I’m giving thanks that we don’t have to go through this for another year. Except we do, because those bastards went and put Christmas right in the middle, just to punish us
Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. As a technical note, references and citations are listed for each show on the site at classicmovierev.com. Today on the Classic Movie Rev, we are taking on Home for the Holidays (1995).
I loved this movie when I first saw it almost a quarter of a century ago. It has a pretty low 6.6. rating on iMDB.com[1]. It doesn’t fare any better on Rottentomatoes.com with a 63 percent on the Tomatometer and only 72 percent audience approval[2].
New York Times film critic Janet Maslin said in a November 3, 1995 review:
“With enough wisdom, this could be funny and poignant; with too much nuttiness, it’s “National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving.” The spirited but uneven “Home for the Holidays” winds up somewhere in between.
Ms. Foster and the screenwriter, W. D. Richter, have given this film some peculiar mood swings, so that it starts out zanily and winds down to a wistful note. The latter, fraught with the realizations that have come out of this family reunion, even border on the depressing.”[3]
On November 3, 1995, master film critic Roger Ebert gives this film three and a half stars. But in his review, he really never says why he liked the film so much. I find myself feeling the same way. I loved this movie in the late 90s when I first saw it. Now almost a quarter-century later, I think they make it seem so hard to spend time with family. Just gut it out for a couple of days and kind to the old folks.
Ebert said:
“Holly Hunter is a wonderful actress… in “Home for the Holidays,” she reacts and witnesses as much as she initiates. It’s not hard to guess that with her stature and presence she represents, to some degree, Jodie Foster. Indeed there are probably autobiographical elements scattered here and there throughout the cast, but that’s not the point: What Foster and Richter have created here is a film that understands the reality expressed by Robert Frost when he wrote, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”[4]
Actors – Home for the Holidays (1995)
Returning
Robert Downey Jr. played zany gay brother Tommy. He was over the top in this role, and I will talk about that a bit in the Summary. Downey Jr. was first covered in Back to School (1986).
New
Holly Hunter played 40-ish lovable loser, Claudia Larson. Hunter was born in Georgia in 1958. She began acting on stage at an early age. In 1976, she attended Carnegie Mellon University, graduating in 1980.
Hunter moved to New York, and it wasn’t long until she was acting in plays. She moved to Los Angles in 1982. Hunter became a major star when she was in the Coen brother’s directed Raising Arizona (1987). That same year she scored another major hit with Broadcast News (1987). Hunter made a nice rom-com, Always (1989), that was a remake of A Guy Called Joe (1943). Hunter won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in The Piano (1993). She was the sexy secretary in The Firm (1993) and the lead in Home for the Holidays (1995). Hunter was fantastic as a determined woman in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). She was equally good as the voices of Helen Parr / Elastigirl in The Incredibles (2004). Hunter is still very active.
Anne Bancroft played the mother, Adele. Bancroft was born in New York City in 1931. This marvelous actress began working on television in 1951. Her first film role was in the Film Noir Don’t Bother to Knock (1952). She continued to work in films such as Gorilla at Large (1954), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), Film Noir New York Confidential (1955), and The Girl in Black Stockings (1957).
Bancroft took five years off from film to work on Broadway. She returned to movies with The Miracle Worker (1962). This Helen Keller role won her an Best Actress Oscar. Her Oscar win set her on a path for solid films that include The Pumpkin Eater (1964), The Slender Thread (1965), The Graduate (1967) where she played the sexy Mrs. Robinson and where she was nominated for another Best Actress Oscar, Young Winston (1972), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), Silent Movie (1976), Lipstick (1976), The Elephant Man (1980), To Be or Not to Be (1983), 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Point of No Return (1993), Home for the Holidays (1995), G.I. Jane (1997) as a stinker, Great Expectations (1998), and Up at the Villa (2000).
Bancroft died at the age of 73 in 2005. She was survived by her husband of 41-years, director, and funny man Mel Brooks.
Charles Durning played the father, Henry. I have always liked this actor. It is amazing to me that someone that large can move so gracefully. Durning was born in 1923 in upstate New York. He was drafted into the U.S. Army at the age of 20,. Assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One, he was in the first wave landing on the beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944. After six months of recovery from wounds, he made it back into the line in time for the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Bronze and Silver Stars, as well as receiving three Purple Hearts.
Following the war, Durning became a professional ballroom dancer while he worked to become an actor. In 1951, he started working on stage and found success there. By the 1960s, he was working in television and films. His first role was in 1962, but his first credited role was in Harvey Middleman, Fireman (1965).
Durning became a great character actor and his films include I Walk the Line (1970), The Sting (1973) as a corrupt cop, The Front Page (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Choirboys (1977) as Spermwhale Whalen, The Muppet Movie (1979), North Dallas Forty (1979), The Final Countdown (1980) as a pompous Senator, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) where he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Tootsie (1982) as a straight man in love with Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman in drag, Two of a Kind (1983) a nice rom-com, To Be or Not to Be (1983), Home for the Holidays (1995), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He also has a recurring role on Burt Reynold’s television show “Evening Shade” 1990–1994. Durning died at the age of 89 in 2012 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Dylan McDermott played mystery guest Leo Fish. McDermott was born in Connecticut in 1961. In 1967, his mother was murdered, presumably by her boyfriend. His father remarried when he was 15. His stepmother, playwright/activist Eve Ensler adopted him and later encouraged the handsome young man to attend Fordham University and acting school.
McDermott started his career in a big way. He starred as the main character in Hamburger Hill (1987), a gritty up-close Vietnam film. Other films include Steel Magnolias (1989), In the Line of Fire (1993), Miracle on 34th Street (1994), not the best version, Home for the Holidays (1995), Wonderland (2003), The Messengers (2007), Burning Palms (2010), The Campaign (2012) where he played a sleazy political consultant, the indie film The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and blockbuster Olympus Has Fallen (2013).
McDermott led the long-running television series “The Practice” 1997-2004. He has appeared in two TNT movies and was on “American Horror Story” in 2011. He has also remained active on the stage.
Geraldine Chaplin played the role of Aunt Glady. Chaplin has 162 film and television credits, and she was totally off my radar. She was hilarious in this film. Chaplin is the daughter of the famous actor Charlie Chaplin, and playwright Eugene O’Neill is her grandfather.
She attended the Royal Ballet Academy in London, and her dancing led to her first significant role in Doctor Zhivago (1965). She is still active. Interestingly, Downey Jr. played her father in Chaplin (1992).
Claire Danes played the 16-year old daughter of Claudia, Kitt. Danes was born in New York City in 1979. Danes received extensive education at Dalton School, The New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, The Professional Performing Arts School, Lycée Français de Los Angeles, and two years at Yale University.
Danes began working on television in 1990. She played Beth in Little Women (1994) before landing a television series, “My So-Called Life” 1994-1995. She was in small film roles like Home for the Holidays (1995) and To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996). She had a big hit with Romeo + Juliet (1996).
She continued with films like Les Misérables (1998), the utterly terrible The Mod Squad (1999), Brokedown Palace (1999), and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). The HBO movie Temple Grandin (2010) was well received. But her top success has been on Showtime’s “Homeland” 2011-2020.
Story – Home for the Holidays (1995)
Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) is doing detailed painting restoration in a Chicago museum. She is nursing a head cold. Her supervisor Peter (Austin Pendleton), calls her to his office. He mentions that she is leaving early to visit her parents’ home for Thanksgiving. She is delighted with her work, and Peter drops the bomb on her that she is fired due to budget cuts. She hugs Peter, and then they kiss. It ends awkwardly.
Claudia picks up her 16-year old daughter Kitt (Claire Danes). Kitt drives her to the airport even though Claudia doesn’t like to fly. Kitt tells her mom to float like the fish they saw when they were snorkeling. As Kitt leaves, she informs her mother that she has decided to have sex with her boyfriend over the holiday.
Claudia sad sacks through the airport as people have out of touch calls with their parents. She loses her warm coat before boarding the plane. While on the plane, she leaves a crying message for her brother Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.) detailing all her problems.
When Claudia lands in Baltimore, her mother Adele (Anne Bancroft) and her father Henry (Charles Durning) are at the gate videotaping her arrival. They are surprised that Kitt is not coming. Claudia gives her a horrible pink coat.
In the car, Adele smokes and chatters incessantly. Henry is in his own world, and Claudia is suffering. Claudia sees others suffering in cars with their parents.
At the house, Claudia is worried that her parents are too active. Adele complains about her other daughter Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson), being too organized. Adele can see through the firing of Claudia. Of course, Adele thinks Claudia is wasting her talents. Henry kisses and dances with Adele randomly.
Claudia goes to her room to smoke a joint. Before long, both her parents enter the room and are talking to her. Adele does a Mrs. Robinson undressing in front of her daughter as she talks about a Dear Abbey letter.
Sometime in the night, Tommy and his friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott) arrive at the house. Tommy uses night-vision goggles to sneak into the house and wake his sister by taking pictures of her in her underwear. Not creepy, just a different sense of humor. Henry runs out with a bat and almost hits Leo. Tommy says he has not checked his message.
Claudia asks Tommy about his partner Jack, and she wonders why Leo is there. As Claudia showers, her mother denies that the two guys are gay. Tommy pops in and takes a polaroid of her.
Adelle sends Leo, Tommy, and Claudia to get some food. The Thanksgiving Day parade slows them. The three get in the car to head back. Tommy is being a jackass. Claudia gets mad and gets out to walk. Tommy speeds away when she tries to get in the car.
The high school homecoming queen and her guy stop her. Claudia is embarrassed by the coat. Leo comes back and saves Claudia. She is hostile to Leo when he makes a small pass at her.
Eventually, they make it to Aunt Glady’s (Geraldine Chaplin) home. She is the sister of Adele, and shall we say she is somewhat eccentric. When they get in the car, Glady passes gas.
When they get to the house, Glady finds Henry to give him a Key Lime pie she made. Adele sends Claudia to the furnace room. An old boyfriend of Claudia’s, Russell Terziak (David Strathairn), has been lured to the house on Adele’s false pretenses. He is a sad sack, and the conversation drags. Tommy and Leo spy on the conversation.
Henry plays his organ, and Glady sings. Joanne, her husband Walter (Steve Guttenberg), and their two kids arrive. They are shocked Tommy is there and before long, Tommy attacks the car. Joanne is shocked that Leo is with Tommy.
The males and Glady are exiled from the kitchen as the meal is prepared. Joanne is freaking out in an OCD way. The entire group sits at the table while Glady sings the blessing. Henry prays for the old fashion pain in the ass traditions. Walter is a jackass. The drunken Glady says Henry is the best-looking thing on two legs. She talks about the first time she met him, saying he looked like a horse in a uniform. Glady talks about him kissing her one Christmas. She continues that Henry made all her dreams come true for her sister. Ouch.
Walter starts in with a sound fundamentals banking argument. Tommy accidentally flips the turkey into Joanne’s lap. She melts down. Joanne calls Tommy a pervert and outs him to the family for getting married to Jack. It is at this point Claudia finds out the Leo is only a co-worker of Tommy.
Tommy has checked his messages and tells all the trouble in her life with Claudia’s permission. Glady gets up, singing to Henry. Adele runs to the kitchen to smoke. Glady lip locks Henry. Claudia and Tommy calm Adelle down.
Henry goes to wash Tommy’s car while some of the younger men play nerf football. The ladies are left with clean-up detail. Kitt calls to talk to her mother. Adelle intercepts the call. Kitt tells her mother that she decided not to have sex because Tim is being a jerk.
Walter and Tommy get in a fight in the front yard, but Leo gets the punch when he tries to break it up. Henry hoses the fighters down as Joanne drags her family away. Jack calls for Tommy, and Henry congratulates him on the wedding.
Leo sings duets with Glady. Claudia and Leo have to take Glady home and drop the Tupperware at Joanne’s home. Leo says he came to Thanksgiving because he saw a picture of her. Claudia realizes that she was naked in the photograph he saw.
They kiss at the door of Walter and Joanne and are busted. Joanne is in the basement, working out to get rid of the stress. Claudia goes for peace, but Joanne is not having it. Joanne is frustrated by having to take care of her parents on a daily basis.
Leo confesses he doesn’t get along with his family either. They go back to the house and raid the refrigerator. After the meal, they are getting along very well. Tommy is on the floor and stops their little adventure.
Leo follows her up to her room. Claudia is scared to start a relationship.
Tommy and Leo leave before sunrise because they have a business meeting. Claudia wakes to see them go. Henry is in the basement watching home movies. Claudia and Henry have a nice talk. He reminds her that she was fearless when he took the family to the airport runway.
The parents drive Claudia to the airport, and she comments that she let him get away. They have a tearful and loving goodbye at the airport. The airplane is Covid-19 empty when Leo gets on with the lamp that Glady gave him. He says they will know by the end of the flight if they will be a couple.
It ends with the young family’s home movies on the airport runway, a young Henry and Adelle, Tommy and Jack, Joanne and Walter being happy, the experience Claudia and Kitt had snorkeling, Henry and Glady dancing and kissing, and finally Leo and Claudia on the plane.
I’ll be right back with conclusions and the World-Famous Short Summary following a word from our sponsors.
Summary – Home for the Holidays (1995)
This movie was just before Downey Jr. started to really get in trouble with drugs. Watching this film today, it sure reminds me of a Robin Williams cocaine-fueled ad-lib session. I have zero evidence of this. It is only a feeling. iMDB.com says Downey Jr. admitted to using heroin during the making of this film. He was warned it could not continue by Director Jodie Foster[5].
This movie was a reunion for a lot of the actors. Anne Bancroft and Claire Danes play grandmother and granddaughter In How to Make an American Quilt (1995).
Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft were together in To Be or Not To Be (1983).
Steve Gutenberg and Austin Pendelton had worked together in Short Circuit (1986).
World-Famous Short Summary – A can’t choose your family
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[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113321/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_48
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1066169_home_for_the_holidays
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/03/movies/film-review-when-adults-go-home-to-mom-at-thanksgiving.html
[4] https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/home-for-the-holidays-1995
[5] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113321/trivia
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