Plot: What’s it about?
The holidays have arrived again, but for the Whitfield family, this year marks the first reunion in some time. Shirley (Loretta Devine) is expecting all of her children to return home this year, as she and her longtime boyfriend Joe (Delroy Lindo) open their doors to one and all. While the mood is optimistic, Joe knows that Shirley’s children have mixed feelings about him, since he stepped in to replace their father, who left them behind. As the children arrive and the reunion kicks off, things seem to be quite well, but under the surface, tension looms. As time passes, drinks are poured, and emotions flow, secrets and truths start to run out, some good and some not so good. Will the Whitfield Christmas be remembered as an epic disaster, or as the time people got real and showed their true selves?
Movies about how families handle the holiday season are a dime a dozen, so does This Christmas do enough to stand out from the masses? In the end, this movie does indeed stand out, but because of how good it is, instead This Christmas stands out because of how unlikable it is. These kind of movies are bound to deal with family issues, which means conflict, but here the focus is on the down side more than the positive. We’re left with no sense of family love or warmth, as time is spent showing us what bad people this family is populated with. The cast works well together, but the material holds them all back and while the performances are solid, none prove to be memorable. Unless you hate the holidays, This Christmas should be avoided in favor of the countless superior films of this kind, as this one is just not worth the effort.
Video: How does it look?
This Christmas is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is an impressive transfer, with a clean print and no errors to mention. The image shines here, with great depth and detail that add to the experience. The visual design isn’t memorable, so the visuals are kind of basic, but they still look quite good. In terms of colors, hues have a warm and natural texture, while black levels hold up well also. As I said, this movie doesn’t have the kind of visual presence that stands out, but for what it here, this transfer is terrific.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 option is rock solid, but isn’t given much chance to shine. The music does sound excellent and proves to be the mix’s most dynamic element, however. The rest of the elements remain rather reserved, from dialogue to sound effects, as this material never calls for much else. The dialogue is clean and clear, while sound effects come through well, though as I said, never leave much of an impression. For a dialogue driven soundtrack, this one is just fine. This disc also includes Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Thai language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a candid, but still rather bland audio commentary track, some deleted scenes, a music video, and a brief promotional featurette.
