Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Every year, different movie directors take their shot at making the next big Christmas movie to join the ranks of classics such as It's A Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story. Hoping to rub shoulders with the holiday fixtures is This Christmas, a film that focuses on the dynamics of family life and what makes - and breaks - relationships between relatives.

The film, by Preston A. Whitmore II (Crossover), centers around Ma Dear (Loretta Devine, Cougar Club), the wise matriarch of the Whitfield family. Ma Dear makes an effort to house and satisfy all of her seven children as they come home for the Christmas holidays; though Ma Dear's first husband walked out on her and the kids, some of them still feel allegiance to their father. This becomes an issue when Joe Black (not the Brad Pitt kind, but Delroy Lindo from Domino) announces to the family that he has been living with Ma Dear, a notice that effectively polarizes the children. A number of awkward and demanding tests of family relationships ensue as Ma Dear tries to keep her family together for the most important holiday of the year.

Simply put, This Christmas is enjoyable - it's funny, it's witty, and all of the actors involved are talented at their craft, including R&B artist Chris Brown in his first legitimate role for the big screen.

But This Christmas will never join the ranks of It's a Wonderful Life and Co. because the film is about the Whitfields first and focuses on plot twists over the importance of the holidays. One example is the revelation that one of Ma Dear's sons, Claude (Columbus Short, Stomp The Yard), has secretly married a white woman; one would think a secret interracial marriage - and a pregnancy, oops! - might have a good chance of giving Ma Dear a heart attack.

Instead, Whitmore endows his characters with an infinite and almost-saintly patience, sidestepping any possibility that This Christmas could actually tackle any serious issues regarding race. And a slew of other superficial issues plague the film - for example, no snow on Christmas because the family lives in Los Angeles? What kind of lame holiday season is that?

If you want serious issues or snow in your holiday movies, don't bother with This Christmas. If you do want to see Mekhi Phifer (ER) looking chubby in a Santa Claus suit, go right ahead. But if you decide to check out This Christmas, you likely won't remember it by the next one.

diversions@dbk.umd.edu

RATING: 2 STARS OUT OF 5

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