Nothing Like the Holidays

Henry says zzzzzzzzzzzzzz 2 stars

Only John Leguizamo kept this from a 1-star rating.  This movie had great heart—but it just couldn’t quite get where it wanted to go.  The sibling rivalries, the parental strife, the thug-with-a-heart-of gold, the wanta-be-movie star, the troubled soldier—it all seemed so forced & rehearsed to death.  I didn’t really care what happened to the characters….and that’s the death knell to any film.  Two exceptions—I did care about Mauricio (John Leguizamo) because his character seemed real (that’s what great acting can do—bring a cliche to life); and Jesse, just back from 3 years in Iraq.  Maybe I only cared about Jesse because of his extremely interesting facial scars.  The make-up dude did a great job.  Debra Messing should keep with upbeat physical comedy—she’s a real drag as an over-achieving, uptight hedge fund executive.  Save your money and wait for the DVD.