Based on John Grisham’s best selling novel “Skipping Christmas,” this comedy stars Tim Allen as Luther Krank, a man who decides to skip Christmas and all the surrounding requirements and go on a vacation with his wife. Director Joe Roth delivers another feel good Christmas comedy that keeps the audience entertained.

Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are well matched as Luther and Nora Krank. After a change in plans, they then have to scramble to put together Christmas at the last minute. This is not your average Christmas “Santa” movie, which we have seen Tim Allen successful in before, but it definitely keeps the laughs coming.

The Kranks family have always celebrated Christmas together their entire lives. This year their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) will be in Peru to serve in the Peace Corps. Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) Krank are facing the idea of a holiday alone. One night, Luther notices a poster in a travel agency and pictures himself and Nora in the sun on a Caribbean cruise. “What if this Christmas there was no tree, no holiday lights, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents”? Their plans go awry when their daughter surprises them by returning home for Christmas. They scramble to prepare a traditional Christmas at the last minute.

“Christmas With the Kranks” has positive themes of love, caring, community, selflessness and giving. It’s characters discuss and show positive morals. Even though they decided to save money by boycotting Christmas, Nora is still wants to be generous in the spirit of charity. She helps out with a Salvation Army meal and reads to kids at a local hospital. She refuses to go on the Caribbean trip until her husband agrees to continue their traditional donations to the hospital and a church. She also comforts neighbors in times of need and invites a lonely stranger to her Christmas Eve party.

I think this film was made to attract families during the holiday season. It emphazies the average family’s desire to fulfill their holiday traditions. There is nothing overly offensive in the movie and it is rated PG instead of PG-13, like most Christmas movies. Christmas with the Kranks is a good example of Hollywood making a movie that the whole family will enjoy. I recommend this film for any family looking for a light-hearted funny film to lighten the holiday season.