This Christmas Reviews

This page contains reviews for the 2007 Christmas film, This Christmas, which was directed by Preston A. Whitmore II and stars Laz Alonso, Chris Brown, Columbus Short, Mekhi Phifer, Regina King and Loretta Devine.

This Christmas is about a middle class African-American family that reunites for the first time in four years over a Christmas holiday. During the course of their reunion, the family members learn each others darkest secrets, fight, and eventually reconnect with one another.

The critic's reviews for this film were mixed, with a metascore of 63% on Metacritic and a freshness rating of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. "That makes "This Christmas" a very busy holiday comedy, where plot points circle and land on an overcrowded schedule. Once I saw what was happening, I started to enjoy it." — Roger Ebert
2. "The cast has spirit, but the dialogue and situations are phonier than the Yule log on TV. " — The Village Voice
3. "This Christmas may not have the daring or originality to be great. But it's all good." — Baltimore Sun

• Baltimoresun.com: This Christmas Review (B+)
  • "This Christmas may not have the daring or originality to be great. But it's all good."
• RogerEbert.com: This Christmas Review (3 Stars)
  • "That makes "This Christmas" a very busy holiday comedy, where plot points circle and land on an overcrowded schedule. Once I saw what was happening, I started to enjoy it."
• Washington Post: This Christmas Review (2/4)
  • "The movie doesn't idealize, which makes it ideal."
• San Francisco Chronicle: This Christmas Review
  • "It's warm, witty and alive, with a fantastic cast and a belief in its characters that transcends its formulaic tendencies."

• The Village Voice: This Christmas Review
  • "The cast has spirit, but the dialogue and situations are phonier than the Yule log on TV. "
• Seattlepi.com: This Christmas Review
  • "Not a bad movie, per se. It's just harmless and bland and dull and predictable, and sometimes that's worse than a bad movie."
• New York Post: This Christmas Review (2.5/4)
  • "At two full hours it can feel as exhausting as a holiday dinner with your own family."
• The Flick Filosopher: This Christmas Review (Skip It!)
  • "There's not enough genuine drama to fill out its optimistic two-hour runtime, and yet too much is crammed into the few days the family nonsense plays out over: could one cheating husband, say, manage two transcontinental flights, with an evening of illicit nookie in between, in a mere 24 hours?"
• Slant: This Christmas Review (2/4)
  • "A holiday melodrama suffering from severe bloat, This Christmas concerns the reunion of the Whitfield family, a clan dealing with so many dilemmas that it's a wonder they ever get to sit down for Christmas dinner."