The Holidays are upon us, and BET and BET Her are cranking out the original, Holiday movies to put us all in the Christmas spirit. If you are looking for a movie that is full of love, laughter, and family, "The Christmas Lottery" cashes in on all three points. Staring Asiah'h Epperson, Candiace Dillard, Brave Williams, Reginald Vel Johnson, and Kay-Megan Washington, the movie follows the Davenport family who have found they have won a $10 million lottery prize. Overjoyed and ecstatic, Reginald Vel Johnson who plays the Patriarch of the family, decides that it’s time for his three quarrelling daughters to be together for the holidays and claim the prize money as a family. Deidre, Nicole, and Tammy have not seen each other in three years; however, older sister Deidre has not been totally sisterly with her siblings, because of a grudge. Able to live out their hopes and dreams while leaving Deidre behind to help run the family business and help care for their mother who has dementia, Nicole and Tammy may have a bigger obstacle ahead of them. Their mother has misplaced the lottery ticket and there are only a few days remaining before they forfeit the prize.
"Family over Everything" is one of the leading themes, and lessons all throughout the movie that will strongly resonate with anyone watching. We can all see ourselves within one of these characters. Life is constantly pulling us all in different directions, and sometimes it is hard to stop, take a deep breath, and realize that we might be neglecting the ones that mean the most to us. This movie shows us that we should not let misunderstandings and hard feelings keep us from loving, and caring for the ones we love most.
There are numerous teachable moments that we can all take away from the movie: never letting a man take advantage of you; never settle for less than what you deserve; work is important, but sometimes you have to slow down and see what matters the most; and, Love will always be the forefront and glue that holds any family together.
It evident that this is a "fun" movie; however, unless you truly dive in to, you will miss important moments that make the movie "hit home" for many who watched; such as, tackling the issues that care takers take on caring for a love one suffering with dementia, showing that all families are not cut from the same mold, and highlighting LGBTQ relationships (as a main character).
If you’re looking for a holiday movie that you can watch with the whole family to enjoy some laughs, learn a few lessons on what family truly means, recognize that all families look different and that doesn't make them any less important; tune in to BET or BET Her to catch "The Christmas Lottery," and see if the Davenports ever cash in that winning ticket.
