Christmas With The Kranks (2004)
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The story
After their daughter leaves for a Peace Corps assignment, a middle-aged couple, Luther and Nora Krank, decide to skip their traditional Christmas celebrations in favor of a Caribbean cruise. However, their decision makes them pariahs in their neighborhood, where neighbors and local figures begin a campaign to force them to participate in the holiday. The situation becomes frantic when they receive a call on Christmas Eve: their daughter is unexpectedly returning home with her fiancé. With only twelve hours to spare, the Kranks must desperately attempt to decorate their home and organize a party before their daughter and her guest arrive.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following their daughter's departure for the Peace Corps, Luther and Nora Krank decide to skip Christmas and go on a cruise, much to the annoyance of their neighbors, particularly Vic Frohmeyer and Walt Scheel. As the community pressures them to decorate, the Kranks face various hurdles, including a media spotlight and a shortage of decorations. On Christmas Eve, they learn their daughter Blair is returning unexpectedly with her fiancé, Enrique. They have 12 hours to prepare. Amidst the chaos of trying to find a tree and food, the neighbors eventually step in to help once they realize the Kranks' predicament. The party is a success, and the film ends with Luther and Nora realizing that skipping Christmas was a mistake, while deciding they can skip it next year instead.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joe Roth
- Writers
- Chris Columbus · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tim Allen · Luther Krank; Jamie Lee Curtis · Nora Krank; Dan Aykroyd · Vic Frohmeyer; Erik Per Sullivan · Spike; Cheech Marin · Enrique; Jake Busey · Blair; M. Emmet Walsh · Walt Scheel
- Genres
- comedy; Christmas
- Themes
- community; tradition vs. modernity
- Tone and mood
- comedy; sentimental; slapstick
- Premise and plot tags
- holiday; family; neighborly
- Source material / true-story basis
- Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
- Reception
- The film was a moderate box-office success but received largely unfavorable reviews from critics, though it has received some positive reappraisal.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 22 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Production trivia
- The film features a soundtrack with a 'fresh take' on holiday music using garage rock.; The set was the largest exterior set ever for a movie at the time of filming.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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