My Review of Christmas With The Kranks (2004)

 

Written by Chris Columbus 

Directed by Joe Roth

Nora (to Luther): "We skip Christmas!"

If there's a Christmas to be had around a certain time period (1980s to 2000s), there's a likely chance that Chris Columbus might have had a hand in it. This one might be not be an instant classic but it's a modest enough offering.

Anyways you've got Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis as married couple Luther and Nora Krank. Their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) joined the Peace Corps and for the first time in ever, the Kranks decided to abandon Christmas. I get the temptation at times but their decision had consequences.

It seemed that the Kranks lived in a neighborhood where Christmas was a big deal and when the neighbours found out that they were opting for a cruise instead, it didn't go down well at all. Especially when one of your neighbours was played by Dan Aykroyd. Vic Frohmeyer wasn't the kind of neighbour that would allow anyone to skip out on Christmas.

For a good chunk of the movie, the Kranks were driven mad by the neighbours to change their minds about going on their cruise. They eventually did but only because Blair was returning home with fiancé Enrique Decardenal (Rene Lavan) and the Kranks needed the neighbours back on side.

Funnily enough, getting the neighbours onside was a lot easier than expected. Even Vic's mischievous son, Spike (Erik Per Sullivan) was a great help as was Cheech Marin's police character. This was also during a minor plot with an escaped burglar trying to steal during the big Krank Christmas party.

- There's a nice plot where Luther gave the cruise to Walt (M. Emmet Walsh) and Bev Scheel (Elizabeth Franz). Luther nearly killed their cat during the movie.

- The movie was based on John Grisham's 2001 book, Skipping Christmas.

- Standout music: The Raveonettes The Christmas Song, Brenda Lee's Jingle Bell Rock and Dean Martin's White Christmas.

- Chronology: Christmas time in Illinois.

Christmas With The Kranks isn't a favourite of mine but it's still rather fun for a Christmas movie. Who would've thought that trying to sit out Christmas would be more stressful than actually getting heavily involved?

Rating: 7 out of 10