It’s Christmas in the city, and angels and
scrooges, believers and nonbelievers roam the streets
spreading good cheer…or longing for it. Believers like our
angelic narrator (Queen Latifah) can’t help but find the
beauty in the season. As she sashays through her urban
world, she doesn’t let the naysayers like Bah-Humbug (Terrence
Howard) cramp her style, and soon everyone around her feels
a lift in their spirits.
Too busy to think about herself, Nancy (Gabrielle Union)
a divorced mother of three, has been single so long she’s
forgotten what it’s like to have romance in her life. But
her son John-John (Malik Hammond), who has taken on the role
of “the man of the house,” and her youngest daughter Emily (Khail
Bryant), who wants nothing for Christmas except to see her
mother happy, can’t help but feel that the holiday is
missing something with their father no longer there.
He’s big-time famous rapper J-Jizzy (Charlie Murphy), a
man who talks about the meaning of love and family in front
of the cameras, but behind the scenes is all about money and
fame. No wonder he and Nancy couldn’t make it as a couple.
She’s looking for a man of good heart and goodwill, a man
with true spirit and true love, a man just like . . . Santa?
Yes, unbeknownst to her, the man of Nancy’s dreams is
waiting in the mall disguised in a fake white beard and
dressed in a jolly red suit. He’s a struggling songwriter
named Benjamin (Chestnut), who’s making ends meet selling
office supplies and granting children’s wishes as a
department store Santa. Lucky for him, one of those children
is Nancy’s daughter Emily. Sensing her mom’s sadness, little
Emily has a big idea. She’s going to use her time on Santa’s
lap to see to it that her mom is granted happiness again.
And Emily knows just how to help Santa fill her mom with
joy. Just a few days before coming to the mall, she
overheard her mom talking to some friends. It seems all
Nancy needs to boost her spirits is a simple compliment from
a man.
Hearing this from Emily, Benjamin asks her to point out
her mom, and after one glimpse of Nancy across the mall, he
has no problem coming up with just the right thing to say .
. . all he has to do is look into his heart.
Written, directed and produced by Lance Rivera, The
Perfect Holiday is a touching romantic comedy that’s
definitely full of heart, the emotional center of our
beings, which especially during the holidays, stems from
family. An African American take on the classic Christmas
tale that embraces all ethnicities, The Perfect Holiday may
be called a “holiday film,” but it’s got a benevolent spirit
and enough soul for people to feel its message all year
long.
© Yari Films Group. All
rights reserved
MORE MOVIE REVIEWS
>>>
Submit Your Movie Review
