Prismark10
Danny Glover might be too old for this kind of sugar. A spiky feel good festive film but a little slow to get going and too many flat and clichéd characters.Walter (Glover) is the patriarch and recently widowed who has invited his family round for Christmas at his home, a house he plans to sell but as yet not told his kids.In attendance are his daughters Cheryl and Rachel who do not get along. His son Christian who plans to run for congress and his youngest son Evan who is hooked on painkillers after a sports injury.There are other family members and hanger on's such as Christian's campaign manager who wants to redevelop a centre for the destitute that upsets Walter.You have a family squabbling, an errant husband having a bit on the side with a store clerk but it is only sporadically amusing but is inoffensive and is amiable enough to watch at Christmas.
ellesangelo
Not perfect but a good one of it's kind. Story about struggles in the family. It is personal - a mother is indeed the great foundation of the family. Once she's gone, it causes great shaking in the relationship. It is funny since the actors are naturally are. Note: I didn't cry but I laughed.
pixar1993
Going in with little expectations, except to want a fun and touching Christmas movie, that's exactly what I got, and more. Now widower Walter (Danny Glover) gathers the whole family together for the first Christmas since their mother died at his house, and usual rifts and hilarity ensue, including simultaneously hilarious and sad attempts for Walter trying to make his late wife's best and traditional sweet potato pie. Everyone is handling the recent death with expected difficulty, in varying levels of acceptance. What's original about this film? Nothing really, but it still manages to be heartwarming and magical in the best of ways, that makes for a very entertaining film perfect for a Similar in story to The Family Stone (2005), this is much more uplifting, cheery, and comfortable than the already good former film. Now and then in these big casted, big family films, you tend to get at least one actor who's really not on his or her game, but all, not some, all of the performances in this film were believable and top-notch, from Danny Glover to Mo'Nique to Gabrielle Union to in my opinion the standout, Kimberly Elise. The comedy landed well, and there are plenty of scenes worth getting teary-eyed for. This may not be a Christmas classic in the vein of White Christmas or It's a Wonderful Life, but for the time we live in, it's one of the better Christmas movies in the last few years. I was genuinely surprised with how much I enjoyed Almost Christmas, especially since I would not say that I am exactly a primary member of their target audience. It's all you need for a special family evening, full of emotional Christmas magic and great comedy, including a most memorable scene with the late mother's tin of recipes, but I won't say more, other than it reminds you of how great mothers are. Since the film was released in mid-November, a lot of theaters are no longer showing the film. The bummer with a lot of November release Christmas films is that they only last a couple of weeks before blockbuster and Oscar contenders rush in. Some theaters are still showing it, so go and search this movie out to watch during the holiday season and snuggle up in a cozy theater for a delightful holiday treat. I will go so far as to say Almost Christmas is one of the top ten best films of this year. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go cut myself a slab of sweet potato pie.
hoganjaz
I love IMDb and find the user reviews to be very informative reading. I wouldn't consider myself a "power user" however so have never written one....until now. I do so to tell you how god damn awful this film is. The acting is lame and the plot is highly unoriginal. My girlfriend and I successfully predicted some of the lines just as they were about to be delivered. It's a cross between all the worst parts of The Cosby Show and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation while containing none of their virtues. Stick to the latter if you're looking for some xmas feel-good light entertainment. It's shocking how a director like this could demand such a large budget (17 million was it?). Avoid this at all costs!
