From writer/director David E. Talbert and producer Will Packer, the family holiday comedy Almost Christmas tells the story of beloved patriarch Walter (Danny Glover), who just wants his family to get along and spend five days under the same roof without killing one another, as they spend their first Christmas without the family matriarch. The movie has laughs and tears, and it’s full of memorable moments from this all-star ensemble that includes Gabrielle Union, Kimberly Elise, Romany Malco, Jessie T. Usher, Mo’Nique, Omar Epps, JB Smoove, Nicole Ari Parker, John Michael Higgins, Keri Hilson and DC Young Fly.

During this exclusive phone interview with Collider, producer Will Packer talked about why this is the perfect time for escapist entertainment that makes you feel good, why Christmas movies have such broad appeal, the importance of allowing the actors to embody the characters in their own way, his favorite moments in the film, and what makes a great holiday movie. He also talked about developing Dashing Through the Snow for Kevin Hart to play Santa Claus and why he thinks it will be a hit, and where they’re at with the development of Ride Along 3.

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Collider: This movie is so funny and so much fun!

WILL PACKER: I think the country needs a good laugh. There are so many things dividing us right now, in the real world, that the timing is right for escapist entertainment that makes you feel better about your own family. If this family can survive, than everyone has got a chance.

You’ve said that when David E. Talbert originally sent you this script, it was a Thanksgiving movie. What made you want to switch it to a Christmas movie, and was that an easy transition to make?

PACKER: I had previously produced a film called This Christmas, and I had not been able to find the right project to follow it up in the same thematic genre since. I was always looking for a great holiday movie to do. It was a very similar story when it was a Thanksgiving movie, but if you’re going to make a holiday movie, you’ve gotta make one about the biggest holiday of all. That’s the holiday that really gets all the family members together. You can avoid people all year long, but Christmas is the one time, whether you like it or not, that you’ve gotta come in contact with the folks you haven’t seen since last Christmas, and that’s true for a lot of families. So, for me, it felt like a no-brainer to change it to Christmas to give it the broadest possible appeal.

Mo’Nique is so terrific, witty, funny and heartfelt in this that she’s just a national treasure.

PACKER: That’s a good way to say it. She is really back in this film, in a way that audiences haven’t seen her in awhile, but I think that audiences really want to see her. I can’t wait. She’s been doing some incredible dramatic turns, but we haven’t seen her in an out and out comedy in awhile.

Was there a lot of improvisation going on? Did you have to just let her loose, a little bit?

PACKER: You do. You really, really do. The smart thing that Dave did was that he allowed his actors to embody the characters in their own way and to bring their own perspective and nuances to the characters. Sometimes writer/directors are very precious with their work and don’t allow actors to do that. But when you’ve got a Mo’Nique, a JB Smoove, and even a John Michael Higgins and a Gabrielle Union, who has great comedic timing, you really have to allow them to make it their own.

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You’ve said that the first call that you made was to Gabrielle Union. This is obviously a great ensemble of actors, but why was it important to get her on board first and why did you want to sign her on as a producer, as well?

PACKER: She and I Have worked together on multiple projects and we’ve always talked about producing projects together. When I read this, I thought, “This is the one.” I thought this would be the one that having her on board as an actress and as a producer would be an anchor that would be really attractive to other actors, and it definitely was.

It’s also a great score to have Danny Glover at the center and as the patriarch of this family.

PACKER: He’s a legend. He’s so iconic. The thing I like about this, that’s different from a lot of films, is that you’ve got the dad trying to hold it all together. Usually, it’s the mom, which is how it is in most families, in real life. If we had to depend on dads to hold families together, we’d all just cease to exist. But the fact that this family, which was held together by the matriarch for so long, now has to figure out how to make it without her, and they’re completely incapable of doing that. And it’s up to Danny Glover to try to hold them together. He brings a weight and a gravitas to everything he’s in, but especially to this role.

There’s definitely some memorable moments in this film, whether it’s the personal, more intimate conversations, the bigger, funnier moments, the family dancing around and having fun, or everyone sitting around the table for Christmas dinner. What are your favorite moments in this film?

PACKER: I’ve got a couple. I love the uproarious Christmas dinner scene, where it’s a trainwreck that you can’t take your eyes off of. I also really, really enjoy the scene where Danny Glover’s character is trying to duplicate the recipe for his wife’s sweet potato pie. They’ve never had Christmas without that pie, and nobody knows what the recipe is. Mom is not there, so Walter takes it upon himself to get the pie right, if it kills him, and it damn near does. I love that scene. I also love the scene where Gabrielle Union and Omar Epps have a contemporary flashback, in real life, to their prom days. That scene is one of my favorites because it reminds me of my generation and songs that were playing and the way we were dressed when I was going to prom.

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What do you think needs to be present in a holiday movie to not only make it successful, but to also keep people wanting to return to it, every year?

PACKER: You know what? You, of course, have to have fun and laughter, but in order for it to really work, you’ve gotta have heart. In real life, holidays are extremely stressful. They’re the best of times and worst of times because you have got people trying to get along with people that you don’t always get along with. You cannot choose family. You can pick your friends, but you can’t choose family. And so, you have to be true to that kind of awkward and sometimes painful family dynamic, but you also have to have redemption. You have to give people hope. That’s what keeps people coming back. Seeing a family that they can relate to, that’s not unlike their own, which has challenges that they’re trying to overcome and, of course, they do just in time for the holidays, is what makes for a great holiday movie, in my opinion.

You’re tackling Christmas again with Dashing Through the Snow and Kevin Hart playing Santa Claus, which sounds ridiculously fantastic and totally genius.

PACKER: Black Santa! What could be better than Kevin Hart as Santa Claus?! We’re working on the script for that now, but I think that’s going to be a lot of fun.

What excites you about seeing Kevin Hart step into that role?

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PACKER: He and I have done a slew of movies together, so we’ve got a shorthand, and I so appreciate and respect his work ethic. The thing about Kevin and I that works so well is that we both have got good commercial sensibility, and we both are willing, in our own roles, to do whatever it takes to make a film successful. So, I always know, when I’m working with Kevin, that I’m going to have an actor that is all in. He doesn’t mind if it’s self-deprecation, physical comedy, long hours, or whatever it is, he’s gonna put the work in. So, when you’ve got something that’s high concept, like Kevin Hart as Santa Claus, you’ve got all the elements there. If I can help shepherd a really good script and get an amazing filmmaker on board, I think that we’ll have another hit.

Where are things at with Ride Along 3? How challenging is it, by the time you’re on the third film in a franchise, to make it better and funnier?

PACKER: It’s tough! It’s definitely tough. The thing about a franchise is that you’ve gotta figure out ways to make it new and inventive, each time, and yet be true to the formula that works and true to what the audience is expecting and has enjoyed, the first two times around. We’re still figuring it out, but half of the fun is the creative process. I enjoy that. I enjoy being a part of it and Kevin [Hart], myself, (director) Tim Story and Ice Cube have a great shorthand. If anybody can make a Pt. 3 that works hopefully better than the first two, it’s us.

Almost Christmas opens in theaters on November 11th.

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