A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Home for the Holidays (1995) *** (out of 4)Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) is having a string of bad luck starting with her losing her job. Over the Thanksgiving holiday she agrees to go home but it doesn't take long for her annoying family to start eating at her.Jodie Foster's HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS takes a rather formula plot and manages to make it something quite memorable thanks in large part to her direction as well as some really great performances. We've seen these type of family-get-together-at-the-holidays movies throughout history yet Foster manages to make this film feel quite original and real.I think what I enjoyed most about this film is the fact that you feel as if you're watching a real family react to one another. So often characters are just thrown into movies for drama or laughs but the characters in HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS feel real and this helps the laughs and the drama. You just really do feel as if you've dropped in on these characters, their problems and you pretty much just go along for the laughs and the drama.The performances are certainly a major factor with Hunter once again delivering some great work. Most people remember here as a dramatic actress but I thought her comic timing here was flawless and especially her chemistry with Robert Downey, Jr. Both of them are excellent in the film and even better together. You've got vets like Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning doing great work and also a strong supporting cast with the likes of Dylan McDermott, Steve Guttenberg and Geraldine Chaplin.

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.

I was drawn by the impressive array of actors that was brought together. It sounded like it couldn't miss, and a comedy of a family struggling through a hectic Thanksgiving is usually an tried and true formula. So how did the talent here manage to botch the job? I think the main culprit is the script. The people who populate this film are not believable people, but cut-out stereotypes from a sitcom writer in a hurry to get an easy paycheck. In addition, all of the characters are so exasperating, I found myself hoping that a meteor would land on the dining room. The humor is so abrasive and the slapstick is so noisy, I couldn't laugh if I wanted to. A lot of the humor is derisive and mean-spirited, like a WASP version of an Andrew Dice Clay Thanksgiving. Then the film tries to cover it up by going all lovey-dovey during the final reels and risked the health of viewers with bad teeth. I will say this much in the film's favor- the actors do the best they can with the material it's given. There are some quiet scenes that work well and I wish there had been more of them. The film is bad, but it could have been even worse. I would rate it barely tolerable.

Holly Hunter stars as a woman who finds out she's not quite making it just before she heads home to Baltimore for Thanksgiving, where an overbearing mother, slightly whacked-out father are waiting for their children to return home to the nest, including her homosexual brother who's very well known for his antics and escapades.I'm not sure where to begin, except that the genres for this film are seriously backwards. Don't get me wrong...I like the movie, but I found more drama than comedy in it. And there's that old saying about, "Look in the dictionary under (insert word here) and you'll find my family picture as the illustration," and dysfunctional is DEFINITELY Hunter's family in this case.It's not stupid comedy, and it's not a stupid movie, but it's not really that funny, either.3 out of 10 stars.