Holiday Heart

Holiday Heart (Ving Rhames) is a gay African American man who performs as a drag queen at a popular nightclub in Chicago. He is talented, tough, compassionate, and a dedicated Christian, despite his sexuality. After his boyfriend dies, he befriends a down on her luck, drug addicted, single woman, Wanda (Alfre Woodard) and her young daughter Niki (Jesika Reynolds). Holiday offers them a stable home and becomes a much-needed father figure for Niki.

However, things go astray when the mother becomes addicted to drugs again and after a series of bad relationships, starts one up with a successful drug dealer Silas (Mykelti Williamson) who is as homophobic as he is chauvinist. Silas gives Holiday money and insists, with some threats, that he stay out of their life, which Holiday agrees to do before preparing to move to Paris.

Wanda and Holiday have a fight, and Holiday reveals that he was raped in jail. He was sent there after killing a man to protect his mother.

Niki is then left alone. Silas has to go away on a "business" trip, because Wanda starts to use too much of his product, and she becomes a prostitute to feed her drug addiction. Holiday steps in to take care of Niki and raises her as his own daughter. Under Holiday's guidance, Niki is baptized at the local Church, and graduates from elementary school with honors.

Soon after, a more friendly Silas reenters their lives, and is thankful for what Holiday has done. He has been getting a house in Florida ready for Wanda and Niki, but is still earning a living by selling drugs. Holiday and Silas become a sort of "odd couple" as Niki begins junior high school, with Silas more willing to respect and tolerate Holiday.

After bringing Niki along on one of his illicit sales, she runs away and bumps into her mother, who is in a dosshouse turning tricks. A man shows interest in Niki and Wanda agrees to prostitute her in exchange for heroin. However, Niki escapes as the man beats Wanda in anger. Silas finds Niki and leaves her in the care of Holiday.

As an angry teenager, Niki begins to rebel, and Holiday loses his temper and slaps her. Right before Christmas, Wanda appears at the gay nightclub where Holiday works and wants his help in getting clean and sober. The two walk to Holiday's car, with a bike for Niki, only to be attacked by some of Wanda's former drug associates. As a former boxer, Holiday manages to beat them up, but not before one of them runs over Wanda with their car, killing her.

The film then shifts to a few months later, where Niki is home from "spring break" and visiting her mother's grave with Holiday. Silas has returned and informs Niki and Holiday that when they get back from a trip to Paris, he has a surprise waiting for them.

• Ving Rhames as Holiday Heart
• Alfre Woodard as Wanda Dean
• Jesika Reynolds as Niki Dean
• Mykelti Williamson as Silas
• Johnathan Wesley Wallace as Jambalaya Blue
• Philip Maurice Hayes as Sergeant
• Blu Mankuma as Pastor Henry
• Lorena Gale as Mrs. Owens
• James Kidnie as Penthouse M.C.
• Benz Antoine as Fisher
• Gay Fauchon as Travel Agent Dan
• Ron Selmour as LT
• Patricial Idlette as Mrs. Walker
• Mary Antonini as Sarah
• Emy Aneke as Ricky
• Roher Haskett as UPS Delivery Man
• Errol G. Farquharson as Goon
• Bob Dawson as Farmer
• Doug Cameron as Taxi Driver
• Scott Swanson as Principal
• Actor as Willie Taylor
• Steven Miller as Velveeta
• Mark Finlay as Drag Queen #3
• Rhys Williams as Deuce
• Peter Williams as Phillip St. Paul

Billy Porter as Blue

• Holiday Heart, Showtime promotional VHS, 2001

• Holiday Heart on IMDb