Home for the Holidays (1995 film)

Last updated

Home for the Holidays
Home for the Holidays film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jodie Foster
Screenplay by W. D. Richter
Story byChris Radant
Based onHome for the Holidays
by Chris Radant
Produced byJodie Foster
Peggy Rajski
Starring
Cinematography Lajos Koltai
Edited by Lynzee Klingman
Music by Mark Isham
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures (North America)
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (International)
Release date
  • November 3, 1995 (1995-11-03)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [1]
Box office$22.1 million [1]

Home for the Holidays is a 1995 American family comedy drama film directed by Jodie Foster and produced by Peggy Rajski and Foster. The screenplay was written by W. D. Richter, based on a short story by Chris Radant. The film's score was composed by Mark Isham. The film follows Claudia Larson, who after losing her job, kissing her ex-boss, and finding out that her daughter has plans of her own for the holidays, departs Chicago to spend her Thanksgiving with her dysfunctional family.

Contents

The film features an ensemble cast, including Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Geraldine Chaplin, Steve Guttenberg, Cynthia Stevenson, Claire Danes, Austin Pendleton, and David Strathairn.

Home for the Holidays was released theatrically on November 3, 1995, by Paramount Pictures in North America and by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment worldwide. The film received mixed reviews from critics who appreciated Foster's direction, and Hunter's and Downey's performances but criticised the screenplay. The film grossed $22.1 million against a budget of $20 million.

Plot

Claudia Larson is a single mother who has just been fired from her job. She flies from Chicago to spend Thanksgiving at the Baltimore home of her parents, Adele and Henry, while her only child decides to stay home and spend the holiday with her boyfriend. While on the plane, Claudia makes a phone call to Tommy, her younger brother and confidant, whom she believes won't be attending the Thanksgiving dinner, and unloads her problems on his answering machine.

Claudia arrives in Baltimore at her parents' home. That night, Tommy arrives with his business partner Leo Fish, whom Claudia believes to be his new boyfriend. Claudia is glad to see her brother but fears that he and Jack, his longtime boyfriend, have broken up. The next day while in town, Claudia runs into a girl she used to go to school with and feels diminished by talk of her divorce. Leo comes to her aid.

On Thanksgiving Day, eccentric Aunt Gladys (Adele's sister), who is showing signs of dementia, professes her love for Henry. Shortly after, Tommy accidentally drops the turkey all over his and Claudia’s conservative sister Joanne resulting in an argument in which she reveals to everyone that Tommy had married Jack in a beach wedding several months ago. To get away from the chaos, Tommy and Claudia eat their dinner in the kitchen.

After the meal, Tommy, Leo, Joanne’s husband Walter and son Walter Jr. play football and, frustrated by the game, the brothers-in-law begin to fight. Walter wrestles Tommy onto the ground, and Tommy accidentally punches Leo who's trying to break them up. Henry sprays them with the hose, and Walter leaves with his wife and children.

The family returns inside, where Henry answers the ringing phone; it turns out to be Jack calling. Before handing the phone over to Tommy, Henry says that he's happy for both of them. Their conversation reveals they are still happily together. Claudia and Leo drive Aunt Gladys home, then deliver leftovers to Joanne's family. Claudia and Joanne get into a heated argument, until Joanne demands that Claudia leave her alone. In the car, Leo tells Claudia that Tommy showed him a picture of her, and he came to Thanksgiving to meet her. They kiss.

Arriving back at Claudia’s parents’ home, Leo and Claudia begin to make out in the living room, but Tommy reminds Leo that they have to get an early start in the morning. The next day, Claudia wakes up and sees Tommy and Leo driving away and heads to the airport herself shortly after. Before the plane takes off, Leo gets into the seat next to her, and they fly back to Chicago together.

Cast

Production

Foster during the filming Jodie Foster 1995.jpg
Foster during the filming

Screenwriter W. D. Richter adapted a short story by Chris Radant that appeared in the Boston Phoenix . [2] Executive producer Stuart Kleinman sent Jodie Foster the screenplay with a note that said, "It's a complete mess and I love it." [2] Foster agreed and decided that it would be her second directorial effort (the first was Little Man Tate ). Castle Rock Entertainment was originally going to finance the film but canceled. Foster's own production company, Egg Pictures, acquired Richter's screenplay. [3] She struck a deal with Paramount Pictures to distribute the film theatrically and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment to handle the international rights and domestic video and pay television. [4] These rights now belong to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) through their acquisition of PolyGram's pre-1996 library.

Foster said, "The great challenge was to find a beautiful idea to pull through it, a narrative line that would make the story work." [2] Foster met with Richter and together they brainstormed and "had great fun thinking up new details and lives and clearing up the relationships," Foster remembers. [2] They worked on the script so that the film reflected Foster's point of view and her own life experiences. [3] She showed the first draft to Holly Hunter who agreed to star after reading it. [5] Working with a $20 million budget, [6] Foster spent ten weeks filming in Baltimore with a two-week rehearsal period. She used this time to get input from the actors about dialogue. If a scene of speech did not ring true, she wanted to know. [3] She picked the city because it was the "prototype of the American city. It's dangerous, east coasty, urban. Yet it still has a hopeful quality to it." [2] Principal photography began in February 1995. [4] [7] Filming of the Thanksgiving dinner took more than ten days, using 64 turkeys, 20 pounds of mashed potatoes, 35 pounds of stuffing, 44 pies, 30 pounds of sweet potatoes, 18 bags of mini-marshmallows and 50 gallons of juice that stood in for wine. Foster allowed Robert Downey Jr. to improvise, which got him excited about making films again after a period of time when he became disillusioned with acting.

Soundtrack

Home for the Holidays (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released1995
Genre Soundtrack
Length47:14
Label Mercury Records
Producer Mark Isham
Soundtrack
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
  1. Rusted Root – "Evil Ways" 4:03
  2. Mark Isham – "Holiday Blues" 4:46
  3. Nat King Cole – "Candy" 3:51
  4. Tom Jones – "It's Not Unusual" 2:01
  5. Mark Isham – "Blue Nights" 9:25
  6. Mark Isham – "Birth of the Cool Whip" 2:53
  7. Dinah Washington – "Trouble in Mind" 2:50
  8. Mark Isham – "Late Night Blues" 4:59
  9. Mark Isham – "Medley of the Very Thought of You/With Us Alone" 2:42
  10. Ray Noble – "The Very Thought of You" 4:25
  11. Nat King Cole – "The Very Thought of You" 3:47
  12. Janis Joplin – "Piece of My Heart" 4:14

Reception

Box office

Home for the Holidays was released on November 3, 1995 in 1,000 theaters and grossed US$4 million in its opening weekend. It went on to make $17.5 million in North America. [8] The film earned a further $4.7 million internationally for a worldwide total of $22.1 million. [1]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes Home for the Holidays has an approval rating of 64% based on reviews from 50 critics. The site's consensus states: "Much like a real-life visit Home for the Holidays, this Thanksgiving-set dramedy can get a little bumpy – but it also has its share of fondly memorable moments." [9] On Metacritic the film has a score of 56 out of 100 based on reviews from 15 critics. [10] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade C+ on scale of A to F. [11]

In his three and half star review, Roger Ebert praised Foster's ability to direct "the film with a sure eye for the revealing little natural moment," and Downey's performance that "brings out all the complexities of a character who has used a quick wit to keep the world's hurts at arm's length." [12] Janet Maslin, in her review for The New York Times , praised Holly Hunter's performance: "Displaying a dizziness more mannered than the cool, crisp intelligence she shows in Copycat , Ms. Hunter still holds together Home for the Holidays with a sympathetic performance." [13] In his review for the Boston Globe , Jay Carr praised the film for being "filled with juicy performances that expand resourcefully beyond what we think are going to be their boundaries, the film carries us beyond our expectations. That's what makes it so pleasurable." [14]

USA Today gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Home has the usual hellish ritual. They come, they eat, they argue, they leave. It's the stuffing in-between that makes it special." [15] However, in her review for The Washington Post , Rita Kempley criticized some of the performances: "Downey brings a lot of energy to the role, but his antics can be both tedious and distracting. Hunter has a lovely scene with her disgruntled sister, but there's no time for that relationship to develop, what with a romantic interest yet to explore." [16] In his review for Rolling Stone magazine, Peter Travers had problems with the screenplay: "It's a shame that W.D. Richter's un-Disney-ish script often slides into shrill stereotypes and sitcom silliness." [17]

The film has become somewhat of a cult classic in recent years, [18] with critic Emily St. James describing it as "a warm, messy comedy about how warm and messy family can be. It doesn’t really tell a story so much as chronicle a sequence of events, but it captures something ineffable about how going back home to squabble with relatives and eat lots of food can add a nostalgic glow to the chill of late November." [19]

Notes

  1. Credited as James Lecesne

Related Research Articles

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (film)

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris's 1988 novel of the same name. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, and Kasi Lemmons.

<i>Nell</i> (film) 1994 American film

Nell is a 1994 American drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay written by William Nicholson. The film stars Jodie Foster as Nell Kellty, a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, and Nick Searcy are featured in supporting roles. Based on Mark Handley's play Idioglossia, the script for Nell was developed by co-producer Renée Missel and was inspired by Handley's time living in the Cascade Mountains in the 1970s, and the story of Poto and Cabengo, twins who created their own language.

<i>Panic Room</i> 2002 American film by David Fincher

Panic Room is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakam. The script was written by David Koepp, whose screenplay was inspired by news coverage in 2000 about panic rooms.

<i>Christmas with the Kranks</i> 2004 film by Joe Roth

Christmas with the Kranks is a 2004 American Christmas comedy film directed by Joe Roth from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on the 2001 novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. It stars Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis in the leading roles. The film also stars Dan Aykroyd, Erik Per Sullivan, Cheech Marin, Jake Busey, and M. Emmet Walsh.

Lucy Lewis, née Jefferson was a younger sister of United States President Thomas Jefferson and the wife of Charles Lilburn Lewis.

<i>Flightplan</i> 2005 film by Robert Schwentke

Flightplan is a 2005 mystery psychological thriller film directed by Robert Schwentke from a screenplay written by Peter A. Dowling and Billy Ray. It stars Jodie Foster as Kyle Pratt, a recently widowed American aircraft engineer living in Berlin, who flies back to the U.S. with her daughter and her husband's body. She loses her daughter during the flight and must struggle to find her while proving her sanity at the same time. It also features Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen, Kate Beahan, Greta Scacchi, Sean Bean, and Matt Bomer in his film debut.

<i>Candleshoe</i> 1977 live action family film directed by Norman Tokar

Candleshoe is a 1977 American children's adventure comedy film, directed by Norman Tokar in a screenplay by David Swift and Rosemary Anne Sisson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by Buena Vista. Based on the Michael Innes novel Christmas at Candleshoe (1953), the film stars Jodie Foster, David Niven, Helen Hayes, and Leo McKern.

"Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral" is an episode from the dramedy (drama-comedy) series Ugly Betty, which aired on November 16, 2006. In the United States, Canada and Australia, it is the eighth episode but it's the ninth overall and was written by Marco Pennette and directed by Sarah Pia Anderson. This episode's title is a pun of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.

<i>Freaky Friday</i> (1976 film) 1976 film by Gary Nelson

Freaky Friday is a 1976 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Gary Nelson, with the screenplay written by Mary Rodgers based on her 1972 novel of the same name. The film stars Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster in the lead roles. John Astin, Patsy Kelly and Dick Van Patten are featured in supporting roles. In the film, a mother and her daughter switch their bodies, and they get a taste of each other's lives. The cause of the switch is left unexplained in this film, but occurs on Friday the 13th, when Ellen and Annabel, in different places, say about each other at the same time, "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day." Rodgers added a water skiing subplot to her screenplay.

<i>The Go-Between</i> (1971 film) 1971 British film directed by Joseph Losey

The Go-Between is a 1971 British historical drama film directed by Joseph Losey. Its screenplay by Harold Pinter is an adaptation of the 1953 novel The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley. The film stars Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave and Dominic Guard. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodie Foster</span> American actress (born 1962)

Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress and filmmaker. She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. She was also honored with the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013 and the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Downey</span> American film producer (born 1973)

Susan Nicole Downey is an American film producer. Until February 2009, she was co-president of Dark Castle Entertainment and executive vice president of production at Silver Pictures, Joel Silver's production company. Susan is married to Robert Downey Jr. The couple has formed their own production house named Team Downey.

<i>The Beaver</i> (film) 2011 film

The Beaver is a 2011 psychological drama film directed by Jodie Foster and written by Kyle Killen. It stars Mel Gibson, Foster, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence. Marking Gibson's and Foster's second collaboration since 1994's Maverick, it follows Walter Black, a depressed executive, who hits rock-bottom when his wife kicks him out of the house. At his lowest point, he begins to use a beaver hand puppet to communicate with people and overcome his issues.

<i>Carnage</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Roman Polanski

Carnage is a 2011 black comedy film directed by Roman Polanski, based on the Tony Award-winning 2006 play Le Dieu du carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza. The screenplay is by Reza and Polanski. The film is an international co-production of France, Germany, Poland, and Spain. It stars Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly. In this comedy of errors, two sets of parents try to resolve a situation in a civilised manner as their idiosyncrasies rise to the surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodie Foster filmography</span> Actress filmography

Jodie Foster is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster began her professional career as a child model at age three appearing in a Coppertone commercial. Following appearances in numerous advertisements, she made her acting debut at age five, in a 1968 episode of the television sitcom Mayberry R.F.D., following which she guest-starred in numerous television shows including Gunsmoke, The Doris Day Show, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons, Bonanza, and Kung Fu. Foster made her feature film debut with Disney's adventure film Napoleon and Samantha (1972). Following notable appearances as Becky Thatcher in the musical film Tom Sawyer (1973), and in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Foster rose to international prominence in 1976 at age 13 with four prominent releases: Taxi Driver, Bugsy Malone, Freaky Friday, and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, with the first of these earning Foster her first nomination for an Academy Award. She continued to garner praise and became a teen idol with starring roles in a array of films, including Candleshoe (1977), and Foxes (1980).

<i>Room</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Lenny Abrahamson

Room is a 2015 internationally co-produced survival psychological drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel. It stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for seven years and whose five-year-old son was born in captivity. Their escape allows the boy to experience the outside world for the first time. The film also stars Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus and William H. Macy.

<i>The Glass Castle</i> (2017 film) 2017 American drama film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

The Glass Castle is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Cretton, Andrew Lanham, and Marti Noxon. It is based on Jeannette Walls' 2005 best-selling memoir of the same name. Depicting Walls' childhood, where her family lived in poverty and sometimes as squatters, the film stars Brie Larson as Walls, with Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, Max Greenfield, and Sarah Snook in supporting roles.

<i>Dolittle</i> (film) 2020 film by Stephen Gaghan

Dolittle is a 2020 American fantasy adventure film directed by Stephen Gaghan from a screenplay by Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, based on a story by Thomas Shepherd. Dolittle is based on the title character created by Hugh Lofting and is primarily inspired by the author's second Doctor Dolittle book, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922). Robert Downey Jr. stars as the title character, alongside Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Harry Collett, and Kasia Smutniak in live-action roles, with Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, and Marion Cotillard voicing an array of creatures.

<i>Hotel Artemis</i> 2018 film by Drew Pearce

Hotel Artemis is a 2018 dystopian action crime thriller film written and directed by Drew Pearce, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Charlie Day, Brian Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Dave Bautista, and Zachary Quinto. The plot follows Jean Thomas, a nurse who runs a secret hospital for criminals in futuristic Los Angeles. It was released in the United States on June 8, 2018. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its visual style, intriguing screenplay and acting but found the execution poor. It was a box office bomb, only grossing $13 million against a budget of $15 million.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Home for the Holidays (1995) – Financial Information". The Numbers .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hunter, Stephen (November 19, 1995). "Foster Feels at Home Adding Fun, Meaning to Holidays Clan". Baltimore Sun .
  3. 1 2 3 Portman, Jamie (October 31, 1995). "Home for the Holidays No Ordinary Family Film". Montreal Gazette .
  4. 1 2 Young, Paul F. (November 19, 1995). "Foster Moves Home to Par". Variety .
  5. Allen, Tom (December 2, 1995). "Becoming Jodie Foster". Moviemaker. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  6. Bibby, Patricia (November 12, 1995). "Jodie Foster Looks Home to Heal". Associated Press.
  7. Kaltenbach, Chris (May 7, 1995). "Neighborhood gets casting call for Jodie Foster's latest film". The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  8. "Home for the Holidays". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  9. "Home for the Holidays (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  10. "Home for the Holidays". Metacritic . Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  11. "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  12. Ebert, Roger (November 3, 1995). "Home for the Holidays". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  13. Maslin, Janet (November 3, 1995). "When Adults Go Home To Mom at Thanksgiving". New York Times . Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  14. Carr, Jay (November 3, 1995). "Foster Homes In, Enjoyably, On Families". Boston Globe .
  15. Wloszczyna, Susan (November 3, 1995). "Holidays Dishes Out Hearty Fare". USA Today .
  16. Kempley, Rita (November 3, 1995). "Home for the Holidays". Washington Post . Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  17. Travers, Peter (December 18, 2000). "Home for the Holidays". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  18. Jacobs, Matthew (November 3, 2020). "Jodie Foster On The Joys Of 'Home For The Holidays' 25 Years Later". HuffPost . Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  19. St. James, Emily (November 18, 2017). "1995's star-studded Home for the Holidays is the big family movie Thanksgiving deserves". Vox . Retrieved May 22, 2023.