Film Review: Reviewed By Sloan Freer; 1 out of 5

No amount of seasonal spirit could inject any ho-ho-ho into this festive turkey. Adapted from John Grisham's novel Skipping Christmas, this is a soulless tale that raises so few laughs, it barely justifies its comedy label. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis play the Kranks, a Chicago couple who incur the wrath of their local community when they decide to forgo Christmas and its associated trappings in favour of a luxury cruise. Poorly scripted and lazily directed, the film stamps all over individual thought and action, and instead celebrates herd mentality and excessive consumerism, unfairly painting its two lead characters as selfish villains. As the star of The Santa Clause movies, Allen is obviously used to yuletide nonsense, but even he flounders when faced with such unfunny material. The real tragedy here is Curtis, however, who totally wastes her ample comic talents on slapstick and shameful mugging.

Plot Summary

Seasonal comedy starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. After their daughter goes to Peru to serve with the Peace Corps, Luther and Nora Krank face their first Christmas alone. Miserable at the prospect, they decide to completely forget Yuletide and go on a Caribbean cruise. But their change of plan doesn't go smoothly.