Holiday Heart (2000)
A church choirmaster by day and a beloved drag performer by night becomes the only family a mother and daughter have left.
Holiday Heart sings in the church choir and performs at the club, and since losing his partner he has kept his grief to himself. Then he takes in Wanda, a poet fighting addiction, and her bright young daughter Niki, giving them the empty apartment across the hall and the first stability they have known. When Wanda falls for Silas, a dealer who despises everything Holiday is, the little family they have built starts to crack — and Holiday has to decide how far he will go to hold it together.
This is the grown-up end of the Black Christmas shelf: a Showtime drama from Robert Townsend, produced by Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions from Cheryl L. West's stage play. Ving Rhames plays against every tough-guy role of his career, and Alfre Woodard's performance as Wanda earned a Golden Globe nomination. It is also a landmark — a Christmas film built around a gay Black lead, years before the genre made room for one.
From the Film
The Facts
- Year
- 2000
- Director
- Robert Townsend
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Network / Studio
- Showtime
- Genres
- Drama
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ving Rhames | Holiday Heart |
| Alfre Woodard | Wanda Dean |
| Jesika Reynolds | Niki Dean |
| Mykelti Williamson | Silas |
Good to know: Alfre Woodard earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance; Cheryl L. West adapted her own stage play, and Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions produced.
Where to watch Holiday Heart
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Official Trailer
Official trailer via on YouTube.
More from the 2000s — or browse the full A–Z catalog.
