Review
Actors: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Julie Gonzalo, M Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth Franz, Austin Pendleton, Cheech Martin, Jake Busey.
Director: Joe Roth
Writer: Chris Columbus
I watched “Christmas with the Kranks” late to the party. Roger Ebert himself reviewed this film in 2004 when it was first released.
Giving the film one star, he could have kept folks away from a hysterically funny, fun movie with a gentle message. Ebert said the film was ‘A holiday movie of stunning awfulness.’
Ebert was a Pulitzer Prize winner who held enormous power with his reviews.
I, however, am endlessly confident about my knowledge of film, rarely swayed by other reviewers’ opinions.
Tired of politics, for the moment, I have been reading Stephen King’s most recent novel. Imagine Stephen King is a relief from politics. But I wanted the relief that only a good film can give. Suspension of reality is fine with me for the sake of humor, amongst other things.
Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis head a cast filled with seasoned actors who know how to play absurdist comedy with total commitment to believing in their characters and motivations.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen, the Kranks
This is a tribute to Director Joe Roth, who is ultimately responsible for casting, guiding, and trusting the actors.
Spoiler alert: Roth goes against typecasting the always terrific Austin Pendleton as a possible real-life Santa Claus, and like the other talented actors, Pendleton takes the part and makes it his own.
Austin Pendleton is an unconventional Santa Claus
M. Emmet Walsh, another actor who we expect believable and exciting performances from, delivers as an upset neighbor who makes life difficult for the Kranks to go on their cruise.
With the time they were given on screen, all the actors developed full characters who embraced the traditional Christmas celebrations for their neighborhood, going against the Krank’s plan to take a cruise and avoid it all.
Chis Columbus adapted the novella “Skipping Christmas,” written by John Grisham. Amongst other screenplays Columbus has written is “Mrs. Doubtfire,” one of the funniest and most imaginative films I’ve ever seen. “Christmas with the Kranks” has that same slightly ridiculous type of theme that sucks us in with its ultimate nod to what makes us all human: compassion.
The Kranks decide to cruise to warm weather for Christmas, skipping the usual holiday festivities in their neighborhood. This sets off a series of responses (all negative or suspicious), which Ebert referred to as ‘Lockstep conformity.’ What occurred was so funny I could not stop laughing, and I am not an easy mark.
Here in Reno, Nevada, where I live, one neighborhood, Hidden Valley, engages in over-the-top Christmas decorations and competition, so creative, slow-moving lines of cars spend evenings driving through the neighborhood at night. Kids are in the car in pajamas, and the car radio plays because some lights are set to music. The annual Christmas competition in Hidden Valley is a work of art with heart. Like the Krank’s neighbors, this tradition also brings joy to other people.
Unfamiliar with any of Tim Allen’s works before this movie, I have a newfound respect for his comedic ability. In one scene where he has gotten Botox for the cruise, his slapstick attempts to eat a meal with his unmoving facial muscles had me screaming with laughter. Kudos to Jamie Lee Curtis for keeping a straight face during this scene, adding that element of belief that makes it so funny.
Ms. Curtis is an actress whom we don’t see enough of. She has a reassuring presence with an absolute commitment to her character, dragging us along with her confusion regarding her husband’s idea to forgo the annual Christmas celebration. My only complaint is that Ms. Curtis was almost a secondary character (the way the script was written) to her husband’s desires. It might have served the script better had she been equally as interested in escaping Christmas at home.
There is a slight feeling that the Kranks are being pressured, almost harassed, into being conventional, but this is a comedy that Ebert reviewed, like a Shakespearian tragedy.
Forced at the last minute into having their gala Christmas party and celebration, unprepared without a tree or food, the shenanigans to get the party up and running continue the theme of hysterical slapstick absurdist fun. Christmas is a birthday celebration, amongst other things. I didn’t find an issue with the neighborhood’s exuberant decorating and party planning. Some reviewers argued that no one was headed for church on Christmas Eve. I’ll leave that for the film viewers to decide.,
“Christmas with the Kranks” provided humor and spirit when we desperately need good humor.
Sometimes movie reviewers, even Roger Ebert, get carried away, missing what is right in front of them: a lovely, hilarious, intelligent, absurdist comedy filled with endless talent. After you watch this film, watch “Mrs. Doubtfire.” if you missed this, Robin Williams, Chris Columbus writer gem.
Carol Schaye has had several short stories published by McFadden’s Women’s Group. Carol has written for two west coast newspapers and has worked extensively in television. A fan of Flannery O’Connor, Carol studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Austin Pendleton and writing with Salem Ludwig. She attended Marymount College majoring in theater.
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