself, but if you’re honest, violence really doesn’t belong in a family film… Nevertheless, ‘This Christmas’ is an entertaining film. The actors clearly had fun during the shooting (the last scene is a great example of this) and they radiate that. The acting is therefore also of a very decent level. ‘This Christmas’ will most likely not manage to nestle itself among the Christmas evergreens, which are rebroadcast every year around the holidays. It lacks the magic that a movie like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, for example, does have. But if you want to see something different for Christmas, ‘This Christmas’ will do just fine.