Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Directed by Joe Roth. Written by Chris Columbus. Starring Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth Franz, Erik Per Sullivan, Cheech Marin, Jake Busey, Julie Gonzalo, Tom Poston, Caroline Rhea, Felicity Huffman and Austin Pendleton.
Every year the Krank family celebrate Christmas as well as anyone else, more so perhaps, but when their daughter Blair joins The Peace Corp and won’t be around this year Luther and Nora decide to skip Christmas this year. Taking all the money they’d usually spend and spend it on a cruise.
As they appear to snub their friends, neighbours, and various neighbourhood traditions, the locals become more and more hostile, painting the Kranks out as bad guys. But when it turns out that Blair is indeed coming home, with her new fiancé, the neighbourhood rallies around to help Luther and Nora put on their traditional Christmas party, so that Blair will be none the wiser.
Based on crime writer John Grisham’s bestselling book Skipping Christmas Christmas with the Kranks is Chris Columbus’s five Christmas movie after writing Gremlins, directing Home Alone and Home Alone 2:Lost in New York and producing Jingle All the Way. It’s also, at this point, Tim Allen’s fourth of six Christmas themed movies.
Are you a fan of Christmas with the Kranks? Which is your favourite Columbus or Allen Christmas movie? Let us know in the comments below.