1. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
FILM REFLECTS A BIT OF EVERY FAMILY
‘THIS CHRISTMAS’ SHOWS RELATIVES SHARING
STRESSES OF THE HOLIDAY TOGETHER
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Section: FAITH
Edition: ONE-THREE
Page: 5E
KIMBERLY SUMMERS, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Column: KIMBERLY SUMMERS - TEEN SCREENS
Illustration: PHOTO
Caption: COLUMBIA PICTURES PHOTO. Sharon Leal (left) and Regina King portray bickering
sisters in "This Christmas."
As a younger child, I remember when a race issue meant how fast you could run. But in this
generation, asking for a white pen can result in a fiery, "Well, why does it have to be white?" Our
society is so fixated on race and stereotypes on television that we are often left with no choice but to
swallow them and apply each ounce of ignorance to every aspect of our life.
So as I watched "This Christmas," I was left in awe (and a bit ashamed) because of my prior
impressions of the film. Though "This Christmas" is about a black family experiencing the stressful
holiday together, I perceived this as a mirror of the small factors that all families deal with in
preparation for Christmas.
Writer-director Preston A. Whitmore II makes it known that the Whitfields are indeed black, and
they have a certain way of doing things. But "This Christmas" proves to be more than a typical
Christmas story.
After a tumultuous four years, all the Whitfields are reunited, but it doesn't seem to feel so good.
Despite the smooth jazz underlying the film, the overall plot is anything but subdued.
As Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine) becomes acclimated to having her children in town, they settle in
without holding back their feelings. Between Lisa (Regina King) and Kelli (Sharon Leal) bickering
like true sisters, and Quentin Jr. (Idris Elba) constantly running from drug dealers who consider
themselves to be in "money management," it's all too predictable that everything will come out well
in the end. The secrets that begin to surface get so exaggerated that even viewers of "The Guiding
Light" would gag in disgust.
In spite of these magnified problems, every component of any family is displayed in this upbeat
"dramedy." There's Baby (Chris Brown), the youngest in the family, attempting to summon the
nerve to voice his independence by singing.
There's Lisa, who knows she should leave her no-good husband but is fearful for her future.
Perhaps you could find the unseen Quentin Sr. in your family, the father who has moved on - not
passed away, but really moved on. Whatever character you can most identify with, you can be
assured your family isn't the only one that puts the "fun" in dysfunctional.

2. Aside from the fun and games, "This Christmas" progresses past Santa, his elves and those rhymed
reindeers to advance an element of religion, an aspect the industry tends to forget when making
Christmas movies.
So as you wander around the mall, soothing sores from fighting over that Tickle Me Elmo and
thrusting your hands into a wallet that's already empty, remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Hopefully, "This Christmas" will be one to remember.
"This Christmas" is rated PG-13 for comic sexual content and some violence.