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I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Comedy · Family · 1998

Estranged from his father, college student Jake is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie, does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie.

Movie details

I'll Be Home for Christmas

“Somewhere between L.A. and N.Y. Jake found the meaning of Christmas.”

1998 Comedy · Family 1h 26m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

Estranged from his father, college student Jake is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie, does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over I'll Be Home for Christmas?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Santa Clause 2

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Elf

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Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

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Comedy · 1992

Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.

Dashing Through the Snow

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Eddie Garrick is a good-hearted man who has lost his belief in the wonder of Christmas. While spending time with his nine-year-old daughter Charlotte on Christmas Eve, he befriends a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick.

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Daddy's Home 2

Daddy's Home 2

Comedy · 2017

Father and stepfather Dusty and Brad join forces to make Christmastime perfect for the children. Their newfound partnership soon gets put to the test when Dusty's old-school, macho dad and Brad's gentle father arrive to turn the holiday upside down. After a sudden change in plans, the four men decide to take the kids to a luxury resort for a fun-filled getaway that turns into a hilarious and chaotic adventure.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Arlene Sanford

Written by

Tom Nursall · Michael Allin · Harris Goldberg

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Jake

Jessica Biel

Jessica Biel

Allie

Adam LaVorgna

Adam LaVorgna

Eddie

Gary Cole

Gary Cole

Jake's Dad

Eve Gordon

Eve Gordon

Carolyn

Lauren Maltby

Lauren Maltby

Tracey

Andrew Lauer

Andrew Lauer

Nolan

Court is in session

Put I'll Be Home for Christmas on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Big-Idea Head

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.