# Christmas with the Kranks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590 "2004-11-25T03:05:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/1 "2004-11-25T03:05:55Z")
Just saw it today. I didn’t want to, but my son did. He liked it, but I found it …okay. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/2 "2004-11-25T03:35:27Z")
The ads for this movie have thoughly creeped me out. Like it’s some sort of a crime to not do a full-out secular Christmas. (Gee, I wonder what happens if you move into that neighborhood and are not even nominally Christian so do not decorate your house…) Suburban conformity at its most evil, and we’re supposed to be amused? ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/3 "2004-11-25T03:38:48Z")
Thats exactly how it was. They even had to hide in their house. Some good subplots even. The movie dialog made it clear though that if they’d bene Jewish or Buddist, it would be okay. Its kindof weird, but I kindof recommend it. xmas smilies :rolleyes: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/4 "2004-11-25T16:08:59Z")
As of the time of this post, the Rotten Tomato rating is [3%](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christmas_with_the_kranks/). That’s “Gigli” territory folks. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/5 "2004-11-25T16:24:04Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > As of the time of this post, the Rotten Tomato rating is [3%](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christmas_with_the_kranks/). That’s “Gigli” territory folks. I’m not surprised. The trailers showed scenes of yammering idiocy and toxic treacle. And the trailers always show the _best_ parts of the movie. Guess I’ll skip this one. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/6 "2004-11-26T22:52:20Z")
I will not be seeing this one. But, you might want to read, “Skipping Christmas”. I don’t know if the movie is based on the book but it really seems like it. The book was great. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/7 "2004-11-26T23:11:47Z")
Another vote for not going to watch it. I love Allen’s stand-up, and he’s pretty good in sitcom roles. But in feature length films _For Richer or Poorer_ is the only one I can tolerate. Even then, there are a few sequences I would have cut. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/8 "2004-11-27T00:37:57Z")
I just want to know how Tim Allen goes from playing Santa Clause in two fairly successful movies to playing the Anticlaus in what’s shaping up to be a wretched flop of a movie. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/9 "2004-11-27T01:57:46Z")
Another vote for reading “Skipping Christmas” instead of going to a bummer movie. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/10 "2004-11-27T05:40:02Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Another vote for not going to watch it. I love Allen’s stand-up, and he’s pretty good in sitcom roles. But in feature length films _For Richer or Poorer_ is the only one I can tolerate. Even then, there are a few sequences I would have cut. Really? You couldn’t stomach his channelling William Shatner in _Galaxy Quest_? ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/11 "2004-11-27T14:06:29Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I’m not surprised. The trailers showed scenes of yammering idiocy and toxic treacle. And the trailers always show the _best_ parts of the movie. Guess I’ll skip this one. Don’t forget Jamie Lee Curtis’s constant screaming…unless that’s the yammering idiocy and toxic treacle you were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/12 "2004-11-27T15:19:48Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Really? You couldn’t stomach his channelling William Shatner in _Galaxy Quest_? I think that’s his ONLY movie that I like… ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-with-the-kranks/276590/13 "2004-11-27T16:05:56Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > I will not be seeing this one. But, you might want to read, “Skipping Christmas”. I don’t know if the movie is based on the book but it really seems like it. The book was great. It was the first John Grisham I couldn’t finish. And its tiny! I just thought it was whiny.