THE FITZGERALD FAMILY CHRISTMAS

US, 2012, 99 minutes, Colour.
Edward Burns, Heather Burns, Noah Emmerich, Anita Gillette, Tom Guiry, Ed Lauter, Malachy Mc Court, Michael Mc Glone, Joyce van Patten.
Directed by Edward Burns.

Edward Burns has had a significant career as an actor in films, including Saving Private Ryan as well is in his own films.

He made an impact with his first directed film, The Brothers Mc Mullen, a story of an Irish family, relationships and difficulties, the Catholic background. He followed this with She’s the One, again Catholic family, relationships and tensions. He has made several New York City films including No Looking Back. The Fitzgerald Family Christmas is in this vein.

Burns himself takes the central role of Gerry, the oldest brother amongst seven brothers and sisters, still living with his mother, his fiancee being killed in an accident, his visiting her mother, taking over the restaurant from his father who sold his interest and who walked out on his wife and seven children and remarried. This family Christmas is important, first of all because of the mother’s birthday is just before Christmas and everyone pulls out from the celebration with their various reasons, but all determined to celebrate Christmas with her.

The complication comes when the father, diagnosed with terminal cancer, asks if he can join the family again for the Christmas celebration. Most are for this but the youngest son who never knew his father is against it. When she hears about it, the mother is definitely against it, still bearing the wounds of the 20 years and his walking out. Her children tried to persuade her, but it is the visit to the mother of Gerry’s fiancee and their discussion about their husbands that somewhat mellows her and enables her to allow her husband to come back, even to forgive him.

One difficulty with the brief running time is that there are many subplots with the brothers and sisters as well as Nora from Boston and the audience not quite knowing which sister was which, which crisis was which.

There is a particularly Catholic tone about this film, absent from most of Burns’ films since Ash Wednesday in 2002. Irish Malachy Mc Court (who appeared as the chauffeur in She’s the One) appears as the parish priest, talking with the mother about secretly baptising one of the grandchildren, the husband going to a lengthy confession to him about his life, and the priest’s trying to persuade the mother to some kind of forgiveness and reconciliation.

1. Family story, bonds, broken bonds, mistakes, hurts, potential for forgiveness and reconciliation?

2. The films of Edward Burns, New York stories, families and relationships?

3. New York City, the suburbs, homes and apartments, restaurant, the church? The musical score? The feel of the city?

4. The title, the family, Christmas celebrations, Catholic background, Catholic spirituality, the use of Christmas and Advent songs and hymns, especially during the dinner?

5. The Catholic ethos, yet divorce, adultery, hurts, the husband walking out on his family, parenting and control, the Irish and large families, the mother and her bond with the church, arranging the baptism, discussions with the priest, the father going to confession, his plea for mercy from Rosie? The forgiveness? The family going to Christmas mass?

6. Action over a couple of days, the birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day? Rosie and her children, the celebration, Gerry organising it, everybody pulling out? Having a birthday just before Christmas? The issue of the father coming, the various discussions, the issue, the tensions?

7. Rosie, turning 70, tough, 20 years without her husband, bringing up seven children, her dominating them, Gerry living at home? The visit to her neighbour, the neighbour’s love for her husband, the sadness of her daughter’s death and her being Gerry’s fiancee? Her missing her dead husband? Rosie babysitting, the Jewish father, his agreeing to the baptism and her going to the church? The discussions with the priest, his urging her to forgiveness? 20 years and her harsh responses? Ultimate forgiveness? The significance of her husband’s terminal cancer?

8. Gerry as the oldest, his care for his mother, the fixer for all the family, seeing him in action, his saying to Nora that he got no thanks? Managing the restaurant, inherited from his father, his father’s criticism of the lack of patronage? The death of his fiancee? Going to visit her mother, his kindness towards her? Meeting Nora, the friendship, Nora at the restaurant, their talking, the missing a train, staying the night, his advance and her resistance, his apology? The future? With each of his brothers and sisters, welcoming Cyril home, meeting him at the bus, concern about his relapse after being in rehabilitation? The discussions with his father? His hopes?

9. His brothers, Cyril coming out of rehabilitation, young, no photo with his father, reliance on Gerry, the sisters and their explaining his behaviour, the break-ins in their houses, crack, his not remembering? Rehabilitation, buying presents for the family? Very harsh on his father? Quinn, his life, self-centred, wanting to propose to the young girl, Francis Xavier and her friendship with him? Her betraying Quinn with Francis Xavier? His anger at his sister’s husband, the husband’s violence hitting his wife, coming to threaten him? Disappointment in his life? Not knowing details about his sisters’ lives? Dealing with his father?

10. The sisters, difficult to tell each one apart in the short running time? Their lives, relationships, the men in their lives, the unfaithful wife, the sacked husband and his violence, hitting his wife, her pregnancy? The relationship with Francis Xavier, his charm but being an older man? The older sister, her knowing about her father’s illness, having to keep secret? The tensions with her husband, Jewish, atheism, his celebrating with his family and her coming with the wine, her apology, the issue of the baptism?

11. The mother of his fiancee, old and ill, Nora looking after her? Rosie’s visit to her and their discussion, helping to break down the prejudice against her husband?

12. The father, seen in the wedding photos, the days of love and happiness, the seven children, his walking out, selling the restaurant, making the money, marrying, the divorce, after 20 years, terminal cancer, his plea to his children? The varying relationships with him? The discussions, his going to confession, Rosie asking whether he had repented and his saying yes? The families and their differences, the final meal after Mass? The hymns in the background, the lyrics about Jesus as saviour Christmas?

13. Moments of forgiveness and reconciliation – what future?