Rating: PG13
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 12/12/2008(USA)
Release Date: 10/27/2009
Flags: Adult Situations, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay
Freddy Rodriguez,
John Leguizamo,
Debra Messing,
Alfred Molina, and
Elizabeth Peña star in
Washington Heights director
Alfredo de Villa's earnest
family drama about the importance of familial relationships in times of personal crisis. The snow is falling and Christmas has come to Chicago. For the Rodriguez family, there is particular cause to celebrate this year; youngest sibling
Jesse (
Rodriguez) has recently returned home safe and sound after fighting in the war overseas. But as the members of the Rodriguez family converge on their parent's home, there's a strange sense of tension lingering heavy in the cool winter air. Despite the fact that
Jesse is doing his best to get back in the good graces of his old flame, she seems reluctant to forgive him for leaving in the first place. Meanwhile, his older sister,
Roxanna, has little to show for time spent chasing her Hollywood dreams, and eldest brother
Mauricio (
Leguizamo) is married to a high-strung executive who seems more interested in advancing her career than starting a family. But while none of this sits too well with concerned mother
Anna (
Peña), the bombshell she's about to drop could prove the straw that broke this family's back. When
Anna announces to her children that she is planning to divorce their father,
Eduardo (
Molina),
Roxanna,
Jesse, and
Mauricio instinctively pull together and begin to reevaluate their past while looking at the future in a whole new light. Later, as lingering resentments are let go and weakened bonds are reaffirmed, the Rodriquez family begins to experience the healing power of laughter while discovering that together as a family they are far stronger than they ever could be apart.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
;)
