Nothing Like the Holidays
Overture Films | Release Date: December 12, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneChristopher Borrelli
It's what we need at the holidays, and it's the modest goal of a modest little picture like this--to capture something heartfelt and real. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The troubles are broad, the plot twists giant, and the performances cheery in this carol to ethnic pride in Chicago's traditionally Latino Humboldt Park. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The performers breathe real life into the characters, starting with Elizabeth Pena and Alfred Molina. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
This unassuming and unexpectedly moving picture set in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood is a sugarplum-and-sofrito affair centering on the Rodriguez household. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Like a Christmas present you didn't know you wanted but are delighted to receive. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The situations tend toward contrivance, but the atmosphere is easygoing and the actors seem relaxed even when everyone at the family table is yelling. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian Lowry
So "The Family Stone" becomes "The Family Rodriguez," and to their credit, the able performers wring as much mileage as they can from such familiar material. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Like fruitcake, movies like this are ubiquitous at this time of the year but rarely are they devoured with great relish or enthusiasm. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
This year's warm and fuzzy Christmas movie. It's a generally winning diversion, thanks mostly to its likeable ensemble cast. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Both despite its familiarity and because of it, Nothing Like the Holidays brings it home for Christmas. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's a formula, all right, but a strong cast goes a long way toward carrying it off. We get one, for the most part, in Alfredo De Villa's cheerfully familiar dramedy. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Director Alfredo De Villa doesn't play it for the kind of knockabout comedy so often seen in these films (like the shrill hit "Four Christmases"). Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
The cast is appealing enough, though, and those looking for seasonal warm fuzzies can find them, as predictably touching as a muddled-through "Auld Lang Syne." Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Take a cue from Guzmán, who serves as a kind of court jester, bouncing in and out of scenes in a one-man quest to bring levity to the occasion. The movie could stand to have more of his Christmas cheer; instead, it's a recast "Family Stone." Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Most of the cast range from tolerable to appealing (especially Molina and Pena), with a conspicuous exception. Debra Messing, as the career-driven outsider, is consistently stilted. Read full review
50
Washington PostMike Mayo
The ensemble cast boasts some of the finest actors in the business. They do their best to breathe life into the stereotypes, but they simply don't have enough to work with. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The only distinguishing characteristic of this mildly agreeable variation of a worn-out formula is that the boisterous family under examination is Puerto Rican, and the screenplay includes a smattering of Spanish. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Is there anyone out there who hasn't seen this movie a dozen times before? Maybe even as recently as last week, since it's basically the same story line as the funnier, if less heartfelt, "Four Christmases." Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
My pleasure in seeing Chicago's underexposed Humboldt Park neighborhood on-screen was gradually overcome by this indie drama's cliched treatment of a dysfunctional family reunion. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazinePerry Seibert
While it is true that nothing all that original happens during the funny parts of the movie either, the family's Puerto Rican heritage gives the movie's comedy a unique spin. Read full review
50
Film ThreatStina Chyn
Provides mostly entertaining spectacle. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
This overly sentimental family Christmas drama, featuring a veritable checklist of prominent Hispanic actors, falls victim to the shortcoming so prevalent in similarly ethnic-themed movies with similar casts – everything and everyone is so damn serious. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
What's Spanglish for "oy"? Read full review
0
Los Angeles TimesJohn Anderson
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