Christmas with the Kranks on DVD!

Tim Allen made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian expounding on the virtues of being a man's man. Power tools and a trademark grunt made him a household name. And then for reason's known perhaps only to him he decided to make Christmas his shtick.

First it was The Santa Clause. It wasn't a great movie, but it was at least an entertaining Yuletide diversion. Then there was the sequel, a movie that in all honesty I avoided simply because the trailer failed to provide me with any reason whatsoever to see it.

And now we are presented with Christmas with the Kranks. Allen's white collar character is about as far removed from his Tool Time days as he can possibly get and we are the worse for it.

The film tells the story of Luther and Nora Krank (Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) whose only daughter has joined the Peace Corps, taking her away at Christmas for the first time in her life. Figuring that the holidays won't be the same without their daughter, the couple decide to skip Christmas and opt for tropical cruise instead.

This causes an uproar in their close knit community where their decision is likened to high treason. Of course, the plan falls to pieces when the daughter unexpectedly announces she is bringing her new boyfriend home for Christmas, leaving the Kranks to scramble to put together a holiday celebration in about 12 hours.

Writer Chris Columbus is no stranger to holiday film making, with a list of credentials that includes Home Alone, Jingle All the Way and even Gremlins.

What this story lacks, however, is genuine Christmas spirit.

When the Kranks abandon Christmas, Luther insists that they go with a total abstention. He never explains why and that makes it hard to understand why he is so adamantly against "suggestions" from his neighbors that he lighten up.
Of course, his neighbors are no shining examples of what the holiday season is supposed to be about either. Neighbors Vic Frohmeyer and Walt Scheel, played by Dan Aykroyd and M. Emmet Walsh are nearly militant in their insistence that the Kranks observe Christmas.

On a side note - I was also shocked at the movie device of a tabloid style write-up about the Kranks in their local paper. As someone whose day job is to report news in a small town, I can attest that this is simply not the way things are done! Give me a break, anonymous sources, paparazzi style photos? Whatever!

It seems to me that neither Luther nor his neighbors have it right. Skipping the holidays for selfish reasons isn't right, but forcing others to take part in what is purely the commercial aspect is perhaps even more wrong.

If that was the point of the film makers its a good one, but I don't suspect they were trying to be that deep.

Another thing that bothered me about the film was the main character's redemption. True to formula, its saved for the final minutes when Luther realizes that, gee, maybe there is something to all this Christmas stuff after all. But the transition happens too suddenly and feels almost tacked on. It's like Columbus knew it needed to be done, but waited too long and had to make something up on the fly.

What saves this film from being a total two-star disappointment is the cast. Allen and Curtis both know how to be funny and show it here. In addition, they play well opposite each other and the audience has no difficulty believing them as a married couple.

The supporting cast is also an asset, and I suspect someone in the production was calling in favors to land the likes of Caroline Rhea and Felicity Huffman in walk-on roles. I also enjoyed Cheech Marin and Jake Busey as the neighborhood patrol cops.

The bottom line: If you're looking for a film to put you in the Christmas spirit, you'd be a lot better off looking elsewhere. On the other hand, if you'd like to see Tim Allen hamming it up, then this is your kind of holiday film.

Rated PG for brief language and suggestive content.

Starring
Tim Allen as Luther Krank
Jamie Lee Curtis as Nora Krank
Dan Aykroyd as Vic Frohmeyer
M. Emmet Walsh as Walt Scheel
Erik Per Sullivan as Spike Frohmeyer
Cheech Marin as Officer Salino
Jake Busey as Officer Treen
Austin Pendleton as Umbrella Santa/Marty
Tom Poston as Father Zabriskie
Caroline Rhea as Candi
Felicity Huffman as Merry

Directed by Joe Roth

Screenplay Chris Columbus based on the novel "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham