47 Fun Facts About Christmas with the Kranks

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

John Grisham. The author of The Firm and A Time to Kill wrote the 2001 comic novel behind the film, a rare break from his legal thrillers.

What is the title of the novel the film adapts?

Doubleday published it on November 6, 2001; Dennis Boutsikaris later narrated the audiobook.

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?

Columbus, of Home Alone fame, had bought the book rights and written a script before calling Roth.

Who plays Luther Krank?

Tim Allen plays Luther Krank. Already a Christmas-movie fixture from The Santa Clause (1994) and its 2002 sequel, Allen headlines as the tax accountant who tries to skip the holiday.

Who plays Nora Krank?

Costume designer Susie DeSanto said Curtis wanted to look like a real Midwestern woman obsessed with Christmas sweaters.

Who plays Vic Frohmeyer, the self-appointed boss of the street?

The costume designer gave him a general's-jacket cut in tweed to suggest a college professor with military flair.

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

She leaves on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and empty-nest syndrome sets in immediately.

How much does Luther calculate they spent on the previous Christmas?

The novel puts the figure at $6,100 with little to show for it.

What does Luther propose doing with the money instead of celebrating Christmas?

In the book the ship is the Island Princess, and Nora insists they still give $600 to charity.

What is the name of the Kranks' road?

Hemlock Street. The Kranks live in the Hemlock Street house whose bare roof and dark windows so offend neighbor Vic Frohmeyer and the rest of the block.

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

Every house on the street has one on the roof, and the block is competing for best-decorated.

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

He ices the grass with the sprinklers. Luther switches on the lawn sprinklers in freezing weather to drive off the carolers, leaving his front yard a sheet of ice.

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

Miami. Blair calls from the Miami airport on Christmas Eve morning, announcing she is flying home that evening with her new fiancé to surprise her parents.

What is the name of Blair's Peruvian fiancé?

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

How many hours do the Kranks have to throw together their Christmas Eve party?

Nora panics and tells Blair the usual party is on.

Whose indoor tree does Luther try to borrow?

Trogdon is away for the week; the neighbours think Luther is stealing it and call the police, until Spike shows he has the keys.

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

Smoked trout. After Nora loses the last Hickory Honey Ham in a supermarket scramble, smoked trout is all she can bring home for the party.

What happens when Luther finally tries to haul Frosty onto the roof?

Man and decoration both fall off. Luther slips on the icy roof and tumbles down with Frosty; the commotion draws the whole street, who pitch in once they learn Blair is coming home.

What does Luther do with the cruise tickets at the end of the film?

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. The Blood Simple and Blade Runner character actor is the Kranks' sour across-the-street neighbor, with Elizabeth Franz as his wife Bev.

Who plays Spike Frohmeyer, Vic's son?

Sullivan was Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle at the time.

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

He seems to know everyone on the street.

Which Desperate Housewives star plays Nora's friend Merry?

Felicity Huffman plays Merry. Huffman's Desperate Housewives had premiered in October 2004, weeks before this film opened; Caroline Rhea plays Nora's other friend, Candi.

Who plays the priest, Father Zabriskie?

Tom Poston plays Father Zabriskie. The veteran of Newhart and Mork & Mindy, who married Suzanne Pleshette in 2001, appears as the Kranks' parish priest.

Where was the enormous neighbourhood set built?

Sixteen houses went up in twelve weeks, billed as the largest exterior set ever built for a film; the studio was razed for a mall in 2012.

How many houses were built for the neighbourhood set?

Five 'core' houses had fully dressed ground floors: the Kranks, Frohmeyers, Scheels, Beckers and Trogdons.

Which E Street Band member produced the film's soundtrack?

Steven Van Zandt. The E Street Band guitarist, also Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, produced the film's rock-leaning Christmas soundtrack; John Debney composed the score.

What was the film's budget?

It grossed roughly $97 million worldwide, a moderate success despite terrible reviews.

How much did the film gross worldwide?

It opened third behind National Treasure and The Incredibles.

On which date did the film open in U.S. cinemas?

November 24, 2004. Columbia Pictures opened the film on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2004, the traditional launch window for family holiday comedies.

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 Metacritic score did the film receive?

22. Metacritic's weighted average of the reviews came to 22 out of 100, in its 'generally unfavorable' band, matching the near-unanimous critical panning.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give the film?

B. Opening-night audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a B on its A+ to F scale, far kinder than the critics were.

In the novel, how much do the Kranks agree to still donate to the church and children's hospital?

It was Nora's one condition for agreeing to the cruise.

In the novel, what is the name of the cruise ship?

The book has the couple departing on Christmas Day itself.

In the book, which local groups are upset the Kranks won't buy from them?

Boy Scouts, police, firemen and the stationer. Luther turns down the Scouts' tree, the police calendar, the firemen's fruitcake and Aubie the stationer's Christmas cards, offending each in turn.

In the novel, how does Luther end up after his snowman attempt on the roof?

Hanging by his legs from its cord. In the novel Luther slips off the roof and dangles upside down, tangled in the snowman's cord, until Walt Scheel, of all people, calls 911.

Which two production companies made the film alongside Columbia?

Revolution was Joe Roth's own start-up; 1492 is Chris Columbus's company.

Where was the supermarket ham scene filmed?

Nora is hunting a Mel's Hickory Honey Ham.

How does Luther Krank dress for work, according to the costume designer?

It marks him as a punch-the-clock man for whom a tropical cruise is completely out of character.

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

White chocolate. In the novel's opening chapter the Kranks stop at a mobbed grocery store on the way home from the airport, and forgotten white chocolate forces a soaking second trip inside in the rain.

Where did Skipping Christmas reach on The New York Times Best-Seller List on December 9, 2001?

Doubleday published it a month earlier, and a four-CD audiobook read by Dennis Boutsikaris followed in 2006.

How did director Joe Roth first read Skipping Christmas?

Chris Columbus had also bought the rights and written a script, then phoned Roth and insisted he should be the one to direct.

The costume designer based Vic Frohmeyer's coat on what pattern to give him a military flair?

Vintage tweed mixed with corduroy made it 'professorial', since the neighbourhood's commander-in-chief is also a college professor.

As of 2026, what Rotten Tomatoes critic score did Christmas with the Kranks hold?

5%. Christmas with the Kranks holds a 5% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from well over a hundred counted reviews, one of the lowest marks for any mainstream holiday comedy.

How many stars out of four did Roger Ebert give the film, calling it 'of stunning awfulness'?

One. Roger Ebert awarded a single star out of four, calling it a holiday film 'of stunning awfulness' that gets even worse when it turns gooey at the end.