Almost Christmas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Almost Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Almost Worth Watching.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 8, 2017

Movies featuring the family gathering at Christmastime always feels more like art imitating life rather than vice versa. The big get-togethers can, and often do, result in a pile of personal problems that becomes jumbled together under one roof and around one table. Old wounds reopen, some are healed, and renewed bonds amongst family and friends are sometimes a happy result. At worst, Christmas can be a train wreck and maybe, at some point in the future, a funny fond memory. At best, it's good company, warm embraces, a hot meal, maybe a little basketball on TV and a good gift under the tree. Cinema has often explored the "zany" extreme and usually leaves behind the simpler of holiday gatherings because, really, where's the drama and comedy in the "all as planned" get-together? Almost Christmas is another movie to add to the ever-expanding list, a picture that follows a family in grief and various stages of life reuniting for the holidays, complete with all their personal baggage and all the resultant pitfalls and missteps along the way. Hardly novel and without much of a distinguishing angle on its side, it makes for passable holiday-themed entertainment, more than a comfy pair of socks and less than that one prized gift that will stick in the heart and mind for the rest of one's life.

"I just need a little help."

Walter Meyers (Danny Glover) has made himself a nice little life. He married the apple of his eye and, over the years, he and his wife built a strong, loving, successful family. But things have changed. Walter's wife has recently passed away. There's a large void in his life, and he's hoping that a family get-together over Christmas can help ease the pain. He tries to make his wife's famous pie, a disaster at first but he's not one to give up after one failure. Meanwhile, the kids and their families begin to arrive, including a dentist named Cheryl (Kimberly Elise), a law student mother-of-one named Rachel (Gabrielle Union), a politician named Christian (Romany Malco), and a star college athlete named Evan (Jessie Usher). As family dysfunction increases, chaos ensues, surprises mount, and challenges arise, the family must find a way to hold itself together in the absence of its loving matriarch and rediscover the bonds that make them family.

Almost Christmas does most everything right, at worst to base genre satisfaction and at best to finding a few memorable character moments along the way. The problem is that it usually -- almost exclusively -- favors the former. The film is fine in a bubble, but it offers practically no distinguishing characteristics. It walks that fine line between heartfelt Drama, inane Christmas Comedy, and warm Family film very well -- all three are represented with equal screen time and serviceable elements -- but it doesn't tread any new ground along the way. The film is awash in genre stereotypes, covering all the bases, and then some, as the eccentric cast of characters slowly shows its true colors along the way and the various family members do their part to make Christmas worse but, eventually, make it better under the family umbrella. The characters are hardly unique, too, each of them in different stages of life and bringing their own troubles to the season. There are fights, surprises, mishaps with holiday foods and decorations...the movie has no trouble hitting the high notes, but it does so without any sense of memorable creativity or reason to treasure any of it once the credits roll. The movie is certainly proficient, and that's enough to keep it afloat, but don't watch for Almost Christmas to join the likes of Christmas Vacation at the top of the "family gathering at Christmas" "nice" list.

The movie's peripherals aren't exactly setting the world on fire, either. The Alabama setting is fine, and while warm Christmases aren't uncommon for Southerners, something just feels missing in these movies without cold weather and warm drink that seems to really get the viewer into the Christmas spirit. Or maybe it's that the Blu-ray is releasing in February after the Christmas rush has died down. But those are just minor complaints with the setting. The movie otherwise offers not distinguishing characteristics, no memorable underlying plot line, no gag that really seems primed to stand the test of time, no joke that's going to make its way into the popular lexicon, no character that's going to become a measuring stick for future Christmas films. It's, again, all well and good, just...so generic, unmemorable, content to simply go through the motions, albeit capably, and without much real sense of cheer or purpose. The performances are fine, limited to the quality of the script but the films' roster of veterans -- Danny Glover, Omar Epps, Gabrielle Union -- play their parts with enough enthusiasm and depth to get the movie by.

Almost Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Almost Christmas' digital shoot yields a good all-around Blu-ray. It's not without a few minor complaints, though, chiefly noise that occasionally pushes towards excess and color saturation that could stand a little more depth and nuance. That said, color punch is fine, with various clothes and accents around environments, both indoors and outdoors, sporting a healthy amount of pop. Detailing is strong. Facial textures are naturally complex and very revealing, whether pores, makeup, wrinkles, or facial hair. Clothes are likewise complex and showcase finer fabric and stitch details with ease. Environments are sharp and various stone, wood, and vegetative details shine. There's never a soft or smudgy corner. Black levels hold up nicely and flesh tones appear accurate. The presentation isn't going to redefine the format, but it's a solid all-around performer that carries the material well.

Almost Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Almost Christmas unwraps a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for this Blu-ray release. The track is largely straightforward, but impressively so. Music enjoys an expert width across the front, a seamless sense of space that's matched by natural, transparent, lifelike clarity to instrumentals and lyrics alike. The surrounds aren't heavily engaged in music, but the track nevertheless enjoys a sense of openness that's most appealing. Ambient effects do scatter through the rears to naturally immerse the listener in various locations, such as a busy restaurant midway through the film. A few larger elements come into play throughout, notably a couple of explosions and a crash that are the results of misadventure with Christmas decorations in chapter six. The track introduces some potent room-filling bass that's well pronounced, deep, and enjoyable. Otherwise, this one's mostly about the spoken word, which is delivered with top prioritization, realism, and firm front-center placement.

Almost Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The feature-packed Almost Christmas contains several featurettes and an audio commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Even More Gags (1080p, 3:10): A gag reel.
• Aunt May Unplugged (1080p, 6:08): More lines from the film's flamboyant character.
• Home for the Holidays (1080p): A five-part feature.
• Meet the Family (10:22): The cast and crew discuss how the film is relatable and moves on to cover casting and the qualities the actors brought to the film.
• Fun on Set (2:41): A short piece that looks at life on set during downtime.
• Coming Home (1:57): A quick discussion of the part the house plays in the movie.
• The ATL! (1:40): Cast and crew quickly discuss shooting in Georgia.
• Composing Christmas (2:06): A discussion of the film's score and its importance in defining the film.
• The Director's Diaries (1080p, 4:26): David E. Talbert takes viewers on a quick journey through the daily moviemaking process.
• Walter Meyers' Sweet Potato Pie (1080p, 2:09): Danny Glover's Walter may struggle to bake in the film, but the actor himself is a actually an accomplished pie chef.
• My Favorite Scene Is... (1080p, 4:24): Several individuals discuss their favorite scene in the film.
• Working with Actors (1080p, 2:19): Talbert discusses, as the title suggests, the process of making a movie alongside the actors.
• Audio Commentary: Director David E. Talbert, Editor Troy Takaki, and Apprentice Editor Gene Lewis Jr. share their thoughts on the film, covering much of the basic ground already featured in the various video-based supplements throughout the set but adding some more insight, both broad and specific and technical alike.

Almost Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Almost Christmas is a cut-and-paste sort of affair, a movie that's adequately warm and in the spirit but that feels extremely cookie-cuter, processed, lacking much of an identity. That's going to keep it well out of the conversation of "great Christmas films" and fairly distant from the yearly staples, too. It plays well enough, but chances are most viewers will find it rather unmemorable in the long run. Universal's Blu-ray delivers a well-rounded package, including solid technical specs and a nice compliment of bonus materials. Rent it next Christmas.