38 Fun Facts About Christmas with the Kranks

Christmas with the Kranks is based on a novel by which author?

John Grisham, author of The Firm, wrote the 2001 comic novel behind the film, a change of pace from the legal thrillers that made his name.

What is the title of the 2001 novel adapted as Christmas with the Kranks?

In Skipping Christmas, Luther's plan starts with arithmetic: $6,100 spent on the previous Christmas, with little to show for it.

Who directed the film?

Chris Columbus wrote the screenplay and, to Roth's surprise, told him he should direct it himself.

Who wrote the screenplay for Christmas with the Kranks?

Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone, wrote and produced the film but chose not to direct it himself.

Who plays Luther Krank in Christmas with the Kranks?

Tim Allen plays Luther, who has already had his pre-cruise tan when Blair's surprise call sends the Kranks into a mad dash to put Christmas back together.

Who plays Nora Krank in Christmas with the Kranks?

Jamie Lee Curtis plays Nora, who after all the chaos ends the film suggesting they try the no-Christmas plan again next year.

In Christmas with the Kranks, who plays Vic Frohmeyer, the self-appointed boss of the street?

Dan Aykroyd plays Vic, who organises the street's campaign to force the Kranks to decorate, starting with a delegation to berate them.

Where is the Kranks' daughter Blair heading when the film opens?

The Peace Corps in Peru: Blair leaves for a year of service, and the empty nest propels her father's plan for the holidays.

Which group's Christmas tree sale does Luther Krank turn down?

Boy Scouts: after snubbing their tree, Luther can buy only a small, dried-up one when Christmas Eve comes.

Who sponsors the decorating contest that the Kranks' street has won so often?

The local newspaper sponsors it, and the same paper later runs a front-page story on the Kranks' dark, undecorated house, photo and all.

What is the name of the Kranks' road?

Hemlock Street was built from scratch as an outdoor set, five complete homes and eleven facades long, rather than filmed on a real street.

Which decoration do the neighbourhood children demand the Kranks put up?

A Frosty the Snowman: when the Kranks leave theirs in the basement, pickets gather outside chanting 'Free Frosty!'

How does Luther get rid of the carolers singing outside his house?

He turns his lawn into ice, driving off the carolers, and Nora warns him that someone could have broken a leg or a neck.

From which airport does Blair call to say she is coming home?

Miami: Blair is bringing home her new fiancé, who has never celebrated Christmas in America, and she expects the full Krank tradition.

What is the name of Blair Krank's fiancé, whom she brings home for Christmas?

Enrique Decardenal is played by Rene Lavan; he ends up thanking the neighbours for the warm welcome.

What does a panicked Nora tell Blair about the Kranks' usual party?

It's still on: Blair and her fiancé land that night, leaving the Kranks mere hours to produce a tree, food and a party.

Whose indoor tree does Luther try to borrow?

Wes Trogdon's tree: Trogdon is away for the week, so neighbours who see Luther hauling it across the street assume he is stealing it.

What is the only food Nora manages to bring home for the party?

Smoked trout: Nora nearly gets hit by a truck chasing a runaway can of hickory honey ham, and the ham never makes it home.

What happens when Luther Krank tries to put up his rooftop display?

Man and decoration both fall off, and once the gathered neighbours learn why Luther is decorating, they rally to help.

What does Luther Krank finally do with his cruise tickets?

Gives them to Walt and Bev Scheel. After learning Bev's cancer has returned, Luther hands the neighbors his cruise tickets so the couple can take the trip together.

Who plays the Kranks' grouchy neighbour Walt Scheel?

M. Emmet Walsh plays Walt Scheel, who, like Vic Frohmeyer, voices the neighbourhood's loudest objections to the Kranks' plan.

Who plays Spike Frohmeyer, Vic's son?

Erik Per Sullivan plays Spike, who gets Luther out of trouble by producing a neighbour's house key when the tree 'theft' is reported.

Austin Pendleton plays Marty, an umbrella salesman who is secretly whom?

Santa Claus: credited as 'Umbrella Santa', Marty turns up at the Kranks' party, where nobody can say who he is, yet everybody knows him.

Which Desperate Housewives star plays Nora's friend Merry?

Felicity Huffman plays Merry, one of Nora's friends, who can't see why the Kranks won't just throw their usual party anyway.

Who plays the priest, Father Zabriskie?

Tom Poston plays Father Zabriskie; in 2001 he married Suzanne Pleshette, Bob Newhart's TV wife, whom he had first dated back in 1959.

Where was the neighbourhood set for Christmas with the Kranks built?

A Boeing factory car park in Downey: that plant had built spacecraft for the Apollo moon missions, and the site is now a shopping centre.

Which cosmetic treatment does Luther Krank try before the cruise?

Botox: the injection leaves Luther's face frozen stiff, a look he insists is only temporary.

Which E Street Band member was music supervisor for Christmas with the Kranks?

Steven Van Zandt had quit the E Street Band in 1984 to lead his own band, yet was a member again by the time he worked on this film.

When does the Kranks' cruise set sail?

Christmas Day: the Kranks are a day from sailing when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to say she is coming home after all.

Christmas with the Kranks opened in U.S. cinemas on the eve of which holiday?

Thanksgiving, fittingly, since the story itself runs from the Sunday after Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.

Which two films beat the Kranks on its opening weekend?

National Treasure and The Incredibles. On Thanksgiving weekend 2004 the Kranks opened third with about $21.6 million, behind National Treasure's second weekend and The Incredibles' fourth.

What does Nora Krank insist the family still gives money to, even with Christmas called off?

The church and Children's Hospital: Nora makes the donation her one condition, and Luther reluctantly agrees to match last year's gift.

In the novel behind Christmas with the Kranks, what is the name of the Kranks' cruise ship?

Island Princess: the film swaps in a ship called The Jubilee, which Luther boasts is the most luxurious in its fleet.

Who brings Blair Krank and her fiancé home from the airport?

A police escort, even though Luther had refused to buy the police calendar that year.

Which two production companies made Christmas with the Kranks, a Columbia Pictures release?

Revolution Studios and 1492 Pictures made it, and the suburban neighbourhood set built for it was left standing afterwards for other productions to use.

In the novel, which forgotten item sends a Krank back into the packed grocery store?

White chocolate: Luther's rainy dash into the crowded store leaves him soaked and still without it, so Nora has to go in for it herself.

Rotten Tomatoes' consensus says Christmas with the Kranks is as fresh as last year's what?

Fruit cake: critics panned the film, yet worldwide it grossed more than it cost to make.

Which film critic called Christmas with the Kranks 'a holiday movie of stunning awfulness'?

Roger Ebert gave it one star out of four, arguing that the neighbours' success in forcing the Kranks to conform was nothing to celebrate.