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

As strange as it may sound, Luther and Nora Krank, the award winning couple for their cheerful Christmas spirit, have decided for the first time, to skip this year's annual festivities when their daughter, Blair, departs for Peru after joining the Peace Corps. With the intention to save the staggering amount of $6,000 plus spent on previous year's holiday season, they are determined to invest the money on a sun-drenched, 10-day Caribbean cruise, much to their friends and neighbors' chagrin. However, that is easier said than done, and before long, menacing phone calls and angry protests on the snow covered pavements will betray that there is definitely no easy way out for Luther and Nora who has turned their backs on Christmas. And then, unexpectedly, Blair and her new fiance, Enrique, are coming home, unbeknownst to them that the empty family nest is far from ready for the event. Can Luther and Nora "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

Tim Allen has done a total of five Christmas movies - The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2, Christmas with the Kranks, The Santa Clause 3, and El Camino Christmas (2017).

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Goofs

The woman in green who leads the carolers is shown in the window on another side of the house when she begins singing Frosty The Snowman. The song continues in real time without interruption but, in only a few words and seconds later, the woman in green is instantly back in the front lawn and directing the carolers in the exact position that the previous song ended. There was no time for her to have come back around the house.

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Quotes

Spike Frohmeyer: [watching Luther steal a Christmas tree] Are you sure this isn't illegal?
Luther Krank: Are you a cop?

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Crazy Credits

At the start of the film, the Revolution logo is being froze with ice

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Connections

Referenced in Loway and Mr. Hand: The Elf on the Shelf (2016)

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Soundtracks

Hey Santa Claus
Written by Greg Prevost and Andy Babiuk
Published by Pussy Galore Publishing and JR Distribution Co., admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Produced by Steven Van Zandt (as Little Steven), Greg Prevost, and Andy Babiuk
Performed by The Chesterfield Kings
Courtesy of Wicked Cool Records

User Reviews

Get exactly what you expect.

This is one of those films that you can't ignore the obvious manipulation. Each scene is telegraphed a mile a way, with no real attempt to mark new ground. No, this film is exactly what it is intended to be; holiday good cheer and nothing more. In that respect, the film is successful and in the end, a harmless holiday movie that tries to help us forget all the real world darkness going on.

Tim Allen seems to be carving out a career with these Christmas movies. Though his performance is not even close to his Santa character, he still manages to put in a performance that has some memorable moments (the scene after his fat injection is a hoot). Jamie Lee is over the top and at times can be a little too much, but still, she fits right in with the rest of the decorations that are wrapped around this Christmas tree of a movie. I give it a 6 because let's be honest, it is totally predictable and corny. But as I mentioned, it is a welcome to all the negative things going on right now.

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