‘Tis the season for some hilarious hijinks in this holiday themes version of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner from the director of From Prada to Nada.

All Bennie wants is the perfect Mexican Christmas. He plans to invite his daughter Claudia, who is working in New York, to come spend the holidays with the family. Claudia has been in a relationship with her boss, Leif, for over a year and when he originally intended to take her on a trip to Fiji, he overhears Bennie talking to Claudia about returning home to East L.A. Leif decides to cancel his original plans and decide it’s time to meet his girlfriend’s family.

Upon their arrival, Bennie is shocked to learn about Leif and Claudia. As Leif is not Latino, he is not welcomed by Bennie as much as the other family members, who welcome him with open arms. When a series of mishaps begin to ensue, Leif begins to question whether he will ever be accepted. The reason is that he has something special planned on Christmas but Bennie, still distraught about Leif being there could end up putting a major damper on things.

There have been various versions based on the classic Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Aside from the original film, there have been Guess Who, which plays off as a race reversal version with the late Bernie Mac as the dad who opposes his daughter’s boyfriend. Then, there’s Why Him, which features Bryan Cranston disapproving of his daughter’s socially awkward boyfriend. Now comes this new take from Angel Gracia, the director of From Prada to Nada, blending in the theme with a unique Latino flavor to things.

George Lopez is hilarious as patriarch Bennie. If you are used to Lopez’s brand of humor, especially with the recent series Lopez vs. Lopez, then you know what to expect. Here, he brings that no-nonsense style especially when it comes to dealing with the fact his daughter is with a Caucasian man. Ironically, he doesn’t see his daughter even with some of the local Latinos as they are seen as “chicanos” or in the case of Javier, too suave for his own good.

Willy’s Wonderland’s Emily Tosta is great as Bennie’s headstrong daughter Claudia, who slowly begins to grow tired of her overprotective dad trying to control her. As for Leif, played by Jack Kilmer, he tries to go above and beyond to earn the family’s respect and goes as far as even learning Spanish so he can fit in. Content creators Jairo A. Orozco and Justice Alexander Mojica provide some comic relief as the chicanos across the street who are on both sides of the spectrum: stereotypical and yet do have a heart of gold.

How the Gringo Stole Christmas is a fun comedy that blends in Latinx humor with the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner routine. George Lopez is just being himself  (or a caricature of himself) with some fun laughs, hijinks, and Jack Kilmer makes the most of his role as the “gringo”.

WFG RATING: B

Lionsgate and Grindstone Entertainment presents a Patriot Pictures production in association with Convoke Media, Creative Tank Ink, and Future Proof Films. Director: Angel Gracia. Producers: DJ Dodd, Angel Gracia, George Lopez, Michael Mendelsohn, Todd Slater, and Shane Walker. Writer: Ezequiel Martinez Jr. Cinematography: Michael Brouphy. Editing: Bryan Colvin and Brad McLaughlin.

Cast: George Lopez, Mariana Treviño, Emily Tosta, Jack Kilmer, Alma Martinez, Romy Peniche, Amile Wilson, Anthony Zuniga, Jairo A. Orozco, Justice Alexander Mojica.

The film will hit select theaters, On Demand, and Digital on December 1.