Product Details

• Actors: Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Faizon Love, Charles Q. Murphy, Katt Williams
• Directors: Lance Rivera
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: SONY PICTURES
• DVD Release Date: November 11, 2008
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001DJLCQS
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,577 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Perfect Holiday" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Here's an excellent recipe for a holiday charmer: Take two charismatic and easy-on-the-eyes romantic leads (Morris Chestnut, The Brothers, and Gabrielle Union, Bring It On); put them in an entertainingly preposterous plot that keeps them from falling too easily in each other's arms; surround them with a cantankerous and sneaky supporting cast of friends and foes (such as Katt Williams, Friday After Next; Rachel True, The Craft; Charles Q. Murphy, Chappelles's Show; and Faizon Love, Idlewild); and frame it all with a couple of supernatural spirits of good and bah-humbug (Queen Latifah, Bringing Down the House, and Terence Howard, Hustle & Flow). Mix it all with bright colors and smart sideways quips--sometimes out of the mouths of a trio of adorable tykes--and you've got The Perfect Holiday, about a songwriting department store Santa (Chestnut) who, thanks to a little girl's wish, falls in love with a single mom (Union)--who just happens to be the ex-wife of a crass hip-hop superstar (Murphy) who's looking for a hit song. Some elements don't entirely mesh and the screwball plot stretches belief at times, but cheerfully so, and the actors are so appealing you can't resist going along with them. All in all, a holiday movie that doesn't oversell the treacle yet manages to end up warm and fuzzy; this could become an annual favorite. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

When a little girl tells a part-time shopping mall santa all her mother wants for christmas is to meet a nice man he decides to make her wish come true. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 11/11/2008 Starring: Morris Chestnut Charlie Murphy Run time: 96 minutes Rating: Pg

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre Holiday, September 20, 2008

By	Nuisance "the rebel" (Miami) - See all my reviews

The Perfect Holiday is not necessarily a bad movie but its far from a good one too. While I admire a movie that does not try to be offensive and wants to be positive there is a thin line from being a little schmaltzy to laying it on real thick. The movie is not unwatchable. It has a talented all-star cast that do a decent job acting but the script is hackneyed and cheesy to a fault plus its pretty bland.

Spoiler Alert!

The story: Gabriell Union plays Nancy, a newly divorced woman who's daughter overhears her conversation about what she wants from a man: a compliment. The daughter goes to a mall Santa(played by Morris Chestnut) named Benjamin and wishes that her mom gets a compliment by her man. Benjamin(Chestnut) gives Nancy a compliment and soon they begin to date. Problems arise when Nancy's naive son, John John gets annoyed by Benjamin because the little tyke misses his arrogant and thoughtless wannabe-rapper father J-Jizzy(played by Charlie Murphy)who would rather be large than be with his family. Then things get even more complicated for the relationship between Nancy and Benjamin when J-Jizzy asks for Benjamin, who also sings to record with him. Queen Latifah plays Mrs Christmas, an angel who is also the narrator of the movie.

Opinion: Positive: this movie is not terrible. Negative: but its not memorable either. Positive: it has an all-star cast. Negative: they are all wasted on a script that pulls every Christmas cliche out of the book.
Positive: The Perfect Holiday is earnest and has a heart. Negative: its syrupy to the point of cheesiness. Positive: it makes an effort at humor. Negative: The humor misses more than it hits. Positive: Its the least offensive Christmas comedy ever made. Negative: It wallows in mediocrity like pigs do in mud. Positive: Its great to see a movie especially an African-American film that is not based on sex and violence. Negative: Its kind of bland and the schmaltzy scenes are a bit much. All in all I would recommend this movie to you if you want to see a Christmas movie starring African Americans that is not offensive but Last Holiday and This Christmas are much better. Perfect Holiday is far from a stinker but when compared to great movies like This Christmas Soul Food, The Wood, The Inkwell, Love Jones, Brown Sugar etc Perfect Holiday can easily be forgotten.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not A Good Movie, January 9, 2009

By	Vida "ABookGroupie" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

I love Gabrielle Union and Morris Chestnut BUT The Perfect Holiday was not perfect. The story line was CUTE but not written for a major motion picture. This type of movie would have been great for Lifetime or a movie that goes straight to DVD format. I gave the movie 2 stars because the cast was well picked but the story line was lackluster.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good clean Christmas family humor, December 26, 2008

By	JRod - See all my reviews

We sat down as a family and our little one does all the pausing. It was funny. It was humorous. The kids can watch. the little things that go into a movie that make it memorable were there. You got enough of each character for a background. Yes, it's a simple plot; however, it's the story telling that makes it special. Keep it up Queen!