Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Director:

Joe Roth

Writers (WGA):

John Grisham (novel)
Chris Columbus (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Their Christmas will turn the town upside down!

Plot:

With their daughter away, her parents decide to skip Christmas altogether until she decides to come home, causing an uproar when they have to celebrate the holidays at the last minute.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Vacation | Neighbor | Christmas Eve | Chicago Illinois

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Tim Allen	...	Luther Krank
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Nora Krank
Dan Aykroyd	...	Vic Frohmeyer
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Walt Scheel
Elizabeth Franz	...	Bev Scheel
Erik Per Sullivan	...	Spike Frohmeyer
Cheech Marin	...	Officer Salino
Jake Busey	...	Officer Treen
Austin Pendleton	...	Umbrella Santa / Marty
Tom Poston	...	Father Zabriskie
Julie Gonzalo	...	Blair Krank
René Lavan	...	Enrique Decardenal
Caroline Rhea	...	Candi
Felicity Huffman	...	Merry
Patrick Breen	...	Aubie

Also Known As:

John Grisham's Skipping Christmas (USA) (working title)
Skipping the Holidays (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief language and suggestive content.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:All | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Italy:T | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:8 (canton of Zurich) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

M. Emmet Walsh who plays the neighbor across the street who doesn't get along with Luther also plays the role of Tim Allen's "Home Improvement" (1991) character Tim Taylor's father-in-law (they, too, do not get along).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the two kids playing the video game get up, they drop the controllers but the game keeps running as if they are playing.

Quotes:

Nora Krank: You forgot the white chocolate!
Luther Krank: They didn't have any.
Nora Krank: Did you talk to Rex?
Luther Krank: Who's Rex?
Nora Krank: The butcher.
Luther Krank: ...as odd as it sounds, I didn't think to ask the butcher where the chocolate was!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "30 Rock: The Source Awards (#1.16)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

White Christmas

The first half of the movie is much better than the second half

The first part of this movie is filled with dark humor and makes a worthwhile statement: Most of those who celebrate Christmas do so because of the trappings, not because of the substance. The huge snowman that each family who lives on the block is supposed to inflate and put atop their house points to the frivolity of the holiday for the average observer. I haven't read John Grisham's book "Skipping Christmas" yet but the first half of the film seems to be pure Grisham. Luther Krank (Tim Allen) is something of an antihero declaring his own private little war on Christmas abuse, unlike Dickens' Scrooge who simply doesn't want to be bothered with the holiday because he's a miser and worships money. Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis) on the other hand really wants the show of Christmas to impress the neighbors and not to rock the boat. Having her only child Blair Krank (Julie Gonzalo) away from home at Christmas for the first time kills her holiday spirit anyway. She is pictured as a doting mom who has spoiled her child rotten at the expense of her marriage and anything else not involving Blair. The second half of the film becomes a standard traditional type outing with Luther Krank being the scrooge-like selfish oaf who wants to spoil it all with his bah, humbug attitude. He comes around by giving the best gift of all to his neighbor whose wife is dying of cancer. In other words, the film cops out during the second half and with it the humor sours. A potentially funny holiday treat becomes just another lame copy of "It's a Wonderful Life."

There are some truly funny sequences during the first part of the movie. Note when Luther Krank waters down his sidewalk to make it slippery for the terrible carolers. Keep your eye on the neighbor's cat. The botox part is excruciatingly laughable with Tim Allen at his best. The tanning scene with the glorious Tom Poston as the Krank's priest is also hilarious. Too bad this level of humor was not maintained throughout.

The cast is well chosen with one exception. Cheech Marin is wasted in a thankless role. When given a chance he can be a funny man.