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Home for the Holidays

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Home for the Holidays

PG-13

1995

1h 43m

Holiday

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When her teenage daughter opts out of Thanksgiving, single mother Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) travels alone to her childhood home for an explosive holiday dinner with her dysfunctional family. Claudia quickly tires of her parents, her long-suffering sister (Cynthia Stevenson), her snobby brother-in-law (Steve Guttenberg) and her nutty aunt (Geraldine Chaplin). But the evening gets interesting when sparks fly between Claudia and her brother's handsome friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott).

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Anne Billson

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Single mom Holly Hunter is fired from her job at a Chicago museum on the very day she is due to fly back to Baltimore to cope with nutty parents, loony aunt, wacky gay brother and boring sister. That's it -- that's the plot. Read it and weep.

Nov 27, 2017

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2011

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

Foster's second directorial effort is a vividly drawn if too episodic portrait of an eccentric family, well acted by the entire cast, especially Holly Hunter and Robery Downey Jr.

Rated: B

Oct 18, 2008

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Celebrates the family unit without ever getting sanctimonious about its merits.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 22, 2021

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Austin Trunick

Under the Radar

The Larsons aren't [a] fake sort of sitcom-y zany ... They're the mix of pent-up emotions, unspoken admiration, lifelong grudges, and unconditional love that's reflected in the grand majority of real, American families.

Oct 18, 2017

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Emily Sears

Birth.Movies.Death.

Home for the Holidays is a perfect representation of why they say you can't go home again.

Sep 26, 2017

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Alexander B

This film felt like a letdown, sadly. It had a great cast and some great acting. Some of the jokes were good but most feel outdated. The love story was terrible and it feels like it was shoehorned in by the studio because it didn't go with the rest of the story and it comes out of nowhere. I feel like it would have been much better if it focused on these family.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

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Hans D

Easily one of the most boring Holiday movies to come out of Hollywood in the past 70 years or so. That's unfortunate with fine talents like Holly Hunter, Ann Bancroft, Charles Durning, and Jodie Foster involved in the project. The writing is below subpar, if not downright deplorable. The stars involved deserve much better than this dreck. On the positive side, it's sure to cure your insomnia.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

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Julian S

Backed by a standout ensemble, Foster delivers an unfiltered take on the holiday chaos we dread yet secretly relate to—and somehow, there’s a warmth in that mess.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/11/24

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Alec B

In its best scenes, the movie demands that at certain point we have to accept our families as they are (even if we still need to walk away). So its just too bad that the bulk of the second half is focused on getting Holly Hunter a man rather than diving deeper into it's messy characters.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/03/24

Full Review

David F

This film about a sprawling family who are home for the holidays when a bunch of repressed stuff comes bubbling up to the surface has a ton of ambition, a great director and great actors, and swings for the fence. But I don't think it's quite a home run. It can be funny and touching at times, but there's just too much unresolved and un-integrated stuff going on.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/26/23

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Darrin B

I watch this film every year around thanksgiving. It is great for countering the sickly sweet hallmarkesque drivel.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/19/23

Full Review

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Jodie Foster

Director

Holly Hunter

Claudia Larson

Robert Downey Jr.

Tommy Larson

Anne Bancroft

Adele Larson

Charles Durning

Henry Larson

Dylan McDermott

Leo Fish

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Home for the Holidays: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When her teenage daughter opts out of Thanksgiving, single mother Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) travels alone to her childhood home for an explosive holiday dinner with her dysfunctional family. Claudia quickly tires of her parents, her long-suffering sister (Cynthia Stevenson), her snobby brother-in-law (Steve Guttenberg) and her nutty aunt (Geraldine Chaplin). But the evening gets interesting when sparks fly between Claudia and her brother's handsome friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott).

Director: Jodie Foster
Producer: Jodie Foster, Peggy Rajski
Screenwriter: Chris Radant, W.D. Richter
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Egg Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.0M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Surround

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