{"id":1564,"date":"2007-12-19T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2007-12-19T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/idolchatter\/2007\/12\/the-perfect-holiday-klunky-kid.html"},"modified":"2007-12-19T14:00:19","modified_gmt":"2007-12-19T14:00:19","slug":"the-perfect-holiday-klunky-kid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2007\/12\/the-perfect-holiday-klunky-kid.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Perfect Holiday\u201d \u2013 Klunky Kid Fare"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"perfecthol.jpg\"Billed as \u201can African-American take on the classic and beloved Christmas family film,\u201d I am naturally inclined to support this genre of film because I think it\u2019s important for African-American kids and families to have the option of seeing themselves up on the big screen when they go to their local multiplex or pop a DVD into the player.
\nEveryone needs to define themselves through positive role models and stories as told through their unique cultural perspective so that, as they mature spiritually, they can learn to look beyond those perspectives to find out how much more alike, than different, we all are. To that end, this film is a wonderful seasonal flick that trumpets the universal values of love and family, wherever found, over the material concerns of fame and fortune.
\nI\u2019ll also add that I\u2019m a big fan of Queen Latifah; she\u2019s a multi-talented entrepreneur par excellence and she always puts a smile on my face. She\u2019s one of the producers of \u201cThe Perfect Holiday\u201d and serves as its angelic \u201cMiracles can happen, y\u2019all!\u201d narrator.
\nUnfortunately, this harmless romantic comedy about a divorced mother of three finding new love puts the \u201ck\u201d in \u201cklunky.\u201d From the opening animated title sequence of Queen Latifah falling into traps in some weird Spy vs. Spy routine set by her nemesis, Bah-Humbug (played by Terrence Howard who I\u2019m guessing lost a bet at some point in his past), I couldn\u2019t stop saying to myself throughout this film, \u201cAlmost!\u201d I could see where they wanted to go with many of the scenes and jokes, but cinematic empathy does not an enthusiastic review make.<\/p>\n


\nIt\u2019s safe to say that this film has awkward moments from the first frame to the last. Though there\u2019s only so much even the most skilled director could do with such an uninspired, paint-by-numbers screenplay, it\u2019s obvious that most of the klunkiness comes from Lance Rivera\u2019s direction which means that this \u201cblack holiday film\u201d suffers like most niche films (think Christian or gay-themed films) from a lack of experience and vision behind-the-camera.
\nAs it so happens with most of the movies I review for Idol Chatter, \u201cThe Perfect Holiday\u201d has no talk of religion in it. There is a heap of spirituality that you\u2019ll find completely in line with any religious moral system, but the reason for the season in this Christmas flick is noticeably absent. Santa 1, Jesus 0.
\nOn a more positive note, the film deals extensively with divorce issues that affect kids year round, not just at Christmastime, and I think young viewers will really appreciate seeing these common family problems aired out and worked through onscreen. In that sense, this is a good movie that may spark healing conversation in families.
\nThe film is also full of insanely attractive people, from Gabrielle Union and Morris Chestnut as the two romantic leads to her three \u00fcber-adorable children, this movie certainly won\u2019t damage your eyes.
\nAll my criticisms aside, I must admit that I left the theater with a smile on my face. There were some genuinely funny moments in the film and somehow they managed to capture the feeling of the holiday season. That\u2019s worth something, right?
\nIn the end, \u201cThe Perfect Holiday\u201d is a socially-relevant film that tackles the difficulty of divorce and stars a lot of pretty people. Good fare, especially for the children of divorced families, but otherwise, a rough-around-the-edges niche film with its training wheels in full view.
\n
\n— Written by Todd Havens<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Billed as \u201can African-American take on the classic and beloved Christmas family film,\u201d I am naturally inclined to support this genre of film because I think it\u2019s important for African-American kids and families to have the option of seeing themselves up on the big screen when they go to their local multiplex or pop a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movies"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cThe Perfect Holiday\u201d \u2013 Klunky Kid Fare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2007\/12\/the-perfect-holiday-klunky-kid.html\" 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