Eddy (Alfred Molina) and Anna Rodriguez (Elizabeth Pena) have not had all their children home for Christmas in Humboldt Park, Chicago, in three years. But now they have a reason for celebrating: their son Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) is returning from military service in Iraq. His dad wants him to take over the family store. His mother is just happy that he survived.
Jesse finds it hard to adjust to Chicago and is still grieving the death of his best friend in Iraq. He is also troubled by his estrangement from Marissa (Melonie Diaz) whom he ditched after impulsively enlisting. She is now in a relationship with another man. Jesse wants to get back with her but she has moved on.
Mauricio (John Leguizamo), the eldest son, has become a lawyer, and he has brought along his wife Sarah (Debra Messing), a high-powered executive who is not in any rush to start a family. She's upset when Anna keeps pressuring her about giving her a grandchild. Sarah also feels like an outsider in this Puerto Rican family that has its own traditions and shared values. To add to the tensions in the household, Mauricio is angered by the favored son status given to Jesse and to bolster his own self-esteem, he makes sure that everyone in the family knows how successful he is.
Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), Mauricio and Jesse's sister, is an actress living in California. The family insists on thinking that she is doing very well in her career, and she does nothing to disabuse them of that notion. Her feelings of being a failure are somewhat assuaged by Ozzy (Jay Hernandez), the young man she left behind who works in her father' store.
Nothing Like the Holidays is directed by Alfredo De Villa from a script by Rick Najera and Alison Swan. This family drama has many comic moments which convey both the happiness and the heartbreak associated with holiday get-togethers. The Rodriguez children are rocked by their mother's announcement that she is going to leave Eddy for a life of her own. She is tired of his womanizing and feels that she deserves better. Her husband, saddened and shocked by the news, has a secret of his own that will also rock the family. The final character in the drama is Johnny (Luis Guzman) who provides many wild and crazy moments with his unpredictable behavior.
Special features on the DVD include "Nothing like a Family": a cast reunion; an audio commentary with actor/producer Freddy Rodriguez, director Alfredo De Villa, and producer Robert Teitel; and bloopers.
