Um Natal Muito, Muito Louco

While "Christmas with the Kranks" is surely an entertaining enough movie, it is not going to be a Christmas classic such as the 1989 "Christmas Vacation" movie. That being said, then it should be stressed that "Christmas with the Kranks" is a wholesome movie that does prove entertaining enough for the entire family.

The story is about Luther Krank (played by Tim Allen) and Nora Krank (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) whom are living in a small, tightly-knitted community where the Christmas season is a major event. And when Frank and Nora decides to skip Christmas and go on a cruise the entire neighborhood is turned upside down in disbelief.

There are some hilarious moments throughout the movie, and the cast list was really great, having some impressive names on it. Aside from Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, then the movie also had Dan Aykroyd, M. Emmet Walsh, Cheech Marin and Jake Busey on the cast list. So you know what you are getting here, and people do deliver. There are also some good laughs here and there, which do of course add to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

But as I said earlier, it will not be a Christmas classic, as in it being a movie that you watch every Christmas. I have just watched it now, and I don't think that I will be making a return trip to watch it again.

This is one of those films that you can't ignore the obvious manipulation. Each scene is telegraphed a mile a way, with no real attempt to mark new ground. No, this film is exactly what it is intended to be; holiday good cheer and nothing more. In that respect, the film is successful and in the end, a harmless holiday movie that tries to help us forget all the real world darkness going on.

Tim Allen seems to be carving out a career with these Christmas movies. Though his performance is not even close to his Santa character, he still manages to put in a performance that has some memorable moments (the scene after his fat injection is a hoot). Jamie Lee is over the top and at times can be a little too much, but still, she fits right in with the rest of the decorations that are wrapped around this Christmas tree of a movie. I give it a 6 because let's be honest, it is totally predictable and corny. But as I mentioned, it is a welcome to all the negative things going on right now.

When I first watched this a few years back I thought for sure it was going to be a C grade Christmas movie, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Tim Allen basically plays the same character that he has been in everything else, but he's hilarious. Jamie Lee Curtis is also sweet and funny. There are moments when it gets fairly ridiculous, but it's all part of the fun. Some heartfelt moments wrap this up with a nice bow.

For the first time, Luther Krank (Tim Allen) and his wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) are about to celebrate the holidays without their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo), who has just left for the Peace Corps in Peru. Luther sees a Caribbean cruise poster in a Chicago travel agency window, and he begins to plan the trip. First he must see how he will pay for the trip, so he comes up with an idea that if they skipped Christmas, they could go. He will save money by not buying a tree, having a party, or putting up decorations. The neighbors think he is crazy and want him to at least put Frosty the Snowman on his roof for the local decoration contest. The battle begins between the Kranks and their neighbors. Then Blair calls and tells her parents that she is flying home for Christmas with her fiancée. They have twenty-four hours to put up all the decorations and prepare for the Christmas party. The movie was based on a John Grisham book, 'Skipping Christmas'. It is a cute Christmas story with a lot of funny slapstick sketches. It reminds you of the Chevy Chase movie, 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'. Tim Allen does a great job in several comedy scenes, especially, the scenes where he gets bowtox injections in his face and the suntan scene. (Columbia Pictures, Run time 1:39, Rated PG) (5/10)

Christmas is a great time for joy and happiness and this film serves that purpose with some easy viewing. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are fun to watch and it has the odd dose of humour that lands well.