Almost Christmas

It's hard to watch Almost Christmas without getting the feeling that you've memorized director David E. Talbert's (Baggage Claim) script just as the actors on screen have. While the movie hasn't opened until today, it's hard to shake the feeling that you saw this movie before on the Hallmark Channel or on some cable outlet right before A Christmas Story or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

At least Talbert has assembled a cast good enough to make the inevitable feel almost as satisfying as Christmas.

With an Oscar winner (Mo'Nique from Precious) and an improv wizard (John Michael Higgins) included, these folks know how to recite the same old lines without making them seem stale as 3-year-old fruitcake.

Talbert also has a sweet tone that doesn't seem crushingly maudlin. Unlike last year's joyless Love the Coopers, the dysfunctional Meyers family has some likable members who can make getting through a traumatic Noel less crushing.

The Meyers clan actually does have a debilitating void hanging over their 25th of December. The matriarch of the family has died right after the opening credits, and Walter (Danny Glover) is understandably frustrated because he can't replicate her unique sweet potato pie and, more importantly, he doesn't have her ability to keep their adult children from bickering.

Cheryl (Kimberly Elise) is a dentist and feels some resentment because her younger sister Rachel (Gabrielle Union) has quit or been fired from a series of jobs and is trying to get through law school despite the fact that she's unable to afford it. After several flat tires, she has to take the bus so that she and her own daughter can make the celebration in Birmingham, Ala.

The one thing they've got in common is they both have man trouble. The smart and capable Cheryl is married to Lonnie (J.B. Smoove), who does little but bungle simple tasks and remind everyone capable of hearing that he played pro ball in Croatia. Meanwhile, Rachel shrugs off the boy-next-door Malachi (Omar Epps), who has spent the last 20 years pining for her.

Walter's sons avoid getting at each other's throats in part because there's a serious age gap between them. Christian (Romany Malco) is launching a campaign for Congress, while Evan (Jessie Usher) is getting ready to play in a bowl game for his college team. The former is trying to maintain his integrity despite having a campaign manager (Higgins) who's more interested in scoring contributions than in meeting the needs of the district, and the latter seems a little too attached to the pain pills he has taken to get past an injury.

Talbert follows all of these story points with the precision of a Japanese train system. That's actually a problem because being able to guess ahead of the characters diminishes much of the fun. Thankfully, Talbert has cast Mo'Nique as Walter's sister-in-law Aunt May, who makes her living as a backup singer for acts like Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones.

May doesn't work from center stage, but her unrepentantly bossy manner is fitting for a diva. After seeing her play the worst big-screen mother since Shelley Winters in A Patch of Blue, it's refreshing to catch her in a sympathetic role. May's feistiness comes with equal parts affection.

If the rest of the characters aren't as much fun as May, they're at least believable. It may take some effort to believe that Cheryl could ever have been drawn to a self-important goofball like Lonnie, even if it is funny to see him give out basketball cards to anyone unfortunate enough to be near him.

The effort of decorating and cooking doesn't guarantee that Christmas will ever be as rewarding as it should be. We're related to people whether we like them or not. That may be why even something as programmed as Almost Christmas seems likably authentic.

MovieStyle on 11/11/2016