Whining is only cute in young puppies, and even then, it soon gets tiresome. But if you aren’t getting enough whining at home for the holidays, or, in the case you want to learn how to be a more effective whiner, spend an evening at the Mark Taper Forum for Jon Robin Baitz’s whine fest, “Other Desert Cities.”

The desert city in this case is Palm Springs, the home of confirmed wealthy right wingers Polly Wyeth (JoBeth Williams) and her husband Lyman (Robert Foxworth). Lyman is a retired actor, friends of another retired actor, the late former president Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy. Depending upon your political leanings, this might set your teeth on edge because these are the people who were behind the presidencies of both Bushes, believing “if he’s behind the war then you can be sure it’s the right thing to do.” Worse yet, because neither Lyman nor Polly are actual politicians, they aren’t particularly adept at political correctness. Polly and Lyman were from a time when tossing a word like “Chink” didn’t offend the important people. Polly can’t help but wonder “when did everyone get so damn sensitive.”

The son, Trip (Michael Weston), works on a TV program that gives a retired judge and down-on-their-luck has-beens the chance to be on reality TV. The daughter Brooke (Robin Weigen) is a writer, but has been suffering from writer’s block for nearly six years. Brooke has arrived for the holidays, just as her book is about to be published.

As you probably already suspect, this cozy family has a few skeletons in their closet and those secrets will soon start falling out. Besides Brooke and Trip, there was one other child, one that became “collateral damage.”

Into the mix, is the terrorist of the family–Silda Grauman (Jeannie Berlin). An alcoholic, she’s been cared for by her sister Polly who warns Trip that he will eventually be responsible for both Silda and his sister Brooke because a “family’s gets terrorized by their weakest member.”

Brooke is ready to terrorize her family, too, by publishing what she and Silda recall about the death of her brother, her best friend. What writer would trust the ramblings of an alcoholic, particularly one bent on browbeating the sister who has held her hand throughout life? Brooke also required some expensive hand-holding, but is too spoiled to recognize her own needy ways.

Although Baitz’s resolution provides us with a more likable Brooke, it comes much too late. Director Robert Egan gives us a good flow and rhythm and none of the characters is completely unlikable. Baitz’s reversal, at least by Los Angeles standards, is that the liberals are the doubtful characters and the upstanding old-style Republicans are the sensible characters you might want to be friends with. In the end, the parents do know best.  The play was nominated for five Tony Awards in 2012. Baitz was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his “A Fair Country” and created the ABC TV drama “Brothers & Sisters.”

In a land where too many kids make a quick buck by writing ghastly tell-alls before their parents or parental figures can become ghosts of the past, this play is something of a morality tale, or at least one advocating better manners for writers everywhere. It does contrast the gloom of the East Coast with the sunnier, perhaps less sincere West Coast. The holiday setting may give one hope that the confrontational gatherings of the season might lead to better understanding. Don’t we all need a bit of encouragement to get through some of the tougher family meals? What is the holiday season without a little whine?

“Other Desert Cities,” continues until 6 January 2013 at the Mark Taper Forum.