This Christmas: Review By Solar XI

Shriley "Ma'Dere" Whitfield and her long time boyfriend Joe Black (Loretta Devine and Delroy Lindo) prepare for Christmas with everyone returning home for the holiday. Ma'Dere is a hardworking woman with six children (played by Columbus Short, Regina King, Chris Brown, Sharon Leal, Lauren London, Idris Elba) who owns a dry cleaning business each owned in percentage by her children.

In the film everyone returns for the holiday- Claude (Short) returns from the military for the holiday, Lisa (King) and her husband Malcolm (Laz Alonso), Kelly (Leal) who shows hate towards Malcolm, Mel (London) arrives with her boyfriend (Keith Robinson), which leaves Michael (Brown) who is the youngest and still lives at home. It is revealed that the oldest, Quentin (Elba) owes 25,000 dollars to a couple of gangsters and has not been home for holidays in four years.

Complications arise when it is revealed that Ma'Dere dislikes music due to her ex-husband's departure for his love of music, along with Quentin, and is revealed that Michael wants to be a singer and is to afraid to say. Claude is arrested for going A.W.O.L. and its revealed that he is married to a caucasian woman named Sandy (Jessica Stroup) whom is pregnant. It is also revealed that Malcolm had been cheating on Lisa.

Overall the film was great. The cast was just right, the comedy wasn't top notch but it was good, the direction of the film was great as well. The actors that should be recognized for the film would be Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Columbus Short and Chris Brown (who also played Short's brother in STOMP THE YARD). It's a fun drama/comedy film enjoyable for the whole family.