Headed into theaters this December (and to iTunes a bit before then) is Edward Burns' The Fitzgerald Family Christmas a drama/comedy that, like Burns' The Brothers McMullen, follows a working-class, Irish American family. This one is set during the holidays, as you may have surmised by the titled, and follows a family a family divided over whether or not let their estranged father come home for Christmas.
The holidays can be hectic enough, but for the Fitzgeralds, this Christmas appears to be especially stressful as an estranged father and husband wants to return home for Christmas after walking out on his wife and kids twenty years ago. From what we see in the trailer below (courtesy of iTunes), the family is divided on whether or not to let Dad back into their house and lives.
In addition to the family drama, which appears to tread a bit closer to drama than comedy by the tone of the trailer, I can't help but notice the subtle chemistry between Ed Burns and Connie Britton's characters, particularly in the scene in the bar where they talk about the missed train. In that moment, it's all about the things they're not saying, and neither Burns nor Britton overplay it. I also love the moment near the end of the video when everyone's sitting around the kitchen and all of the women are dressed in the same pajamas. A Fitzgerald-family Christmas tradition, perhaps? It's little touches like that one that give off the impression that we're looking at a real family here. The hugging montage brought that home as well.
The Fitzgerald Family Christmas will arrive in theaters December 7. It will be available on iTunes November 21. It was written and directed by Ed Burns and stars Kerry Bishé, Connie Britton, Edward Burns, Heather Burns, Dara Coleman, Brian D'Arcy James, Marsha Dietlein Bennett, Noah Emmerich, Caitlin FitzGerald, Anita Gillette and Ed Lauter.
