I can’t believe I actually laughed…but I did.
This film is so stupid, yet I found myself giggling a couple times; maybe because my kids were laughing. The gags were predictable and stooge-ish. I would tell you to skip it altogether, but somehow I actually had a pretty fun time watching it with my kids.
The story is based on John Grisham’s book “Skipping Christmas”…but don’t let that fool you. Grisham’s book is creative and fun. This film is…well…not.
The story is about Luther (Allen) and Nora (Curtis) Krank the first year their college aged daughter goes away during the holidays. They decide to skip Christmas altogether and go on a cruise. Maybe that’s why Jamie Lee Curtis signed up for the role, she figured that she could somehow work a bathing suit scene into the film. (That woman manages to take off her shirt more than William Shatner in his
Star Trek years!)
Dan Aykroyd is mildly amusing as Vic Frohmeyer, the neighbor from Hell.
Overall, skipping the Kranks won’t hurtcha!
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Sure. It actually is PG, not PG-13--kind of rare these days. I watched it with my 8, 10, and 12 year old without cringing (for content anyway).
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth
Ministry, is the author of numerous books including the new
Should I Just Smash My Kid's Phone?, and youth ministry books like
Ministry By Teenagers,
Connect: Real Relationships in a
World of Isolation, and the award winning book
Do They Run When They See You Coming? Jonathan
speaks and trains at conferences, churches and events across North
America, all while providing free resources for youth workers and parents on his
websites,
TheSource4YM.com and
TheSource4Parents.com. You can follow Jonathan on
his blog, getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help.
Jonathan and his wife Lori, and their three teenagers Alec, Alyssa and Ashley live
in California.
