When their only daughter Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora Krank decide to book an island cruise to beat the yuletide blues and just skip the holidays. But their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair call son Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever!
Hollywood's version of the annual Hallmark Ho-ho-ho card. It's made to order: just slot in the perennial Mr. Santa Claus himself, Tim Allen, and stir.
– Susan Walker,
Toronto Star,
27 Nov 2004
rotten:
Purports to kindle the warm glow of love for humankind in our hearts but actually reaffirms that the trappings of the holiday season are all that really matter.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
27 Nov 2004
rotten:
I'm making my list of the worst movies of the year and I'm checking it twice, and I hope to find room for this frantically unfunny disaster.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
30 Nov 2004
rotten:
This isn't a wonderful life: It looks pretty hellish.
– Keith Phipps,
AV Club,
26 Sep 2005
rotten:
In any normal year this dire comedy would be the undisputed lump of coal in our psychic stocking, but coming on the heels of Surviving Christmas, it's a close second.