‘Lethal Weapon’ Star’s Forgotten Christmas Movie Keeps Holidays Long on New Streaming Platform

Christmas Day has passed and the New Year has begun, but for those who aren’t ready to say goodbye to the holiday season, HBO Max has you covered. The streaming platform has just released a forgotten seasonal comedy-drama, Christmas coming soonto mark the start of 2026 with something festive. At the center of this family-centered tale is the icon of action Danny Gloverbest known for playing opposite Mel Gibson as the other half of the buddy cop duo behind the Deadly weapon franchise. Trading in his badge and gun for a red and green sweater, he plays a retired mechanic faced with the unenviable task of keeping his dysfunctional family together during the holidays.

A bit like the original Deadly weapon, Christmas coming soon begins with Glover’s character, Walter Meyers, dealing with the loss of the love of his life. Unlike Roger Murtaugh, however, he chose to celebrate his first Christmas without his wife by inviting his four adult children and the rest of the family to his home for a traditional celebration. However, his wish for a wholesome vacation soon goes south, when everyone descends into bickering and chaos when reunited under one roof. To survive, he needs a Christmas miracle to keep him sane and keep everyone in check during their five-day reunion. It is a story of family, love, loss and, ultimately, forgiveness for loved ones.

Glover spent this holiday feature with an all-star cast, including Diary of a Mad Black WomanIt is Kimberley Elise And Bring itIt is Gabrielle Union like his two daughters, and Weeds‘ Rom Malco And The boys‘ Jesse T. Usher like his two sons. To complete the cast, Mo’Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, Keri Hilson, Omar Epps, John Michael HigginsAnd DC young fly. David E. Talbertwho also directed the underrated 2020 film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey featuring Forest Whitakerboth wrote and directed the film.

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However Christmas coming soon has largely slipped through the cracks compared to other holiday specials and movies, it still has its fans. Despite a lackluster 49% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences are 64% more positive overall. A common criticism has been that it seems a little too predictable, falling into traditional holiday movie tropes, but it has still been praised as a heartfelt watch to celebrate the season. Glover and the cast also received widespread praise for engaging in holiday joy and dysfunction. The four-time Emmy nominee, in particular, has become a surprisingly regular presence in the Christmas business, also starring in the family film Christmas run-in and Disney The naughty ninewhere he got to play Santa Claus himself.

Christmas coming soon is now streaming on HBO Max. Stay tuned here on Collider for more on all the new titles coming and leaving streaming to kick off the new year.