Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

With their daughter, Blair, away, Luther and Nora Krank decide to skip Christmas all together until she decides to come home, causing an uproar when they have to celebrate it at the last minute.

Director:

Joe Roth

Writers:

John Grisham (novel), Chris Columbus (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Strange as it may sound, Luther and Nora Krank, the neighbourhood's award-winning couple for their cheerful Christmas spirit, have decided to skip this year's annual festivities when their daughter, Blair, departs for Peru after joining the Peace Corps. Now, instead of spending the staggering amount of $6,000 on the holiday season, just like the previous year, they are determined to invest the money on a sun-drenched, ten-day Caribbean cruise, much to the chagrin of their friends and neighbours. However, this is easier said than done, and before long, Luther and Nora, who have turned their backs on Christmas, will face the consequences. And then, as if that weren't enough, Blair and her new fiancé announce that they are coming home, utterly unaware that the empty family nest is far from ready for the event. Can the Kranks "generate" Christmas out of nothing in less than a few hours?

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Plot Keywords:

bikini | christmas | cat | singing | arrest | 

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Taglines:

No! Ho! Ho!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief language and suggestive content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The swimsuits the models are wearing in the advertisement for the cruise the Kranks are taking are the same ones Luther and Nora wear when they go tanning in the mall.

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Goofs

When Luther refuses to buy the Christmas tree from the Boy Scouts, Nora and Luther go in the front door which has a Christmas wreath on it. The Boy Scout leader complains to a group of neighbors and they all turn to look at the Kranks' house. When the door is seen from across the street and in a series of close-ups, the door has no wreath on it. The wreath reappears and stays there until Luther throws it aside.

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Quotes

Nora Krank: We skip Christmas!

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Crazy Credits

There are holiday cards with pictures of the characters at the beginning of the end credits

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Worst Films of 2004 (2005)

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Soundtracks

The Christmas Song
(1946)
Written by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells
Published by Edwin H. Morris & Company, a division of MPL Music Publishing, Inc. and Sony/ATV Tunes LLC
Performed by Ella Fitzgerald
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Nice little Christmas Comedy

My family and I went to see this film today and we all enjoyed as it seemed that most of the other people in the cinema did too. I think some of the comments here are a little harsh, yes the film is not believable but the fun side of Christmas is all about "make believe". The characters are funny, Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are great in there roles, especially the bot-ox scene and the honey roasted ham scene. A one time or another we all would like to skip Christmas and we all have had the mad dash at the last minute to organise things. This film just takes all of those moments and pokes fun at them. It also manages to squeeze in a small moment of being aware that sometimes other people's problems are greater than yours. The film is full of different emotions and they all seem to work well, we all left with a Chrismas feeling as the last few scenes of the film are just plain old feel good moments that we all want out of to have. Just take it for what it is, a Christmas comedy and enjoy. I will be adding it to my DVD collection. 8 out of 10!

Details

Official Sites:

Columbia / Tri Star [France] Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 November 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Grisham's Skipping Christmas

Filming Locations:

Suburban Street, Backlot, Downey Studios - 12214 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,570,867, 28 November 2004

Gross USA:

$73,780,539

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$96,593,018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, 1492 Pictures, Skipping Christmas

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1