Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Prismark10 Danny Glover might be too old for this kind of sugar. A spiky feel good festive film but a little slow to get going and too many flat and clichéd characters.Walter (Glover) is the patriarch and recently widowed who has invited his family round for Christmas at his home, a house he plans to sell but as yet not told his kids.In attendance are his daughters Cheryl and Rachel who do not get along. His son Christian who plans to run for congress and his youngest son Evan who is hooked on painkillers after a sports injury.There are other family members and hanger on's such as Christian's campaign manager who wants to redevelop a centre for the destitute that upsets Walter.You have a family squabbling, an errant husband having a bit on the side with a store clerk but it is only sporadically amusing but is inoffensive and is amiable enough to watch at Christmas.

vincentlynch-moonoi By most of the ways that I measure a film, I shouldn't have really liked this one. I've never been a fan of Danny Glover (who here is really showing his age), and didn't particularly enjoy his performance here. I'm not a fan of Mo'Nique or J.B. Smoove. I wasn't particularly impressed with young Jessie Usher, although he was "okay". I do really like the beautiful Gabrielle Union, but this was not her best role, by far. And it was nice to see Omar Epps, but this film was not a great one for him. In fact, to me the whole cast seemed tired.The film doesn't really offer us anything new and different. A family -- this time a Black family -- manages to live through Christmas week without killing each other...although they almost do. Nothing ground breaking about that plot. As a couple of other posters said, much of it was predictable.But guess what, I sorta liked it. Probably won't watch it again, but I sorta enjoyed it.

DarkVulcan29 Walter(Danny Glover) a 70 year old retired mechanic, is having it difficult to celebrate the holidays cause his passed away earlier in the year. But tries to keep it together for the sake of his four grown children. But his grown children day to day problems may come into play. Will the family be able to pull it together and celebrate Christmas? A very well made comedy drama, some moments play a little better then Love the Coopers(2015), cause sometimes here I wanted to laugh and cry, it pulls the moments off perfectly. You believe the performances of adjusting to things after the death of a love one. Danny Glover is great, so was Mo'niqe who almost steals the movie here. Sometimes you feel like this could be your family. If you like a good comedy drama, then give Almost Christmas a look.

RforFilm We're only a week away from Thanksgiving, and yet most people seem to be planning their holiday season before they even think about turkey. While I wish that the November holiday got a little more attention, who can blame people from wanting to bring in the magic of the Christmas season? Our world is now dazzled in bright lights, red and green colors all over, and a chance to better relationships. Something about life seems warmer whether were selecting a tree or the living room, lighting a new candle for Chanukah, or simply wishing someone a better new year.For a lot of people, the holidays mean having to visit family. I think it's safe to say that no matter who we love, there is at least one person in your family that you'd rather not speak to on a daily basis. So why do we put a lot of focus on our family gatherings if we know that things won't change? I think it's a matter of both keeping tradition, but of also gratefulness. The odd feeling with family is at least some feeling as we could be in a position without any loved ones (like how some people are unfortunately in that position). One family in Almost Christmas deals with a father trying to bring his kids together without drama. In Atlanta, Georgia, the Meyers family seems to be a nice crew of people to be with around the holidays. The patriarch, Walter (played by Danny Glover) is a retried mechanic who has let his wife Grace handle the majority of the meal planning while letting their four children run amok. Tragically, Grace dies from an unspecified heart condition, making Walter question just how he can handle his old home and keeping his adult children together.First to arrive is his eldest daughter Charyl (played by Kimberly Elise) who is a dentist and has brought her husband former basketball star Lonnie (played by J.B. Smoove) and their daughter. Next is eldest son Malachi (played by Romany Malco) who is trying to spend time with his family while running for congress. Then we have youngest daughter Cheryl (played by Kimberly Elise), whose seems to be in between jobs while raining her daughter. Finally we have youngest son Evan (played by Jessie Usher) who is a football star at his college. Oh, and Grace's sister aunt May (played by Mo'Nique) Can Walter manage to keep the family at peace in his first Christmas without his wife?The trouble with trying to get out a good Christmas movie (and I LOVE Christmas films) is all about creating realistic conflict that we can relate to and why the holidays are a good time to resolve them. Almost Christmas plays off like a lot of those television movies on Hallmark, which usually means that their never great. This is defiantly no Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, or Elf, but this is far from even the worst. The movie has its moments where it's drama seems genuine, especially whenever it focuses on Danny Glover and his children.While I'd like to follow Glover, the rest of the family doesn't have much interesting. I don't blame it on the actors, but the script gives them cliché moments like the cheating husband, the father that works too hard, or the grief of loosing a mother. I don't have a problem with any of this, but Almost Christmas doesn't find any new ways to tell that story. As I said, actors like Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and J.B. Smoove did get a laugh out of me and are enough to keep the movie going when it needs to.I'll give this five sweet potato pies out of ten. At it's worst, its boring. But at it's best, it's inoffensive. As far as Christmas movies goes, I could easily see this playing on a Sunday afternoon on Hallmark or TNT. Those that aren't bothered by tired story elements will probably find this one passable. I doubt I'll spend more time with the Meyers family, but don't see any reason for other people to join them.