It's no secret that I fancy myself a fan of the indie film work of Durden Godfrey, a low-budget creator with a knack for creating compelling motion pictures with a deeper meaning on a budget smaller than Marvel's toilet paper budget. 

Godfrey is back with his latest flick, a holiday-themed effort called An Earl E. Christmas, centered around one Earl Eubanks (Johnny C. Thomas, Jr.). After a series of bad bets, Earl finds himself deep in debt with no way out. He decides to fake a terminal illness in an effort to get debt collectors off his tail, though the plan starts to backfire when his entire family shows up at his home to give him one last special Christmas. 

Earl's family puts the fun in dysfunction - old grudges bubble over and conflicts ensure providing for a chaotic, but quite funny, holiday weekend. 

One never quite knows what to expect from Godfrey, though his relationship with indie distributor Maverick Entertainment seems to have provided him an outlet for lighter flicks than those I'm most familiar with including I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday and Far From the Tree. An Earl E. Christmas is, unsurprisingly, an ensemble motion picture that benefits from the terrific chemistry of the ensemble. Johnny C. Thomas Jr. is lots of fun as the conniving Earl with spot-on comic timing and yet just the right doses of humanity to go along with it. Other top-notch turns are made by the always reliable Taurean J. Royal as Terrence, a wickedly awesome Seseley Monat J. as Monique, and Queen Melina's Shanice among others. Truthfully, it seems a little unfair to call out anyone given the strength of this ensemble. 

At just shy of two hours, I'll admit I could have gone for a slimmer and trimmer motion picture, however, I'll also admit that I enjoyed my time with these folks quite a bit. This is especially true once the set-up is in place and the madness begins to follow. Rest assured that amidst all the humor, and there's quite a bit here, that Godfrey is serving up humor with heart and a weird affection for the family dysfunctions that seemingly follow us all. 

Released on streaming just this week, you can catch An Earl E. Christmas on Tubi, Amazon Prime, and a host of your usual streaming platforms. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic