Almost Christmas (2016)

Almost Christmas: Directed by David E. Talbert. With Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, Mo’Nique, Kimberly Elise. A dysfunctional family gathers together for their first Christmas since their mom died.

“After 10-months when his wife Grace passed, Walter (Danny Glover) wants to bring the family together for a Christmas dinner and that may be the last one since he is thinking of selling the house, but has told no one. He knows it wonu0026#39;t be easy since many of his children have issues with each other. He just asks them for 5- days to be civil to each other until Christmas. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is touted as comedy but I found nothing funny in here, no clever lines or good sight-gags. Well, they tried a funny sight-gag when Lonnie (J.B. Smoove) tries to set up the Santa and sleigh on a roof that was not funny, over-acted and actually, quite annoying. Okay, they tried another one when Rachel gets stuck in a window ledge trying to get inside. Could have been funny. Wasnu0026#39;t.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI would call this a slice of life that many will recognize as something that may have happened in their lives during a Christmas or some- such holiday when all are not so civil to each other. Hey, it happens. For a Christmas movie there is very little Christmas music in here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn time we learn all the issues each sibling has with each other and we really donu0026#39;t care about them, but you know the script, by the end of all this, will resolve everything. And then all are happy. Nice, eh?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDanny Glover is always good in any role he takes. As Walter he has a lot on his mind: selling the house, making sure his kids donu0026#39;t kill each other and looking constantly for the recipe his wife Grace used to make her masterpiece: Sweet Potato Pie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNotables: the siblings: Gabrielle Union as Rachel a single mother trying to finish law school; Kimberly Elise as Cheryl who is married to Lonnie a one-time basketball star; Romany Malco as Christian the politician who is married to Sonya (Nicole Are Parker); Jessie T. Usher as Evan the High School basketball star who hopes to make it to the pros. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOther notables: John Michael Higgins as Brooks the manager of Christian running for Congress; Omar Epps as Malachi who is constantly after Rachel as his love interest; and Mou0026#39;Nique as Aunt May and Walteru0026#39;s sister-in-law. And letu0026#39;s not forget Keri Hilson as Jasmine who Rachel invites to the Christmas dinner knowing this will upset Cheryl because she, Rachel, knows Lonnie had sex with Jasmine. You will learn that Rachel and Cheryl canu0026#39;t stand each other. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story moves along at a good pace, the dialogues come quick, but again nothing funny as I saw it. There should be a category that lists some movies as: COULD HAVE BEEN FUNNY. Okay then, that is my category. This is pleasant, not funny, but more of a kind of slice of life story. Kinda. (5/10)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eViolence: Not really. Sex: No. Nudity: No .Language: Small stuff and not much of it.”