Almost Christmas (film)

Last updated

Almost Christmas
Almost Christmas (film).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by David E. Talbert
Written byDavid E. Talbert
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLarry Blanford
Edited byTroy Takaki
Music by John Paesano
Production
companies
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
Running time
111 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million [2]
Box office$42.6 million [3]

Almost Christmas is a 2016 American Christmas comedy-drama film written and directed by David E. Talbert and starring Kimberly Elise, Mo'Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, Gabrielle Union, Keri Hilson, Jessie Usher, Danny Glover, Omar Epps, John Michael Higgins, D.C. Young Fly, and Romany Malco. The film follows a dysfunctional family that comes together for the holidays for the first time since their mother's death.

Contents

Principal photography began in late 2015 and early 2016 in Covington, Georgia. The film premiered in Los Angeles on November 3, 2016 and was theatrically released in the United States on November 11, 2016 by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews and grossed $42 million.

Plot

Walter Meyer is a retired automotive engineer who lost his wife Grace 10 months earlier. Now that the holiday season is here, he invites his four grown children and the rest of the family to his house for a traditional celebration.

Walter knows that if his daughters Cheryl and Rachel and sons Christian and Evan can spend five days together under the same roof, it will truly be a Christmas miracle. As his children arrive, Walter realizes a perfect Christmas without his wife, Grace is easier said than done.

Cheryl, a dentist and the eldest child, arrives for the holidays with her goofy husband Lonnie Maclay, a previously famous basketball player. He develops a mutual interest in a young grocery store worker named Jasmine shortly after arriving in town.

His eldest son and second born, Christian, struggles with balancing his campaign to become a congressman and his desire to spend time with his wife Sonya and two kids Cameron and Dee. Christian invites his campaign manager along so they can get more work done. His manager helps set him up with potential financial backers.

Meanwhile, Rachel, his youngest daughter and third born, struggles to financially support herself and her daughter Niya due to her recent divorce and studying to become a lawyer.

The youngest, Evan is a successful football player recovering from a shoulder injury, but when his coach tells him his arm is completely healed, Evan struggles to give up the pain medication.

Throughout their 5 days together, the Meyers family experiences ups and downs. Rachel and Cheryl trade barbs at each other, Lonnie has an affair with Jasmine, (which Rachel discovers immediately) and Christian is pressured to help demolish a part of town that includes a homeless shelter his mother supported.

Out of spite, Rachel invites Jasmine to Christmas dinner to embarrass Lonnie and Cheryl but when the sisters accidentally find their mother's tin of recipes, they stop fighting and Rachel tries to disinvite Jasmine via voicemail.

On Christmas Day, Evan discovers Walter plans on selling the house and confronts him. The kids are shocked but Walter stands by his decision. Evan storms off and gets into a car accident. Jasmine arrives to dinner, to Rachel and Lonnie's surprise, and inadvertently reveals their fling to the whole table. Cheryl chases Lonnie off with an old rifle.

Later on, in the hospital, Walter helps Evan confront his grief of losing Grace. Cheryl and Rachel make amends and Cheryl gives her sister a check to help her finish law school so she can be her lawyer in her future divorce with Lonnie. Christian tells his potential backers that he won't demolish the shelter. The film ends with Walter finally perfecting Grace's sweet potato pie and deciding to keep the house.

Cast

Production

On April 27, 2015, it was announced that Universal Pictures had bought the comedy script A Meyers Thanksgiving from David E. Talbert, who directed the film, with Will Packer producing through Will Packer Productions. [14] The film was first retitled A Meyers Christmas, with its setting moved to the Christmas holidays. [15] In April 2016, Universal Pictures announced another title change for the film, now called Almost Christmas. [16]

Casting for the film was done in late 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia. [17] [18] Principal photography took place in Georgia from early November until December 2015. [19]

Release

Universal scheduled the film for a November 11, 2016 release. [15] A trailer for the film was released April 14, 2016. [20]

Box office

Almost Christmas was released alongside Arrival and Shut In , and was expected to gross around $15 million from 2,376 theaters in its opening weekend. [21] The film made $507,000 from Thursday night previews at 1,885 theaters and $5.9 million on its first day. It went on to gross $15.6 million for the weekend, finishing fourth at the box office. [22] In its second weekend, the film grossed $7.3 million (a drop of 56%), finishing fifth. [23]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 49% based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While far from the worst holiday dramedy audiences could hope for, Almost Christmas isn't distinctive enough to prompt a visit to the theater – or annual yuletide viewings." [24] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [22]

Accolades

For her performance, Mo' Nique was nominated for the Image Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2017 Image Awards. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Boston</span> American actress

Rachel Boston is an American actress. She has had leading roles in a number of independent films, and was a regular cast member in several television series. She starred in the NBC drama series, American Dreams as Beth Mason from 2002 to 2005, in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Ex List in 2008, and on the USA Network series In Plain Sight from 2011 to 2012. From 2013 to 2014, Boston starred as Ingrid Beauchamp in the Lifetime fantasy-drama series, Witches of East End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Channel</span> American cable television network

Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

<i>The Night Before</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

The Night Before is a 2015 American Christmas comedy stoner film directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Levine, Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, and Ariel Shaffir. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie as three childhood friends who annually reunite on Christmas Eve in search of the best party in New York City. Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Mindy Kaling, and Michael Shannon also star.

<i>Krampus</i> (film) 2015 film by Michael Dougherty

Krampus is a 2015 Christmas black comedy folk horror film based on the eponymous character from Austro-Bavarian folklore, directed by Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote with Todd Casey and Zach Shields. The film stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen, with Krista Stadler, and introducing Lolo Owen, Queenie Samuel, Maverick Flack, and Sage Hunefeld. In the film, a dysfunctional family squabbling causes a young boy (Max) to lose his festive spirit. Doing so unleashes the wrath of Krampus, a fearsome, horned demonic beast in ancient European folklore who punishes naughty children at Christmas time. As Krampus lays siege to the neighborhood, the family must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.

<i>The Huntsman: Winters War</i> 2016 film by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

The Huntsman: Winter's War is a 2016 American fantasy action-adventure film. Billed as both a prequel and sequel to Snow White & the Huntsman (2012), it marks the directorial debut of Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. It takes place before and after the events of the first film. The screenplay was written by Craig Mazin and Evan Spiliotopoulos and is based on characters created by Evan Daugherty. Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Nick Frost and Sam Claflin reprised their roles from the first film, with Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain and Rob Brydon joining.

<i>Fifty Shades Freed</i> (film) 2018 film directed by James Foley

Fifty Shades Freed is a 2018 American erotic romantic drama film directed by James Foley and written by Niall Leonard, based on E. L. James's 2012 novel of the same name. Produced by Perfect World Pictures, Michael De Luca Productions, and Trigger Street Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the third and final installment in the Fifty Shades film series, following Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and Fifty Shades Darker (2017). The film stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, respectively, and follows the couple as they marry, and must deal with Ana's former boss Jack Hyde, who begins to stalk them.

<i>Fifty Shades Darker</i> (film) 2017 film by James Foley

Fifty Shades Darker is a 2017 American erotic romantic drama film directed by James Foley and written by Niall Leonard, based on E. L. James's 2012 novel of the same name. Produced by Michael De Luca Productions and Trigger Street Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the second installment in the Fifty Shades film series and the sequel to the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey. The film stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, respectively, with Eric Johnson, Eloise Mumford, Bella Heathcote, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk, Kim Basinger, and Marcia Gay Harden in supporting roles. It follows Ana and Christian as they must decide to rekindle their relationship, this time with "no rules, no punishments, and no more secrets" terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Patterson</span> Canadian actress

Merritt Patterson is a Canadian actress. She had her breakout role in 2013 on the ABC Family Pretty Little Liars spin-off series Ravenswood then went on to play Ophelia Pryce in the E! television series The Royals (2014-2015). Merritt has starred in a number of holiday films for Hallmark Channel and Great American Family. In 2021, Patterson was cast opposite Dave Franco, Daryl Hannah, and Bill Murray in Quibi's miniseries The Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Martinez (actor)</span> American actor

Adrian Martinez is an American actor and comedian, known for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Focus. He also worked in the theatre. He is also known for his role as the "Discount Double Check" guy in a series of State Farm commercials starring Aaron Rodgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Muschietti</span> Argentine filmmaker (born 1973)

Andrés Walter Muschietti is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film Mama. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It film series, the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel and its 2019 sequel, It Chapter Two. In 2023, he directed the DC Extended Universe film The Flash.

Gary Shore is an Irish film director, producer and screenwriter, best known for his directorial debut film Dracula Untold. He has also directed commercials for a number of well-known brands including Gatorade, Adidas, and UGG.

Evan Spiliotopoulos is a Greek-American screenwriter, film producer, and film director.

<i>The Grinch</i> (film) 2018 animated film by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney

The Grinch, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, is a 2018 American animated Christmas comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination, and distributed by Universal. The third screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, following the 1966 television special and the 2000 live-action feature-length film, it is Illumination's second Dr. Seuss film adaptation, after The Lorax in 2012. The plot follows the Grinch, who plans to stop Whoville's Christmas celebration by stealing all the town's decorations and gifts, with his pet dog Max.

<i>A Bad Moms Christmas</i> 2017 American Christmas comedy film

A Bad Moms Christmas is a 2017 American Christmas comedy film written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is a sequel to the 2016 film Bad Moms. The plot follows the three moms from the first film dealing with their own mothers visiting during the Christmas holiday.

<i>Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey</i> 2020 American film

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a 2020 American Christmas musical fantasy film written and directed by David E. Talbert. Choreographed by Ashley Wallen, it stars Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad, Lisa Davina Phillip, Ricky Martin, and Madalen Mills. The film, which was originally planned as a stage production, received 10 nominations at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, which was the overall most to be held by a motion picture tied with Black Panther and The Best Man in previous years. This record was succeeded by The Color Purple who surpassed the number of nominations four years later. The film was released on Netflix on November 13, 2020.

<i>Trolls</i> (franchise) DreamWorks Animation media franchise

Trolls is an American animated media franchise created by DreamWorks Animation, inspired by the successful line of Troll doll toys created by Thomas Dam. It follows the adventures of a pair of trolls named Poppy and Branch as they live among their village of pop-singing trolls. The franchise consists of three feature films, Trolls, released in 2016, Trolls World Tour, released in 2020, and Trolls Band Together, released in 2023. The franchise has been supplemented by two holiday television specials titled Trolls Holiday and Trolls: Holiday in Harmony, and two animated series: Trolls: The Beat Goes On! on Netflix, and Trolls: TrollsTopia on Hulu and Peacock. The Trolls franchise made $5 billion in retail sales by 2005.

<i>Harlem</i> (TV series) American comedy television series

Harlem is an American comedy television series created and executive produced by Tracy Oliver. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on December 3, 2021. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 3, 2023. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season.

<i>A Man Called Otto</i> 2022 film by Marc Forster

A Man Called Otto is a 2022 American comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by David Magee. It is a remake of the 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove, which was based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman. The film stars Tom Hanks in the title role, with Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in supporting roles. The plot follows a bitter old man who reluctantly gets involved in the lives of his neighbors.

References

  1. ↑ "Almost Christmas (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 9, 2016). "Box Office: 'Doctor Strange' to Ward Off Newcomers 'Arrival' and 'Almost Christmas'". Variety . Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Almost Christmas (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (October 9, 2015). "Danny Glover to Star in 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  5. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (October 26, 2015). "Kimberly Elise Is Wished 'A Meyers Christmas'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (November 17, 2015). "Romany Malco Joins 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ Ford, Rebecca; Galuppo, Mia (October 5, 2015). "Gabrielle Union to Star in 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (October 22, 2015). "'Survivor's Remorse' Star Jessie Usher Joins 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (October 27, 2015). "Chandra Currelley Joins 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ "First Look Of J.B. Smoove, DC Young Fly, and Chandra Currelley in 'Almost Christmas'". April 14, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (November 6, 2015). "Nicole Ari Parker Joins The Family For 'A Meyers Christmas'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ Busch, Anita (November 9, 2015). "Omar Epps Joins Universal Pictures' Comedy 'A Meyers Christmas'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ Fennel, Brittany (June 17, 2016). "Trailer For Star Studded Holiday Movie 'Almost Christmas'". jawbreaker.nyc. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  14. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 27, 2015). "Universal & Will Packer Land David E. Talbert Spec 'A Meyers Thanksgiving'; Eye Holiday 2016". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  15. 1 2 A. Lincoln, Ross (May 14, 2015). "Universal Sets Release Dates For 'Legend', 'A Meyers Christmas'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. (April 13, 2016). "Universal Retitles Family Comedy 'A Meyers Christmas'". Deadline. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  17. ↑ "'A Meyers Christmas' Starring Gabrielle Union Open Casting Call in Atlanta". projectcasting.com. October 27, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ "On the Set for 11/6/15: Emily Blunt and Luke Evans Start 'Girl on the Train', Brad Pitt Wraps 'Lost City of Z'". ssninsider.com. November 6, 2015. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  19. ↑ McDonald, Adrian (May 1, 2016). "2016 Feature Film Study" (PDF). FilmL.A. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Almost Christmas - Teaser (HD)". YouTube. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ "'Doctor Strange' to hold off 'Arrival' and 'Almost Christmas' at the box office". Los Angeles Times . November 8, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "'Doctor Strange' to Repeat at #1 as 'Arrival', 'Almost Christmas' & 'Shut In' Hit Theaters". Box Office Mojo .
  23. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 24, 2016). "'Moana' Rings Up $81M+ & Ranks As 2nd Best Thanksgiving Debut After 'Frozen'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Almost Christmas (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  25. ↑ "Almost Christmas Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  26. ↑ Lewis, Hilary; Washington, Arlene (February 10, 2017). "Mo' Nique nominated for Best Supporting Actress at Image Awards". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 17, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.