AmateurMovieReviews.com

By Christina VanGinkel

Starring Tim Allen, from the long running hit television sitcom Home Improvement and the ever-popular Santa Clause movies, and Jamie Lee Curtis, star of such shows as My Girl and True Lies, along with a supporting cast that includes Dan Akroyd and Cheech Marin, the comedy show Christmas with the Kranks has a firm foothold on being a hit right from the start. Add to that the fact that the movie is based on the hit novel Skipping Christmas by best selling novelist John Grisham, and Christmas with the Kranks is a definite winner.

I like Christmas themed shows, so let us get that right out in the open. With that in mind, Christmas with the Kranks is not your usual Christmas themed movie. When Luther and Nora Krank, played by none other than Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, decide that if their daughter Blair cannot make it home for the holiday season, having just left for a year abroad in Peru, working for the Peace Corps, there is not much sense in them spending the huge amounts of money or time they normally do on such a celebration. When Luther sees an ad for a Caribbean Cruise over the holidays, he adds up what the family spent on Christmas the year before and is stunned when it comes to over six thousand dollars. He decides the money would be better spent on an elaborate getaway, such as the cruise he saw advertised. He goes so far as to see what the cruise will cost, and it is actually less than what they spent the year before on Christmas, almost half as much! At first, Nora says no to the idea, until Luther relents and agrees that they will still give their annual donation to the hospital and the church, matching the previous year's donation dollar for dollar. What they were not prepared for though, was that the whole town would feel put out.

The Kranks have been hosting an annual Christmas Eve extravaganza for many years. If the town's people do not have the Krank's party to attend to on this most important of dates, what will they all do? Sure, there are other parties, in town, but nothing the likes of what the Kranks put on each year.

In addition, the Krank's house has been the bearer of Frosty the giant snowman decoration for a very long time, and if he does not put him out, the decorations on their street will just not be complete. Not wanting to spend even a dime on Christmas, other than the two charitable contributions that Nora refuses to give up, they not only forgo putting out Frosty, they also do not buy their annual tree from the scouts, or many other annual purchases, including personalized cards and a holiday ham. All of which seems to cause even more revolting amongst the town's people.

When daughter Blair calls unexpectedly to announce that in fact, she is coming home for the holiday because she has someone special she wants to introduce to her parents, her boyfriend; the Kranks must pull together their annual get together at the last minute. The town's people rally round to help, in the end showing exactly what Christmas is really about, that being spending time with friends and family. What follows is a laugh a minute roll through town as the Kranks and everyone else tries to assemble everything they need to pull it all off, without letting on to Blair that they had actually intended to skip Christmas. This includes putting up Frosty, getting a tree, and gathering food and all their old friends and a few new ones together for their annual Christmas Eve bash.

No Christmas show would be complete without a few very touching moments, and Christmas with the Kranks is no exception. Neighbors Bev and Walt have had a tough year, what with Bev being ill and all, and money being tight. When Luther decides to make them the recipient of the best Christmas gift, he could think of, tears are sure to roll, at least for a few seconds. The rest of the time, you will be too busy laughing!

If you are looking for a new holiday tradition to add to your television viewing, pick up a DVD of Christmas with the Kranks.