After his sudden firing, a popular radio DJ moves in with his aunt, bringing along his four spoiled children, and a plan to return to the airwaves.
Time for a Christmas film that doesn't have a young attractive woman as the main protagonist. Instead, the lead role is taken up by the widowed father-of-four, Rashon "Rush" Williams, played by Romany Malco. Malco, to his credit, is on par with Anna Kendrick when it comes to a charismatic performance, though he may even surpass as he takes a straighter (read: less goofy and naive) approach, which is all the more difficult to execute.
Holiday Rush follows our main protagonist, who just before Christmas find himself losing his high-paying job, and no longer able to serve the needs of his now-spoilt children. This thematic focus on the family is a great choice and had great potential to discuss the ideas around wealth and corruption, while serving as a reminder to appreciate the time you have with your loved ones, rather than focusing on putting a dollar-value on love.
And for the first act or two, this theme of "family" worked well. We have an incredibly likeable character in Rush, who is doing his best to provide everything for his children, but as a consequence, his children have become the most entitled and obnoxious brats. Put them together with the antagonists in the radio industry and the film has more unlikeable characters than likeable ones. It can make the first act a bit abrasive to watch, but it makes it all the more enjoyable when the tables turn.
Unfortunately, this script from Sean Dwyer and Greg Cope White lacks subtlety and organic direction, leading to many of the characters having a swift change in attitude and stance with no justification for it. Sonequa Martin-Green, Darlene Love, and Romany Malco are the trinity that holds this film together. They have great chemistry together and have a sense of sincerity that makes up for the less than convincing performances from their co-stars. Sometimes it's as simple as having a genuine smile, and that instils happiness in the audience. Martin-Green, Malco, and Love certainly know how to keep the good vibes flowing.
Whilst many of the children have selfish wants, Jamal (played by Amarr M. Wooten) is the one child that does have a real reason to need money; education. And this throws another layer into the story as it tries to balance succeeding in a career and achieving a goal, to putting one's dreams aside for the good of another. It's something that Auntie Jo (Darlene Love) is the perfect example of, that honest, good person, that loves unconditionally.
There are a number of plots that all weave in and out of the main theme of family, but some of the plots feel unnecessary. There is a romantic arc (which includes a very odd "ghost" scene) which adds little to the story that wasn't covered by a close friendship. The initial plot device that sets off the entire film, is poorly acted and, in the end, largely disregarded. In reality, if they had explored the family theme a little deeper, those two stories could have been cut from the film entirely. That isn't to say that there is not enough exploration of deep themes. The film deals with the concept of loss and mourning quite well and takes a very mature outlook on the matter.
This all adds up to a pretty reasonable film. It has a sloppy start, and some very obvious changes in character traits to reach a specific destination in a certain amount of time, but that lack of organic flow in character development isn't bad enough to take away the charm that the team of adult protagonists bring to the screen. Not the best execution, but a solid underdog story, with a nice family-friendly message. A worthy contender for a Christmas day film.