Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Release date: 2004-11-24
Country: USA
Language: English|Spanish
Director: Joe Roth
Production Co: Revolution Studios, 1492 Pictures, Skipping Christmas
Genre: Comedy, Family
Rating: 5.3/10
Length: 1h 39min

Storyline

As strange as it may sound, the Kranks, 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, the Kranks are determined to invest the money on a sun-drenched, 10-day Caribbean cruise, much to their friends and neighbours 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 the traitorous couple who has turned its back on Christmas. And then, unexpectedly, Blair and her new fiancé are coming home, unbeknownst to them 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?

Plot Keywords

based on novel, christmas eve, grocery store, family character name in title, christmas movie, liquor store, farce, male protagonist, volkswagen beetle, christmas gift, christmas decoration, christmas party, christmas tree, chicago illinois, mother daughter relationship, power failure, christmas season, holiday season, police arrest, husband wife relationship

Short Review

In any normal year this dire comedy would be the undisputed lump of coal in our psychic stocking, but coming on the heels of Surviving Christmas, it's a close second.