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Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1995

After losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be former boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces spending the holiday with her unhinged family.

Movie details

Home for the Holidays

“On the fourth Thursday in November, 84 million American families will gather together... And wonder why.”

1995 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 43m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

After losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be former boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces spending the holiday with her unhinged family.

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 Home for the Holidays?

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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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jodie Foster

Written by

Chris Radant · W.D. Richter

Holly Hunter

Holly Hunter

Claudia Larson

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.

Tommy Larson

Anne Bancroft

Anne Bancroft

Adele Larson

Charles Durning

Charles Durning

Henry Larson

Dylan McDermott

Dylan McDermott

Leo Fish

Geraldine Chaplin

Geraldine Chaplin

Aunt Glady

Steve Guttenberg

Steve Guttenberg

Walter Wedman

Court is in session

Put Home for the Holidays on trial.

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

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.