WHAT’S IT ABOUT
A couple determined to spend their first Christmas together must find a way to celebrate with both sides of the family on the same day, without anyone finding out.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
I thought, at first, this was just another Hallmark Christmas movie. And, honestly, I was pleasantly shocked. Instead of what usually comes with low-budget production and bad acting in a holiday movie, we’ve got something different here-a lovely Christmas tale whose main strength resides in connecting humor to a real emotion. For the disappointed lately about silly holiday movies, this one’s different. It’s about newly weds Jerome and Kayla. Suddenly finding themselves in a completely relatable predicament during the holidays. They have always spent Christmas with their families, but now they have to try to figure out how they will spend their first Christmas as a married couple. What makes this extra interesting is that they still keep separate apartments (hey, whatever works, right?), with Kayla staying at Jerome’s place but heading back to her own when she needs some space. When faced with choosing between family celebrations, they come up with what seems like a brilliant plan: attend both gatherings without either family knowing. As you’d expect, that all leads-up to some seriously hilarious messiness. This thing is very well done, speaking about holidays and family dynamics. Jerome’s family brings this wonderful mix of ridiculousness and authenticity, such as his cousin Lavar (played to perfection by Juhahn Jones), who steals every scene in which he’s caught shooting his mouth off about all the Christmas presents he’s getting from his array of girlfriends. And then there’s his brother Bryson, who is trying to introduce his new girlfriend Cree into the family fold, only to find out through a mishap that Lavar and her have some history (awkward!). The emotional stuff here gets ramped up, and through Kayla, it involves her brother LeeLee and their grandfather, Pastor Davis. Their relationship adds to the acceptance and understanding part, which feels real but doesn’t weigh too heavy. And then there’s that tossing-a-snowball-in-a-snowstorm moment, as a simple mistake by Kayla of buying the wrong cookies becomes this huge thing. Just the small stuff that might cause havoc in family drama during holidays. The loaded cast–Valarie Pettiford, Adele Givens, Jackée Harry, Michael Colyar, Denzel Whitaker–acts high-quality stuff in giving something special to each of their roles, making every encounter feel true and funny. All the actors really do feel like a family when it gets to all those funny moments and stirs serious ones. Kudos to writer Clarence Williams IV and director Kenny Young for such a fresh-sounding offering in an often dull and predictable arena of holiday movies. They’ve managed to capture both the madness and the magic of family Christmas celebrations. The script cleverly weaves together multiple storylines without losing track of any of them, and the directing keeps everything moving at just the right pace. Currently streaming on BET+, “Too Many Christmases” is definitely worth adding to your holiday movie lineup. It’s the kind of film that gets better with rewatching because you catch more of the subtle jokes and sweet moments you might have missed the first time around. What really makes it stand out is how it captures that perfect mix of holiday chaos and heartfelt moments that most families experience during Christmas. Whether you’re dealing with your own complex family dynamics during the holidays or just want a genuinely entertaining Christmas movie, this one hits all the right notes.
OUR RATING – A WELCOME HOLIDAY 6.5