Everyone does a good job here and while there are a few sweet moments and even some occasional laughs, life is hard for this family. It's not a very merry Christmas.
The parents are strong but have their flaws. Michael Harney is tough and has high expectations. But he can show emotion when he has to. As with most working class men in New York City, this is hard for Ed. It's never made clear whether Ed has a job, but he does put together an aquarium for the family. The house is large and nice but old style.
I don't have a clear memory of Karen Allen in the "Indiana Jones" movies, and I didn't know who she was, but she is not pretty these days, though that isn't important. Elaine shows a lot of determination and is very loving in a challenging situation. She will not let her children be mistreated.
Todd tries hard to do what is needed to support the family but is often reminded by his father that he is a failure. Which of course he is not. Theo Rossi is quite likable and determined. If Todd is not meeting his father's definition of success it's not for lack of trying.
Iris Galad is outstanding. Surely she is really disabled? No, her biography says she is quite educated. DeeDee can be adorable and it would have been nice to see more of her being pleasant and kind and even perky, but a lot of the time she is either angry or upset. But regardless of what the writers wanted, Galad is very convincing. And she is so happy when she dances.
Calvin Dutton is also quite convincing as a disabled man and I will just assume that is acting. Could he be a relative of the very respected Charles?
Johnny Whitworth also succeeds in giving a difficult performance. While it's never quite clear just what happened in Iraq, it affected Kent greatly.
And Ashley Williams was so nice but didn't get to do much. So kind and understanding when working as a fast food waitress.
I want to single out Fred Tolliver as a very kind marine.
I wasn't pleased with the music, but fans of depressing folk/alternative may enjoy what was played during a cemetery scene and what was played during the closing credits. I think both performances would be highly regarded. Christmas music was not traditional, which was a shame to me. Loud 50s rock and roll is not my idea of Christmas music (I draw the line at Brenda Lee and Bobby Helms), and there were somewhat more contemporary styles as well. Nothing newer sounding than, say, the 70s, but I like the 40s styles.
I don't think one would call this family friendly. Lots of words were missing, and there was drug use or talk of drug use. Certain situations were implied rather than explicit. Something was definitely going on between the two developmentally disabled people. I don't even want to know what DeeDee put in a box at work, but on broadcast TV we weren't allowed to.
It's worth seeing but just don't expect to be happy much of the time.
