So...over the Thanksgiving break, I went with my sisters and my mother to see "This Christmas." I dont think this movie was expected to do as well as the other holiday frontrunners like "Enchanted" or "Beowulf" but it has surprisingly been able to beat out the competition.
While it hasnt managed to inch past "Enchanted" in the box office race, it has beat out "Bee Movie" and "American Gangster." Now, before I actually went to go see the movie, I was already expecting the movie to be financially successful because of the expected millions of girls who were willing to spend 8 dollars on a ticket to go drool over Chris Brown for 2 hours. But the movie is so genuine and filled with a cast of very talented black actors, that it is no surprise now, why it has gotten so many great reviews.
Unlike the rest of my demographic, I was excited about the movie for more reasons than a certain R&B megastar. What really made me excited about it was that it had all of my favorite actors and actresses wrapped up in one movie. Regina King, who is such an underrated actress who should have a closet full of Oscars by now, and Sharon Leal, who played the replacement dreamgirl in one of my favorite musicals, played the older Whitfield sisters. Columbus Short was accompanied by fellow "Stomp the Yard" castmates, Chris Brown and Laz Alonso, making it the second movie that Brown and Short have been cast as brothers and Alonso played the jerk husband to King's character. Idris Elba first impressed me when he played Monty in Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls" when it wasnt until I watched the special features that I discovered he was British, plays the oldest Whitfield sibling. Lauren London was the youngest Whitfield girl, and Keith Robinson who was also in Dreamgirls played London's boyfriend. Finally, Loretta Divine, a living legend who played the original Lorrell in the Dreamgirls broadway show, played the mother of the Whitfield family.
While it hasnt managed to inch past "Enchanted" in the box office race, it has beat out "Bee Movie" and "American Gangster." Now, before I actually went to go see the movie, I was already expecting the movie to be financially successful because of the expected millions of girls who were willing to spend 8 dollars on a ticket to go drool over Chris Brown for 2 hours. But the movie is so genuine and filled with a cast of very talented black actors, that it is no surprise now, why it has gotten so many great reviews.
Unlike the rest of my demographic, I was excited about the movie for more reasons than a certain R&B megastar. What really made me excited about it was that it had all of my favorite actors and actresses wrapped up in one movie. Regina King, who is such an underrated actress who should have a closet full of Oscars by now, and Sharon Leal, who played the replacement dreamgirl in one of my favorite musicals, played the older Whitfield sisters. Columbus Short was accompanied by fellow "Stomp the Yard" castmates, Chris Brown and Laz Alonso, making it the second movie that Brown and Short have been cast as brothers and Alonso played the jerk husband to King's character. Idris Elba first impressed me when he played Monty in Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls" when it wasnt until I watched the special features that I discovered he was British, plays the oldest Whitfield sibling. Lauren London was the youngest Whitfield girl, and Keith Robinson who was also in Dreamgirls played London's boyfriend. Finally, Loretta Divine, a living legend who played the original Lorrell in the Dreamgirls broadway show, played the mother of the Whitfield family.
So I think it is safe to say that even without Chris Brown on the cast, I still would have loved this movie. The rest of the cast was like a big ice cream sundae with Chris Brown as the rookie cherry on top.We were relieved that Chris Breezy made it past the first ten minutes of the movie without getting shot, and managed to deliver a performance that could stand above other singers-turned-actors.
While is seemed reminiscent of a Tyler Perry film, after some discussion with friends, we decided that for "This Christmas" to be in the same ranks as something like "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" as far as dramatic content goes, someone would have had to be hiding that they were a crack addict, instead of hiding that they wanted to be a singer. But since it wasnt crafted by Mr. Perry, we couldn't hold it against the folks at the production company.
The movie was a great mix of comedy, drama, and music, and I even found myself tearing up at some parts, and I'm not a movie cryin kind of girl--I didnt even cry in "the Notebook." I dont even want to say much more about the plot of the movie because I highly recommend it. If anyone finds there way to my blog to read this review, I wouldnt want to give anything away! basically, go see "This Christmas" that is all :)
While is seemed reminiscent of a Tyler Perry film, after some discussion with friends, we decided that for "This Christmas" to be in the same ranks as something like "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" as far as dramatic content goes, someone would have had to be hiding that they were a crack addict, instead of hiding that they wanted to be a singer. But since it wasnt crafted by Mr. Perry, we couldn't hold it against the folks at the production company.
The movie was a great mix of comedy, drama, and music, and I even found myself tearing up at some parts, and I'm not a movie cryin kind of girl--I didnt even cry in "the Notebook." I dont even want to say much more about the plot of the movie because I highly recommend it. If anyone finds there way to my blog to read this review, I wouldnt want to give anything away! basically, go see "This Christmas" that is all :)
