Home for the Holidays, a 1995 movie, Review

Monday, November 23, 2020

Home for the Holidays is a 1995 movie. I recently watched it on the indie channel because I have never seen it before. It is about a dysfunctional family uniting for the holidays. Each adult kid is crazy and jaded, as they drudgingly visit their old parents for Thanksgiving holiday. The elderly parents are played by Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft. Robert Downey Jr plays their gay son, who brings along a male friend, played by Dylan McDermott, who isn’t gay. Holly Hunter plays his older sister, divorced and trying to figure out her life in her middle age. Her eighteen-year-old daughter, played by Claire Danes, doesn’t come along on this family reunion because she has her own life. Cynthia Stevenson plays the anorexic daughter, who is married and has two kids. Her husband is played by Steve Guttenberg. Geraldine Chaplin plays the crazy aunt Gladys, living along with her bird fetish and colorful hats. 

At her home town, she (Holly Hunter character) runs into an old friend, played by Amy Yasbeck (she is the late John Ritter’s wife).

I thought the movie was interesting because it is realistic about family reunions during the holidays, where each family deals with an annoying crazy relative, and sometimes an old friend, and hidden truths about each one come out throughout the reunion.

My family reunions were similar, except it was on a bigger scale, involving many relatives getting together. So, mine was loud, crazy and really annoying. But this film was light and entertaining. Some scenes from this film were familiar from my past holiday reunions with family.

This movie was directed and produced by Jodie Foster, but the story was by Chris Radant and screenplay was by W.D. Richter.