David E. Talbert’s “Almost Christmas” has an auntie character in it, and it too is better for having her. She is played by the Oscar-winning actress and comedian, Mo’Nique. In her stand-up comedy days, Mo’Nique was the primary purveyor of the wisdom we associate with our aunties, which makes her Aunt May character perfect casting. Wearing an endless array of costumes and wigs obtained from her career as a backup singer for every imaginable soul superstar, Aunt May is unrepentantly ostentatious. She floats through the often predictable plotlines of “Almost Christmas,” sometimes serving as an instigator and other times serving as a blunt sideline commentator. Every appearance is a comic joy, guaranteeing a laugh or a smile. Aunt May is such a delectable force that the audience waits with bated breath to see if she’ll do what we’d expect from an auntie. And she always does; her consistency is the warmest form of comfort.

Aunt May is the sister-in-law of Walter Meyers (Danny Glover, looking frail enough for Mo’Nique to seemingly break character to comment on it). “Almost Christmas” opens with a hat-tip to Pixar’s “Up”. Scored to The Four Tops’ soul classic “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I Got)”, we witness the evolution of Walter’s relationship with his wife, Grace, from the earliest days of their marriage, through several kids, including the unexpected final son conceived in their 40’s, and finally to Grace’s death. This mini-movie is a nice bit of directorial foreshadowing; it contains examples of everything director Talbert does throughout the course of the film, right down to the eerily beautiful beams of sunlight that often accompany the Meyers’ youngest son whenever he’s near a window in his parents’ house.

That youngest son (Jesse T. Usher) has the potential for major league sports superstardom, but he’ll always be just the little, pain-in-the-ass youngest brother to his older siblings. Rounding out Walter’s brood is a politician running for office under increasingly shady circumstances (Romany Malco) and the two sisters who can’t stand to be in the same room with each other (Gabrielle Union and Kimberly Elise). They bring various significant others and their children to the first Christmas celebration since their mother’s passing. All Walter asks for is five days where the family can get along without the stabilizing influence of their mother. But, as films like “Soul Food," “Home for the Holidays” and “The Best Man” have proven beforehand, Walter’s wish will not be so easily granted.

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