Almost Christmas inoffensive family fare
Almost Christmas works as inoffensive family drama, a comic palate cleanser
Danny Glover: Too old for this s--- for almost 30 years.
Hey, the actor was not yet 40 when he originally uttered his famous catchphrase in the first Lethal Weapon movie. He’s aged now into kindly grandfather roles, which he pulls off in Almost Christmas with absolute ease, an ease that makes it unclear whether he’s trying really hard or not at all.
Glover plays Walter Meyers, the fulcrum on which the rest of the plot’s family dynamics balance. In a montage that recalls the opening minutes of Up but with far less emotional punch, we watch as Walter and his wife, Grace, get together, start a family and move to a pleasant Birmingham, Ala., home to raise four children and grow old together.
But Grace doesn’t make it too far. We learn that Grace died not long after last Christmas. The bulk of the film takes place as the extended Meyers family gathers for this, Grace-less, yuletide.
Eldest daughter Cheryl (Kimberly Elise) is married to Lonnie (J.B. Smoove), a former basketball player with a wandering eye. Next up is Rachel (Gabrielle Union), who wears her divorce on her sleeve.
She’s also the nearest thing to a central character, next to Glover. Then there’s Christian (Romany Malco), who’s running for Congress, and Evan (Jessie Usher), an up-and-coming football star. Add in Mo’Nique as Walter’s sister-in-law, a few improbably wise children and Omar Epps as Rachel’s unrequited boy-nextdoor, and stir.
The movie spends some time getting traction. For the first while the central conflict seems to be whether Walter will be able to find his wife’s old box of recipes in time to make her famed sweet potato pie.
But thanks to the talented cast and some not-bad jokes from writer-director David E. Talbert (First Sunday), Almost Christmas manages to deliver a steady stream of guffaws.
It’s a bit lazy in a lot of ways, mind you.
The soundtrack contents itself with some ’70s and ’80s nostalgia, a handful of carols and a few generic strings — composer John Paesano got an easy payday on this one.
And the family’s problems are mild enough to be easily wrapped up with a bow in under two hours: Evan has a drug problem, but it’s not too serious; Christian is caught in a political dilemma; Cheryl and Rachel can’t stop fighting.
Even Lonnie’s infidelity is played for laughs.
This movie won’t be your favourite present under the tree this season, but it’s better than the ugly sweaters they’re wearing on the poster. And sometimes, amid the holiday excess, you need a comic palate cleanser. Think of this as a cinematic After Eight mint.