Home for the Holidays (1995)

I can't believe the hate or just non-watching of this gem! From the great actors to the funniness, it should be on everyone's holiday watch list!

Home For Holidays is probably one of those movies that could be easily overlooked as just another holiday movie. This one is a gem. You can easily relate to it at various levels. be it the brother sister bond, be it a mom's anxiousness about the welfare of her children, the sibling rivalry, feeling left out, secrets, to feel lost even among family, to fail to read your kin although you've spent a lifetime with them. I personally do not quiet enjoy the family gatherings however as shown in the movie, once they are over there is a sense of warmth that sneaks in when you keep aside the negatives & realize, why we love the people that are present, what makes them the people that they are, and what is truly important in this life.We all grow older in life, so does your family. With time, people change, people in families change, what once bonded you may not now. The world sees you as an adult with children of your own, problems that are real, concerns that completely outside and removed from this group you have known since infancy. However, curiously, your family sees you as the kid who fought with your sister, and dated the class loser. And when you get together, you are faced with a 'not fitting anymore' crisis. My favorites are Robert Downey jr & Holly Hunter who play brother (Tommy) & sister (Claudia). Downey sizzles, entices and completely captures your attention.The movie opens with Claudia at the Museum, where she is informed that she is fired, after which, in a moment of spontaneity, she tries to make out with her boss. As she prepares to leave for a family get together at her parent's place, her teen daughter announces that she is going to make out with her boy friend. Claudia who is in a fragile mental state leaves a message at her brother Tommy's answering machine asking for emotional help. Tommy comes home for the holidays unexpectedly because he finds out his sister has just had a really bad day and dealing alone with the family would be unthinkable. He arrives in style with a male friend, Leo Fish, and proves to be excellent moral support for Hunter. Tommy ends up taking the inevitable flack for his being gay but lets things be and chooses to enjoy Claudia's company. He is also a catalyst, & helps ignite something between Leo & Claudia. There are many scenes where Hunter & Downey just speak with their eyes to each other. These are class & depict the deep bond they share as siblings. The movie has an open ending. This was the movie where Downey acknowledged the use of heroine while filming. What with the impeccable acting of his, you would not get a hint of this fact.

How many out there look forward to Thanksgiving? The turkey, the stuffing the time spent with family you haven't seen in months, if not longer? What if, when it finally arrives, you just wish it would end?Claudia Larson (played by Holly Hunter) is a former artist who now works as a restorer in a Chicago museum. She is summoned to her employer's office during work, but does not know why. Her boss, Peter Arnold (played by Austin Pendleton) informs her that, despite overwhelming enthusiasm for her profession, she is being fired. Claudia protests and mentions coworkers that she believes more worthy of termination, only to find out that, for budgetary reasons, those same coworkers will be fired also. For no apparent reason, she proceeds to kiss her now former boss which ends with her unceremoniously sneezing. He then says, "God I hate the holidays" and that is the last we see of him. With Thanksgiving approaching, Claudia is driven to the airport by her daughter Kitt (played by Claire Danes) and told that she intends to lose her virginity over the holiday, as she will be spending it with her long-time boyfriend and his family. After entering the airport, the hustle and bustle of the season causes her to lose her coat. She calls her brother, Tommy (played by Robert Downey Jr.) from the plane and, getting his answering machine, proceeds to dictate all of these recent developments to a cassette tape. When her plane lands, she is greeted by her parents Adele and Henry Larson. Adele (played by Anne Bancroft) is a housewife and, before actually speaking to her daughter she remarks on her looks. Henry (played by Charles Durning) is a retired airport worker who is called Tubby by his wife and who is simply happy to see his daughter. The drive home and the day before Thanksgiving are fairly uneventful. The occasion itself, anything but.This is a great movie. There is an obvious difference between "holiday movies" and movies that simply take place during the holidays. While A Christmas Story and the Home Alone series would be the former, Millions, another favorite of mine, and Home for the Holidays would be the latter. Members of the family just don't get along; the holiday itself is more nightmarish than heartwarming and, in spite of that, there is still a tearful goodbye as the family departs at the conclusion of the festivities. This is a movie you can, and should, watch year-round.

The editing focuses on the actors plying their crafts. The actors soar because the writing soars. Well, there may have been other factors contributing to Downey's soaring.And the film flies because the story has a fine, cantilevered arc.If you enjoy fine theater, you'll love this flick. It's interesting: Hollywood pushes a fairly constricted idea of film. I'm not saying Hollywood stinks; it's just important not to think that's all film can be. And "Home for the Holidays" is a fine way to take a break from Hollywood. Give yourself that break; you deserve it.I really don't want to say anything about content. There's so much to recommend the flick, starting with the perfect writing, that it feels like it could almost have any content and somehow be wonderful.