Home for the Holidays Reviews

I already saw this movie but since it was ages ago, I was quite eager to check it out again. Back in 2011, Jodie Foster finally made a come-back with ‘The Beaver’ and even though didn’t get much love when it was released, I thought it was a decent watch and it is rather surprising that it took her so long to finally come up with a new directing effort. Indeed, back in 1991, she made her directing debut with ‘Little Man Tate’ which was very well received and, a few years later, she came up with this 2nd feature. In fact, if I recall it correctly, I even saw the damned thing in the movie theater when it was released. Anyway, basically, it was a rather typical comedy about a family reunion and they managed to create some interesting characters who were rather quirky but still fairly recognizable. And, yet, somehow, I can’t say I was really impressed by the whole thing. The main issue, I guess, was that Foster never managed to make up her mind if the whole thing should be realistic or not and, as a result, it was sometimes seriously over-the-top. A good example would be Robert Downey Jr. . Indeed, even though he gave another solid performance, his character was sometimes so excessive and borderline cringe-inducing, which wasn't helped by the fact that Downey was heavily using drugs back in those days. So, the movie was constantly and awkwardly swinging between some strong realistic scenes and some much less compelling crazy weird moments. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I still think it was a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Jodie Foster’s work. 

I think the balance of this film, for its oeuvre, was very close to perfect. It has some flaws but so do our lives. A film with heart and humour, great performances from the cast (this must have been a hoot to be a part of) and solid unshowy writing. I laughed, shed a tear, but the warmth of the film stays with me. The thanksgiving scene was splendid; I've been to a few myself when I lived in the US and I'd have the film version every time. Greener grass perhaps. A keeper.