''This Christmas'' is a 2007 American

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

produced by

Rainforest Films Rainforest Films was a film production company founded in 1994 by Rob Hardy and Will Packer that produced films geared towards African-Americans. History With Alpha Phi Alpha, fraternity brothers William Packer (producer), William Packer and Gr ...

and distributed by

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...

. Written, produced, and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmas-time story that centers on the Whitfield family, whose eldest has come home for the first time in four years. The film is named after the 1970

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

song of the same name, which Chris Brown covers in the film. The Whitfield family overcomes many trials and obstacles during the Christmas season.

Plot

It is the holiday season, and the Whitfields are celebrating together. The matriarch, Shirley Ann "Ma'Dere" Whitfield (

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and voice actor. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of ''Dreamgir ...

), and her boyfriend, Joe (

Delroy Lindo Delroy George Lindo (born 18 November 1952) is an English-American actor. He is the recipient of such accolades as a NAACP Image Award, a Satellite Award, and nominations for a Drama Desk Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Tony Award, two Critics' Cho ...

) are joined by her 6 children: eldest child, Quentin, Jr. (

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

) a musician who is always on the go and has not been home in 4 years... much like their father who abandoned them; eldest daughter, Lisa (

Regina King Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, ''Time'' magazine named her one ...

), a housewife, her cheating husband, Malcolm (

Laz Alonso Laz or LAZ may refer to: People * Laz people of the Black Sea area **Laz language First name * Laz Alonso (born 1975), American actor * Laz Barrera (1924–1991), Cuban-born American racehorse trainer * Laz-D (born 1982), American rapper *Laz Dí ...

) and their two kids; the uppity one, Kelli (

Sharon Leal Sharon Ann Leal is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in movies such as ''Dreamgirls'', '' This Christmas'', ''Why Did I Get Married?'', ''Why Did I Get Married Too?'' and her roles on the television shows ''Legacy'', ''Gu ...

), a Harvard grad visiting from New York; Claude (

Columbus Short Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982) is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman (of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' fame). He is best known for his roles ...

), a

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

; baby girl, Melanie "Mel" (

Lauren London Lauren Nicole London is an American actress. London is known for her roles in films and televisions shows including '' ATL'' (2006), ''This Christmas'' (2007), '' Madea’s Big Happy Family'' (2011), ''Baggage Claim'' (2013), '' The Game'' (20 ...

), seven-year college student accompanied by her boyfriend, Devan ( Keith Robinson); and the youngest of the bunch, Michael "Baby" (

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

), a photographer and aspiring musician. It is Christmas Eve and everyone is starting to arrive for dinner at 6:00. Problems arise soon after when Malcolm prompts Lisa to suggest that they should all give up their share of their family-owned dry cleaners. Everyone else is against it and an argument breaks out between Lisa and Kelli as a result. Soon after, Quentin arrives, and he talks to his family at the dinner table; upon seeing Joe, he becomes cold and rude towards him. In the kitchen, Mel informs Devan about Ma'Dere's ex-husband "Senior", who left the family to pursue a musical career. Quentin finds Joe and threatens him again. When Joe leaves, Quentin plays Senior's piano in the garage. Claude attempts to sneak off to a club, causing Kelli, Quentin, and Mel to join him. They witness Baby singing "

Try a Little Tenderness "Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods. Original version It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded ...

" there, the family is astonished to find out he can sing. Kelli and Gerald (

Mekhi Phifer Mekhi Phifer (; born December 29, 1974) is an American actor. He portrayed Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama '' ER'' until 2008 and had a co-starring role opposite actor/rapper Eminem in the 2002 feature film '' 8 Mile''. He was ...

) meet and have an instant attraction. Claude loses his temper with two men who attempt to hit on his (unbeknownst to the rest of the family) wife, Sandi (

Jessica Stroup Jessica Leigh Stroup (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress, best known for her role as Erin Silver on '' 90210'' (2008–2013), Max Hardy on ''The Following'' (2014–2015) and Joy Meachum on '' Iron Fist'' (2017–2018), which is set in ...

), and he pulls his gun out at the club, causing the Whitfields to flee. At the house, Baby convinces his siblings to keep his singing talent a secret until he confronts Ma'Dere himself. The next day, the men look for a Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Kelli, Lisa, and Mel wrap presents and Kelli confesses that she slept with Gerald. Mel encourages Kelli to enjoy her fling while Lisa chides her for being reckless. At the airport, Lisa becomes suspicious of Malcolm, who has to leave because of issues at his "job". Lisa comes home with Mo and Dude, 2 bookies who are owed money by Quentin. They attempt to beat him until he tells them that a police car is nearby. Claude is arrested and Lisa and Quentin go to the station to fix the situation. Ma'Dere scolds the family for not cooking dinner or getting prepared for Christmas. When Lisa and Quentin return, they tell everyone that Claude is

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

and the family is shocked to meet Sandi, who is revealed to be Claude's wife. Mo and Dude take advantage of Quentin by eating with his family. Sandi privately explains to Mel why Claude is AWOL and eventually admits that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Quentin confronts Ma'Dere about her relationship with Joe and why no one told him that she and Senior were divorced. Outside, Kelli talks to Lisa about the events that took place, and Lisa also tells her that even though she did not get a college degree, she had to help their mom with the dry-cleaning business when Kelli went to Harvard. Kelli admits that Malcolm is cheating; Lisa confesses that she already knows. Kelli says that 'sharing her man with another woman is pathetic', leading to a fight between Lisa and Kelli in the rain. When Mel breaks up the fight, she tells Kelli about Sandi's pregnancy and that Claude does not know about it. In the meantime, Lisa angrily totals Malcolm's car when she drives it into the

Los Angeles River , name_etymology = , image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg , image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge , image_size = 300 , map = LARmap.jpg , map_size ...

. Gerald arrives and spends the night with Kelli. Baby gives Quentin a scrapbook of Christmas pictures before he leaves. Baby finally confesses to Ma'Dere that he wants to be a singer, but she refuses to listen. Quentin goes to the train station but is ambushed by Mo and Dude; Joe shows up to defend him. Joe gives the bookies $10,000 to get them to leave Quentin alone, and they do. Despite Joe's pleas, Quentin boards his train. The next morning, Kelli asks Gerald to come to visit her in New York. Malcolm returns and Lisa decides to do something about his cheating. She persuades him to take a shower while she covers the floor in baby oil. When he asks about his truck, she confronts him about his infidelity, lures him out of the shower onto the slippery floor, and beats him repeatedly with a belt. Afterwards, she meets Kelli on the porch before church and lets her know that he left, that she is filing for a divorce and starting over. At church, Baby sings " This Christmas" and Claude arrives at the church after being released. After the church service, Quentin returns and reconciles with Joe and his family. The cast members are seen dancing to "

Got to Give It Up "Got to Give It Up" is a song by American music artist Marvin Gaye. Written by the singer and produced by Art Stewart as a response to a request from Gaye's record label that he perform disco music, it was released in March 1977. Upon its releas ...

" (via a

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

line) before the end-credits roll.

Cast

as Shirley Ann “Ma'Dere” Whitfield *

as Joe Black *

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

as Quentin Whitfield, Jr. *

as Lisa Whitfield-Moore *

as Kelli Whitfield *

as Claude Whitfield *

as Melanie Whitfield *

as Michael “Baby” Whitfield *

as Malcolm Moore *

Ricky Harris Richard George Harris II (October 5, 1965 – December 26, 2016) was an American producer, actor, and comedian. He was known for his role as Malvo in the UPN/The CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris''. Life and career Harris played his first movi ...

as Cousin Fred Whitfield * Keith Robinson as Devan Brooks *

as Sandi Whitfield, Claude's wife *

Lupe Ontiveros Guadalupe Ontiveros ( Moreno; September 17, 1942 – July 26, 2012) was an American actress best known for portraying Rosalita in ''The Goonies'', and Yolanda Saldívar in the film ''Selena''. She acted in numerous films and television shows, o ...

as Rosie *

David Banner Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ban ...

as Mo * Ronnie Warner as Dude *

as Gerald * Amy Hunter as Karen

Reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 83 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website'scritics' consensus reads: "''This Christmas'' features strong performances and a sharp portrayal of family dynamics, but relies too heavily on holiday movie clichés." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 63 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The film opened the box office at number two behind '' Enchanted''. The film became a box office hit after opening with $17,958,183. It went on to gross $49,121,934 domestically on a budget of just $13 million.

DVD and Blu-ray release

''This Christmas'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

and

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...

on November 11, 2008.

Original soundtrack

The ''This Christmas'' soundtrack was released by Jive Records on November 20, 2007. # This Christmas -

- 3:18 #

I'll Be Home for Christmas "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed ...

(Waiting On Remix) -

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

- 3:13 #

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed th ...

B2K B2K (Boys of the New Millennium) was an American boy band that was active from 1998 to 2004, and again from 2018 to 2019. In 1998, the group was formed by American dance choreographer Dave Scott and Interscope A&R Keshia Gamble. The members ...

- 3:18 #

- Chris Brown - 6:14 #

Merry Christmas Baby "Merry Christmas Baby" is an Rhythm and blues, R&B Christmas standard credited to Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Johnny Moore. In 1947, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers recorded the tune, featuring vocals and piano by Charles Brown (mus ...

- Charles Brown - 4:49 #

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

Boney James Boney James (born James Oppenheim September 1, 1961) is an American saxophonist (tenor, alto and soprano), songwriter, record producer and recording artist. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee (Best Pop Instrumental Album, 2001, 2004, 2014 an ...

Feat. Anthony Hamilton - 5:16 #

Please Come Home for Christmas "Please Come Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song, written in 1960 and released the same year by American blues singer and pianist Charles Brown. Hitting the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in December 1961, the tune, which Brown co-wrote with G ...

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

- 2:52 #

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. Released on Atlantic Records, as the first big hit of her career, it became a defining song for Franklin, peaking at number one on the r ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

- 2:50 # Got to Give It Up, Part 1 -

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

- 4:13 #

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. In ...

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

- 5:05 #

The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting by an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio f ...

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

- 3:25 #

Santa Baby "Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René, Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer i ...

Lina Lina (pronounced "Leena") is a feminine given name. Languages of origin include: English, Italian, Lithuanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Persian, Kurdish, Arabic. It is also the short form of a variety of names ending in -lina including Catalin ...

- 3:20 #

Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had formed the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and he finished the work in February 1948. The original recordings were instrumental ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

- 3:44 #

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a well-known sacred song for Christmas performance. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line (Midnight, Christian, is the solemn hour) that co ...

- Denetria Champ - 4:33

Awards and nominations

Asian Excellence Awards The Asian Excellence Awards was an annual celebration of the outstanding achievements of Asians and Asian Americans in film, television, music, and the performing arts. The Asian Excellence Awards is the only nationally televised event celebrating ...

**Outstanding Actress in a Movie: (Sharon Leal), Winner *

Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

**Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: (Loretta Devine), Nominated **Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture: (Preston A Whitmore II), Nominated *

MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editi ...

**Breakthrough Performance: (Chris Brown), Nominated

References

External links

Official site
* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:This Christmas (film) 2007 films 2007 drama films 2007 comedy films 2000s English-language films American Christmas films African-American musical films Films produced by Will Packer Rainforest Films films Screen Gems films African-American films 2000s Christmas films 2000s American films