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Nothing Like the Holidays

(2008, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring John Leguizamo, Alfred Molina, Freddy Rodriguez)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Familiar but funny holiday story with a Latino flavor.

Themes in this movie include:   family relationships

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Portrays a Puerto Rican family's Christmas Eve celebration and traditions. The children deal with being Latino, marrying non-Latinos, and returning to their old neighborhood. The differences between Latino culture and "white" culture are explored. There are strong female characters but also several Latino stereotypes, including a former gang member. Overall, the movie has positive messages about Latino families.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    A character punches another character; a guy holds a gun up to someone but doesn't shoot; a man almost dies in a car accident.

  • Sex:

    Several characters passionately kiss and talk about sex and adultery. For example, the Rodriguez siblings talk about where they lost their virginity. A married couple is shown in bed the morning after making love (the man is shirtless). A woman looks at her birth control and tries to determine whether she's fertile or not. Several jokes and innuendo about "getting any" and men's "big tools," etc.

  • Language:

    Language used fairly regularly includes "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," "bitch," "goddamn," and more.

  • Consumerism:

    Brands featured or mentioned include Cadillac, BlackBerry, Gateway computers, and Kia.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    The Rodriguez clan drinks at dinner/parties and goes to a local bar, where a couple of characters get drunk. The men of the family smoke cigars together, and the sister smokes cigarettes. The siblings reminisce about smoking "blunts" in their attic when they were teenagers.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Nothing Like the Holidays

Parents need to know that, like most contemporary holiday movies, this film features a large, loud, "dysfunctional" family dealing with lots of issues. One son has just come back from Iraq and could have post-traumatic stress, another has a Jewish wife who doesn't get along with his mother, and the parents are on the verge of divorce, to name just a few of the family's problems. While young kids may not be interested, 'tis the season for family movies, so be aware that there's drinking, sexual innuendo, and several passionate kisses, as well as some use of anguage like "s--t" and "a--hole." There's also a subplot involving a reformed gang member's beef with the guy who killed his brother, as well as a few other Latino stereotypes. But overall, it's a mostly positive portrayal of a Hispanic family's Christmas traditions.

Read our full review by InternLogin

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about holiday traditions. How does the Rodriguez family's Christmas celebration differ from those portrayed in other holiday movies?
  • How is it different than your own holiday customs?
  • What Latino stereotypes does the film explore? Do you think it reinforces or dispels them? What scenes in the movie are similar to those in other Christmas films
  • ? Do audiences expect certain things from holiday movies? If so, what -- and why?
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