Almost Christmas (film)

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Almost Christmas
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid E. Talbert
Written byDavid E. Talbert
Starring
CinematographyLarry Blanford
Edited byTroy Takaki
Music byJohn Paesano
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
Running time
111 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[2][3]
Box office$38.2 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 and Romany Malco. The film follows a dysfunctional family that comes together for the holidays for the first time since their mother's death.

Principal photography began on November 2, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. The film premiered in Los Angeles on November 3, 2016 and was released in the United States on November 11, 2016 by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews and has grossed over $38 million.

Plot

Walter (Danny Glover) is a retired automotive engineer who lost his wife (Rachel Kylian) one year 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. Poor Walter knows that if his daughters Rachel (Gabrielle Union) and Cheryl (Kimberly Elise) and sons Christian (Romany Malco) and Evan (Jessie Usher) 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 is easier said than done. His eldest son Christian struggles with balancing his campaign to became a congressman and his want to spend time with his family. Christian goes as far to invite his campaign manager along, so they can get more work done. Cheryl, a doctor and the eldest daughter, arrives for the holidays with her husband Lonnie, a previously famous basketball player who played overseas in Croatia. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles to financially support herself and her daughter due to her recent divorce and studying to become a lawyer. Lastly, Evan is a successful football player recovering from a shoulder injury, however when his coach tells him his arm is completely healed, Evan struggles to give up the pain medication.

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 would also direct the film, with Will Packer producing through Will Packer Productions.[14] The film was retitled A Meyers Christmas, setting around the Christmas holidays.[15] In April 2016, Universal Pictures announced another title change for the film, which will now be called Almost Christmas.[16]

Principal photography on the film began on November 2, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.[17][18]

Release

Universal scheduled the film for an November 11, 2016 release.[15] A trailer for the film was released April 14, 2016.[19]

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.[20] 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, finishing fourth at the box office.[21]

Critical response

Almost Christmas received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50%, based on 54 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."[22] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 55 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[23] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Almost Christmas (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  2. ^ McNary, Dave. "Box Office: 'Doctor Strange' to Ward Off Newcomers 'Arrival' and 'Almost Christmas'". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Almost Christmas (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Pedersen, Erik (October 26, 2015). "Kimberly Elise Is Wished 'A Meyers Christmas'". deadline.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Busch, Anita (November 9, 2015). "Omar Epps Joins Universal Pictures' Comedy 'A Meyers Christmas'". deadline.com. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  6. ^ Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (October 9, 2015). "Danny Glover to Star in 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  7. ^ Ford, Rebecca (November 17, 2015). "Romany Malco Joins 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  8. ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 27, 2015). "Mo'Nique Joins 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  9. ^ Pedersen, Erik (November 6, 2015). "Nicole Ari Parker Joins The Family For 'A Meyers Christmas'". deadline.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "First Look Of J.B. Smoove, DC Young Fly, and Mo'Nique in 'Almost Christmas'". April 14, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  11. ^ Ford, Rebecca; Galuppo, Mia (October 5, 2015). "Gabrielle Union to Star in 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Fennel, Brittany (June 17, 2016). "Trailer For Star Studded Holiday Movie 'Almost Christmas'". jawbreaker.nyc. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  13. ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 22, 2015). "'Survivor's Remorse' Star Jessie Usher Joins 'A Meyers Christmas' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  14. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (April 27, 2015). "Universal & Will Packer Land David E. Talbert Spec 'A Meyers Thanksgiving'; Eye Holiday 2016". deadline.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  15. ^ a b A. Lincoln, Ross (May 14, 2015). "Universal Sets Release Dates For 'Legend', 'A Meyers Christmas'". deadline.com. 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. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  19. ^ "Almost Christmas - Teaser (HD)". YouTube. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  20. ^ "'Doctor Strange' to hold off 'Arrival' and 'Almost Christmas' at the box office". Los Angeles Times.
  21. ^ "'Doctor Strange' to Repeat at #1 as 'Arrival', 'Almost Christmas' & 'Shut In' Hit Theaters". Box Office Mojo.
  22. ^ "Almost Christmas (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  23. ^ "Almost Christmas reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  24. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.

External links

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