It's his first film, about a blended family's struggles through a first holiday.
"It feels very fun, I love this," McCracken, who plays Louie, said of his experience.
Does he feel like a star now?
"I don't feel much like an actual star but I feel like a lot of people know me," he said.
James is in a showbiz family. His mother, Becca McCracken, has a casting company and his father teaches acting.
"It's been a wild ride, it's been really fun," Becca McCracken said. "It's been a new role learning to be a set mom. It's been kind of amazing to watch him fall in love with acting for the first time."
James invited his friends to a special screening of the movie.
"I'm guessing they're going to think I'm a star actor," he said. "The only actor that they know."