Christmas with the Kranks



Based on the novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham; Blair Krank (Julie Gonzalo), the daughter of Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) departs for a Peace Corps assignment in Peru, where she'll be during Christmastime. The Kranks, along with their entire neighborhood, have always made a huge deal of celebrating Christmas with decorations and parties, but after their daughter leaves and they realize they spent over $6,000 last year to celebrate, this year they elect to go on a cruise in the Caribbean instead. They won't be celebrating Christmas this year like they'd always done previously — no decorations, no parties, no gifts, no fiberglass snowman on their roof...

Well, the neighbors aren't pleased about this. More specifically, they're pissed and won't take no for an answer, bullying the Kranks relentlessly to try and force them into relenting and celebrating —
 * They scrutinize the Kranks, referring to Luther as Scrooge.
 * A group of kids threaten to break into their house to steal Frosty and put him on their roof against their will for them...and when they fail, stand on their lawn repeatedly chanting "free Frosty, free Frosty!", additionally ringing them on their phone seven times a day.
 * A group of carolers come to their house every night, peer in their windows, and holler at the top of their lungs for hours.
 * Eventually, even the neighborhood police turn on the Kranks.

In the end, Blair rings and informs them that she's coming home for Christmas with a new fiancée who has never celebrated it before and wants to know what it's like, forcing them to admit to their neighbors that they were "wrong" and "being selfish"...so they help them scramble a Christmas party together at the last minute. The closing shot is of the two embracing and agreeing that skipping Christmas was a bad idea.

This film provides examples of:

 * The Complainer Is Always Wrong: The entire plot.
 * Dreaming of a White Christmas
 * Imaginary Friend: When Luther's arrested and his "accomplice" runs off, the cops jokingly ask him if he has one.
 * Indecisive Deconstruction: Of Saving Christmas or Yet Another Christmas Carol. Or we may be giving them too much credit and it's just a case of Unintentionally Sympathetic Designated Villain.
 * Indecisive Parody: The whole damn plot. The first two-thirds are a jab against suburban conformity and the commercialization of Christmas, which would've made for a pretty good (if somewhat dark) film...if, at pretty much the last minute, the whole plot didn't turn on its head so it not only celebrated the aspects it was mocking not five minutes ago, but very firmly chided the notion of working against them at all.
 * Jerkass: Luther seems to be one just for the sake of it.
 * Many of the neighbors qualify.
 * The Needs of the Many: The neighbors want the Kranks to conform, at least on the topic of exterior decorations, in order to have their whole block win a prize.
 * Saving Christmas
 * Serious Business: Christmas is this to the neighbors because the Kranks' decision not to decorate their home will jeopardize the neighbors' chances of winning the coveted prize for best decorated block in the neighborhood. Basically, ego and pride are the only reasons the Kranks are being harassed.
 * What Do You Mean Its Not Awesome: Nora's search for a hickory ham.
 * Worst News Judgment Ever: The Kranks' decision to go on a cruise ends up on the front page of the local paper.