Summary
- How the Gringo Stole Christmas is a fairly charming holiday film that celebrates Hispanic culture and families.
- George Lopez delivers a delightful performance, nailing the cultural specificity of the film and incorporating some great curmudgeonly comedy.
- The film suffers from some flaws, including scenes that go on too long, questionable editing, and predictable story beats, but it still has enough heart to be enjoyable if you’re a fan of Lopez or Christmas movies.
How the Gringo Stole Christmas is a wholesome holiday flick about an older, grumpy, stuck-in-his-ways father who’s forced to change after the arrival of his daughter’s non-Hispanic boyfriend. Starring George Lopez, the film is packed with enough sarcastic lines of comedic dialogue to keep you chuckling throughout. With its endearing characters and relationships, along with the film’s pleasant (albeit unoriginal) story, How the Gringo Stole Christmas is a charming holiday film that celebrates Hispanic culture and families. Is it predictable? Sure, but the film’s focus and cultural specificity, George Lopez’s wise-cracking humor, and the alluring interactions between characters make for an entertaining enough Christmas film.
Sadly, however, How the Gringo Stole Christmas lacks polish. Some scenes go on a little too long, the music doesn’t always fit the tone, and the film is filled with a ton of questionable editing that steps over itself, disrupting the flow. While the cast do a predominantly good job, particularly George Lopez, there are a few moments of shady acting that may make audiences cringe. But the film’s flaws don’t take away from its warm and wholesome atmosphere.
How the Gringo Stole Christmas follows Bennie (Lopez), an old-fashioned father desperate to celebrate a traditional Hispanic Christmas with his family. However, his plans immediately go awry when his daughter Claudia (Emily Tosta) brings home her “gringo” boyfriend, Leif (Jack Kilmer). Unimpressed with his daughter, Bennie continues to complain, despite the rest of his family adoring Leif. Will Bennie drive his daughter away? Or will he learn to embrace this new change, and celebrate the holidays with his family? Well, you pretty much know the answer.
A Celebration of Hispanic Culture
How the Gringo Stole Christmas
Release Date December 1, 2023
Director Angel Gracia
Cast Emily Tosta, George Lopez, Jack Kilmer, Mariana Treviño
Rating PG-13
Runtime 81 min
Main Genre Comedy
We’ve seen the story of How the Gringo Stole Christmas many a time, going back to Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? 55 years ago and through more recent films like Meet the Parents. However, director Angel Gracia and writer Ezequiel Martinez Jr. do plenty to still make this holiday film feel culturally specific enough to keep audiences invested. As the title suggests, George Lopez’s character is a Grinch of sorts, messing with his family’s Christmas with his stubborn resistance to anything outside his ‘approved’ perspective.
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George Lopez is probably the perfect actor for this, nailing the cultural pride while also incorporating some curmudgeonly hubris. Whether it’s a Mexican-themed Christmas party, or decorations focusing on the colors of the Mexican flag, the film delves into Bennie and his family’s background and his time in Mexico, explaining why he is so stubborn about change. While How the Gringo Stole Christmas is primarily a celebration of Mexican history and traditions, the movie’s overall message is to embrace change no matter your culture, and to not let pride affect your basic humanity. It’s a beautiful and poignant message that should be embraced by all.
Mostly Great Performances from the Cast
Lionsgate
Unsurprisingly, George Lopez is an absolute delight to watch. His comic timing is on point, and his likely improvised insults at Leif’s expense were unexpected but incredibly effective. George Lopez effortlessly slips into the role of a grumpy father with a profound love for his family (almost extending his comedic role in this year’s Blue Beetle). He constantly whips smile-worthy one-liners that sometimes shouldn’t work on paper, but thanks to Lopez’s delivery, warrant a chuckle.
On top of Lopez’s great performance, actors Emily Tosta and Jack Kilmer provide endearing performances as the films’ romantic leads. Their chemistry is infectious and authentic, making their connection believable, and they also do a great job matching Lopez’s humor, which is not an easy feat. Likewise, Mariana Treviño, Romy Peniche, and Alma Martinez round out the wholesome family dynamic with their alluring and sweet performances. However, with that said, the rest of the cast are either forgettable or plainly annoying.
Related: 10 Must-Watch Movies From Hispanic Directors
Much of the supporting cast are perhaps the worst parts of the movie. As a combination of poor writing and one-dimensional performances, audiences will be taken aback by wonky line delivery and questionable choices. Perhaps the most frustrating are the three gangsters. Their dialogue and performances will force audiences to roll their eyes. They’re not played with any nuance, and instead verge into offensive caricatures of Hispanic gangsters. The film lingers on these characters for way too long. The movie would have fared better without them altogether; they serve no importance to the plot, other than offering two or three funny lines from Lopez. They almost single-handedly ruin the cultural specificity and celebration that the film intends.
An Unpolished Product
Lionsgate
While there’s no denying that How the Gringo Stole Christmas is packed full of heart, it still feels like an unfinished product, and not just because of the one-dimensional supporting characters. A lot of the scenes go on for way too long, and even become a little irritating sometimes.
The movie’s editing is quite jarring in places. Instead of using the edit to enhance the film’s comedy, perhaps by cutting to someone’s reaction or utilizing what happens off-screen, the editing instead feels aimless, turning to new scenes abruptly or cutting to characters who have no place in the conversation. Combined with some questionable music choices, creating a weird tone for many of the film’s scenes, and How the Gringo Stole Christmas unfortunately feels like the first or second draft of a movie.
But like we said, there’s enough joy here to warrant a watch if you’re a Lopez or Christmas fan. So if you fancy hearing Lopez moan about Christmas and the changing of times, then How the Gringo Stole Christmas will release in theaters, on digital, and on demand December 1st, courtesy of Lionsgate. Check out the trailer below:
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