Home for the Holidays (1995)

63% of critics liked it
(46 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(11,769 ratings)

It's been said that while most people love their families, they don't always like them very much, and that emotional dividing line is the heart of this comedy directed by Jodie Foster. Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) usually approaches family reunions with a certain trepidation, but as she prepares to… More It's been said that while most people love their families, they don't always like them very much, and that emotional dividing line is the heart of this comedy directed by Jodie Foster. Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) usually approaches family reunions with a certain trepidation, but as she prepares to fly from her home in Chicago to her parent's place in Baltimore for Thanksgiving, she is more apprehensive than usual. Claudia has just lost her job, she's not feeling at all well, and her teenage daughter, Kitt (Claire Danes), who is staying behind, informs Claudia on the way to the airport that she plans to use the weekend to lose her virginity with her boyfriend. The family festivities are already under way when Claudia arrives at the home of her mother, Adele (Anne Bancroft), and father, Henry (Charles Durning). Claudia's brother, Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.), whose homosexuality is tolerated without being discussed on a practical basis, has brought along his new friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott). Tommy doesn't get along well with his fussbudget sister, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson), who wears her self-sacrifice like a badge of honor, and he simply hates her husband, Walter (Steve Guttenberg), who has often been the target of Tommy's barbed sense of humor. While the siblings and in-laws struggle to remain civil, their quite eccentric aunt Gladys (Geraldine Chaplin) arrives; she insists on discussing her digestive problems, and after a few drinks, she confesses her long-ago lust for Henry. Home for the Holidays was Jodie Foster's second film as a director, and the first in which she didn't also star. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Jodie Foster
Genres: Drama, Kids & Family, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 3, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Nov 9, 2004
Studio: Passport

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
Foster's second directorial effort is a vividly drawn if too episodic portrait of an eccentric family, well acted by the entire cast, especially Holly Hunter and Robery Downey Jr.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Spirited but uneven.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Neither caustic nor sentimental, it's a film that maybe half the people on Earth have at one time considered writing.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Foster keeps the party hopping, although more dark humor would have helped before she winds it down with sentiment and bromides.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Foster and Richter, of course, want to do more than make audiences laugh; they want us to be touched by their characters' humanity and take an interest in a budding romance, but that rarely is the case.
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
With her keen actor's instincts, Foster piles on plenty for her terrific cast to chew on and for us to savor.
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Funny, adult look at a dysfunctional holiday.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Jodie Foster has directed a poisoned paean to the great American tradition of torturous family gatherings.
, Film4
This has its fair share of laugh out loud moments and a good deal of heart.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Has a spirit and an ostensible shapelessness that are pure Cassavetes, enveloping a script that only seems to reach for the precise calculations of 1930s screwball comedy.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
A wonderful, big-hearted, messy Thanksgiving story.
, Time Out
A modest film (in every sense) which pushes the gags too hard.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
As director, Jodi Foster is good with her well chosen cast
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Equal parts weirdly off-putting and humorously endearing. (Strange, I know.)
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
Lame attempt at trying to make you feel good.
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com
WASP dysfunction done up right
Blake Davis, KFOR Channel 4 News
Jodie Foster follows up her directing debut with this underrated, intelligent comedy.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
It doesn't all work, but it's entertaining.
Jim Shelby, Palo Alto Weekly
I found myself shaking my head in embarrassed, smiling recognition.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
There are hundreds of films that have covered the same territory with better results.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jennifer X

All I can say is, I hope The Beaver is better than this mess.
Conner R

A really good holiday movie. It's not corny or childish, actually I was really surprised at how good it was. Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. were both great and the story was well executed and really funny.
A.D. V

Quirky, cute and humorous movie about a seriously disfunctional family. Hunter is in top form here.
Keysha H

Although this movie is all about a nutty family..it is one of my favorite holiday films. Robert Downy Jr. is awesome and messed up...just like the people you love in your own life.
Leigh R

Holly is great in this film.
Laura C

This film is a perfect mix of comedy and drama, it draws you in with its sarcastic humor and keeps you hooked with its poignancy. If you like indies with a meandering storylines, then you'll love it. The acting holds together what might have been overlong scenes.
Jared H

Sadly forgotten and vastly underrated. It's a real charmer, it's smart, and has some really hilarious parts. One of my family's favorite movies, and one that we quote almost on a daily basis. No other movie goes better with a Thanksgiving family gathering than this one!
Erin C

This was pretty funny. I loved RDJ and Hunter's relationship, and I'm not typically a fan of her. Cute movie overall.
Sunil J

Mediocre holiday fare with family disfunction.
Jessica v

While the premise is a little much at first, give it time and this'll steal your heart. The bittersweetness of remembering the bliss that was, the deep hurt of unspoken resentment, the guilt of lost chances... it's all here. The pacing isn't very good, but the… More
While the premise is a little much at first, give it time and this'll steal your heart. The bittersweetness of remembering the bliss that was, the deep hurt of unspoken resentment, the guilt of lost chances... it's all here. The pacing isn't very good, but the natural, organic script really works to counteract that. Plust the cast is FAB. Only McDermott comes across a little flat, but that's built into his character a bit. The brother-sister scenes between Hunter and Downey Jr are positively precious, although it was hard for me to overlook how gaunt he seemed... Personal mistakes aside, he steals every scene. The ending is a bit baffling but fairly satisfying in the end. A great Thanksgiving flick - check it out!
Leo L

A favorite.