 |
|
|
|
|
MOVIES FRONT | MOVIE REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS | COMING SOON | BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS & REPORT | NEWS | LINKS |
Christmas with the Kranks (2004) Sony Pictures Entertainment 1 hr. 34 mins. Starring: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Julie Gonzalo, Felicity Huffman, Jake Busey, Cheech Marin, Caroline Rhea, David Hornsby Director: Joe Roth Christmas with the Kranks Rating:  
E-MAIL FRANK OCHIENG How appropriate that Christmas with the Kranks would be released around Thanksgiving seeing as though this toothless holiday hoot is one dried up turkey without the extra trimmings. We have seen some pretty awful Christmas-oriented clunkers in the past as recent as the bland Surviving Christmas or as needlessly nostalgic as the forgettable Jingle All the Way. But now filmmaker Joe Roth (America’s Sweethearts) takes the concept of putting coal in one’s stocking to a whole new level of appreciation. This is absolutely one of the most woefully irritating and uneventful so-called comedic Yuletide yawners you’ll ever be exposed to around the seasonal bend. This humorless and hackneyed humbug dud is based on the John Grisham novel Skipping Christmas. Although the thought of throwing one’s hands up in the air by finally rejecting the omnipresent commercialism of the Christmas season is a juicy concept to exploit, Roth and his fellow hapless handlers never capture the shrewd absurdity of this notable concept. Instead, the exaggerated capitalism and lack of true consideration that’s shown for the genuine meaning of the holy holiday is pushed on the backburner for a seedless slapstick romp that has all the bounce of a defective pogo stick. It’s astounding that the usually reliable movie helmer Chris Columbus was given the nod to whip this soured bowl of an eggnog screenplay into shape as opposed to taking over the directorial duties from the clueless Roth. Poorly executed with predictable pratfalls and touches of clumsy comedy that doesn’t take the adequate time to register thoroughly, Christmas with the Kranks ranks much lower than a stale pound of fruitcake. Tim Allen (no stranger to appearing in holiday-themed hokum) and Jamie Lee Curtis star as Luther and Nora Krank, a suburban couple who are used to celebrating Christmas in lavish detail. For years on end, the Kranks have been unselfish in terms of pulling out all the stops and sharing extravagant Christmas gatherings with their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) and excitable surrounding neighbors. But things this year will change drastically for the Kranks and company. When Blair announces that she is not coming home for the holidays courtesy of her commitment to her Peace Corps work in the Peruvian Amazon, Luther conjures up a brainstorm to Nora. In lieu of going through all the expensive fuss of their yearly Christmas rituals, why not simply spend the money (a whopping $6,000 that is) on a 10-day scenic cruise trip to the Bahamas? Nora is not too thrilled at the idea but she does have an obligation to Luther as his devoted loving partner to share in his newfound enthusiasm. As some may imagine, the shift in the Kranks’ Christmas plans is a blasphemous proposal that won’t sit too tight with the locals. Because of Luther’s determination to spend Christmas differently (or skip it altogether) this will cause an unnecessary uproar with all those participants that find the ultimate merriment in basking in the grand Krank family festivities. Due to the “hasty” decision for Luther to get away, he’s literally snuffing out the festive flames for all those that depend on his presence to make their holidays worth cheering. What will become of all the fun-loving activities and traditional tidbits that the Kranks effortlessly bring to the forefront? Thus, there will be no more elaborate and showy decorations on the house. And what is to become of the generous donations to the police fund and other charities? And what about the trademark Krank Christmas parties as a socializing measuring stick? And when word gets out that the Kranks refuse to showcase their Frosty the Snowman on their roof for all to enjoy, things really turn nasty. Thanks to the revulsion caused by the Kranks’ refusal to embrace Christmas the way it was meant to be as in previous decorative outings, their friends and neighbors resort to petty tactics in order to “punish” them for their holiday-based defiance. Evidently, the Kranks aren’t allowed to have a mind of their own and whatever agenda they want to follow has to meet with the approval of the leeches… er…giddy associates that expect them to stay in the stable role of being bombastically accommodating holiday hosts. So what’s the plan going to be in order to force the Kranks to change their minds and not upset what was once a positive on-going Christmas orgy of excitement for the surrounding community? Why make their life a living hell of course! After all, what good is the art of ostracizing if you can’t put it to great service, right? Despite all the pressure and snubbing from their colleagues, suddenly Luther and Nora have a change of heart and scurry to resume the Christmas bash when they learn that Blair (who’s been away briefly) decides to come home with her Peruvian playboy fiance’ Enrique in tow. Naturally, Blair is expecting to partake in the anticipated frivolity that her parents are known for every year. It’s one thing to tick off various friends and neighbors when omitting the Christmas-based extravagance but it’s another issue entirely when disappointing their precious offspring. And so the Kranks have very limited time to recreate the magnetic Christmas happening for Blair within a few hours. This will be particularly difficult because they have virtually alienated everyone in sight with their daring quest to avoid a spectacle in the first place. Nevertheless, they need immediate guests and quick! As a free-spirited farce, Christmas with the Kranks misses several golden opportunities to wryly comment on the over-the-top and trivialized portrait of aimless seasonal-induced indulgence. There was a pulse of sheer propaganda that Roth could have tapped into cleverly therefore making the Kranks an irreverent staple of moral outrage in regards to the legitimate spirituality of observing Christmas. But the claptrap being demonstrated here is nothing but a meaningless and meandering mess. Passing off cardboard caricatures and having them overreact to laughably limp stunts in an attempt to create a silly-minded holiday movie is not anybody’s idea of a gift-giving gesture. Roth’s nauseous narrative is cheerless, decrepit, slight and instantly disposable. In spending a worthless Christmas with the dismissive Kranks, you might want to consider the alternative and get your Kris Kringle-sized kicks by watching your ridiculed Aunt Gertrude and Uncle Elmer exchange an embarrassing smooch under the mistletoe. Hey, it can’t get any worse than witnessing the cringe-worthy antics of the kooky Kranks in an inexplicable debauchery of sentimentality. Clearly, Christmas with the Kranks will go down as one of the most pointless and misguided Christmas stories imaginable—as oddly nonsensical as a candy cane without its signature stripes. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Frank Ochieng © TheWorldJournal.com |
|
|
MOVIES FRONT | MOVIE REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS | COMING SOON | BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS & REPORT | NEWS | LINKS |
|
|
|
|
Sponsored Links |
| Web Hosting Forum - Web hosting, marketing and webmaster related issues. Find the best hosting for your website! |
| Top
Box Office Movies © TheWorldJournal.com, All rights reserved. Student News Network For the best advertising rates at TheWorldJournal.com (120x600 - new banner format by the Interactive Advertising Bureau), click here. Back to top |
e-mail: info@theworldjournal.com sales: sales@theworldjournal.com |
||