There are plenty of Christmas movies that can’t be missed during the holiday season, but this Christmas movie soon departing Netflix’s streaming library isn’t one of them. Movies like Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Elf, and Home Alone are classics and essential viewings this time of year. Other holiday films haven’t been as well-received, including one Christmas movie that has been described as “an abomination” of a film.
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You won’t find Christmas with the Kranks on lists of best Christmas movies. In fact, the film usually places near the top of lists about the worst Christmas movies ever made, and we can’t say it’s not deserving of that placement. The film, directed by Joe Roth from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, centers around two empty-nesters as they decide to skip Christmas in favor of a Caribbean cruise, throwing their neighbors into upheaval. The movie, which was a modest commercial success when it grossed over $96 million worldwide against a $60 million budget, is scheduled to leave Netflix on December 1st, meaning the last day to stream it is on November 30th.
Christmas with the Kranks Is the Holiday Movie You Can Skip
Despite a fun leading trio in Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dan Akroyd and a humorous premise that seemed perfect for a Christmas movie, Christmas with the Kranks was a massive holiday disappointment. When it comes down to it, there’s really not much good to say about the movie.
The very premise of the film is exhausting, and the neighborhood’s cult-like insistence on holiday conformity has even generated arguments that Christmas with the Kranks is actually a horror movie. Although the movie centered itself as a Christmas comedy, the movie’s humor felt desperate and unfunny rather than clever. And worst of all, the film lacked heart, something that is pretty much essential for any great Christmas movie.
A forgettable holiday movie, Christmas with the Kranks earned a disastrous 5% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience rating of just 39%, and the reviews were scathing. RogerEbert.com gave Christmas with the Kranks just one star and called it “a holiday movie of stunning awfulness that gets even worse when it turns gooey at the end.” USA Today’s Claudia Puig wasn’t any kinder, writing, “You will not want to spend Christmas, or any other day of the year, with the Kranks. Or, for that matter, in the company of their uncommonly nosy, self-righteous and meddling friends and neighbors.” The movie hasn’t gotten any better with time and remains one of those Christmas movies that is probably better off being left off any Christmas movie marathon lists.
Where to Stream Christmas with the Kranks After It Leaves Netflix?
Christmas With the Kranks does have a niche following, meaning some people will be searching for it on streaming this holiday season. On the same day the movie leaves Netflix on December 1st, the film will move to HBO Max, guaranteeing that Christmas with the Kranks will continue to be available throughout the holiday season.
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