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This Christmas

Directed and written by Preston A. Whitmore II

Starring Delroy Lindo, Regina King, Idris Elba

Classification: PG

Rating: **

It's a wonder that families bother getting together at Christmas, what with all the secrets they keep from each other, the long-simmering resentments and the fistfights just waiting to happen. A seasonally oriented offering from writer-producer-director Preston A. Whitmore II, This Christmas follows the travails of a clan whose members really should stick to themselves if they know what's good for them. Instead, they have at it over turkey and stuffing, somehow managing to pack several holidays' worth of troubles into a few not-so-peaceful days and one occasionally engaging but very chaotic movie.

Even when compared to other onscreen families, the Whitfields have a lot of issues. The matriarch Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine) can't bring herself to let her adult children know that her long-time boyfriend Joseph (Delroy Lindo) has moved into the family home in Los Angeles. The only one who knows is her youngest son Baby (Chris Brown), who likewise has been concealing his ambitions as a singer from his mother. Her distaste for music stems from the fact that her children's father was a musician who skipped out on the brood long ago. Rakish eldest son Quentin (Idris Elba) has already followed in his dad's footsteps, but his career as a saxophonist may meet an abrupt end if he can't pay back the money he owes to a pair of thugs.

Meanwhile, his sister Lisa (Regina King) and her yuppie husband Malcolm (Laz Alonso) are out to convince the other siblings to sell their stakes in Ma'Dere's dry-cleaning business so they can finance a business scheme, much to the chagrin of sister Kelli (Sharon Leal). Not to be outdone, brother Claude (Columbus Short) shows up in town with a new wife who he's hesitant to introduce to Ma'Dere because she happens to be white. And oh, yeah, there's another sister in here somewhere … and her boyfriend … and the tough guys who are after Quentin … and Mekhi Phifer in a Santa suit … and somebody's kids, but it's hard to tell who they belong to. I don't even think they have names.

Suffice to say, this is one crowded house. This Christmas puts up a mighty effort to contain all these stories but the movie bursts at the seams, ultimately becoming an incoherent mess in which scenes of teary reconciliations sit uncomfortably next to protracted gags involving catfights, car wrecks and a big bottle of baby oil.

Nevertheless, This Christmas often gets by on the charm of cast members like King and Elba. Plus, it's a more proficient piece of work than any of the features by Tyler Perry, the playwright-turned-filmmaker who's had a string of hits by catering to the long-neglected demographic of black churchgoers. With its Perry-like combination of domestic drama, broad comedy and positive Christian messages, This Christmas is a signal that the Hollywood studios are eager to capture the audience that Perry has cultivated. They may get their wish, though two hectic hours in the presence of the Whitfields may make viewers wish they spent the time with their own crazy families instead.

Special to The Globe and Mail