Home for the Holidays (1995)

After losing her job, making out with her soon to be ex-boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson has to face spending the ... See full summary »

Director:

Jodie Foster

Writers:

Chris Radant (short story), W.D. Richter (screenplay)

Stars:

Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Holly Hunter	...	Claudia Larson
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Tommy Larson
Anne Bancroft	...	Adele Larson
Charles Durning	...	Henry Larson
Dylan McDermott	...	Leo Fish
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Aunt Glady
Steve Guttenberg	...	Walter Wedman
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Joanne Larson Wedman
Claire Danes	...	Kitt Larson
Emily Ann Lloyd	...	Brittany Lace Wedman
Zack Duhame	...	Walter Wedman Jr.
Austin Pendleton	...	Peter Arnold
David Strathairn	...	Russell Terziak
Amy Yasbeck	...	Ginny Johnson Drewer
James Lecesne	...	Ron Drewer

Storyline

After losing her job, making out with her soon to be ex-boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson has to face spending the holiday with her family. She wonders if she can survive their crazy antics.

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Plot Keywords:

thanksgiving | holiday | dinner | gay interest | smoking | 

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Taglines:

On the fourth Thursday in November, 84 million American families will gather together... And wonder why.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, language and brief drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Feriados en familia

Filming Locations:

Baltimore Museum of Art - 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$17,518,220 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Egg Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Downey Jr. publicly admitted to using heroin during the making of this film. Jodie Foster wrote him a letter praising his work but warning him that he could not keep doing this on other films.

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Goofs

When entire family is at dinner table, you can see the rod used to launch the turkey onto Joann.

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Quotes

Aunt Gladys: My safety light's on again. Magic!

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Connections

Referenced in Home Improvement: Home for the Holidays (1998)

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Soundtracks

"It's Not Unusual"
Written by Gordon Mills and Les Reed
Performed by Tom Jones

User Reviews

"The Very Thought of You" reminds us of the joy in life.

What I like most about this movie is the atmosphere it creates: the anticipation of returning home during the dreariness of the season's weather, the hustle and bustle of the holiday, the conflict between the loneliness and yet the quiet peace of waking to the first moonlit dusting of snow. There's always such a buildup to that big day, and then it's over, and, as one titled scene suggests, "now what?"

But what touches me about this movie is what it has to say about love. "The very thought of you" is more than a song at the movie's end, it's a theme that permeates the movie: such as when the father watches the home movie of his children, illuminating one of the pivital moments of his life that was only seconds in length, but brings his life such joy and meaning. The movie reminds us that it is "the very thought of you" that brings joy to us all.