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Home for the Holidays

(1995, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring Anne Bancroft, Robert Downey Jr., Holly Hunter)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    Funny, adult look at a dysfunctional holiday.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–16

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The movie is a sensitive portrayal of a family full of individuals who don't really know one another and wouldn't be friends if they weren't related.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Claudia's dad threatens to hit a child, half-jokingly. Tommy, Walter, and Leo get into a fight, and Leo's nose gets broken.

  • Sex:

    Claudia makes out with her boss and, later, with a man she just met. Aunt Gladys admits a crush on her brother-in-law and kisses him during a crazy Thanksgiving dinner. Lots of sexual innuendo.

  • Language:

    Language includes "dammit," "son of a bitch," "holy s--t," "asshole," etc. Joanne lights into Tommy with an anti-gay tirade.

  • Consumerism:

    Jack in the Box gets a shout-out.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Claudia's mom chain-smokes, and Claudia smokes pot. There's considerable fighting fueled by holiday drinking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Home for the Holidays

Parents need to know that kids will probably be bored by this movie when they aren't scandalized by its adult themes: It shows families as many of them really are -- filled with people who are struggling to understand their connection to and love for people they don't understand or really like. There's plenty of swearing, and at oine point Joanne launches into a tirade about how disgusting and perverted it is that her brother is in love with another man. Claudia kisses her boss after being fired. Claudia's teenage daughter announces that she's going to have sex with her boyfriend while her mother's away for the holiday.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about any similarities they have to the Larson family. Do you feel disconnected from your family members? What do you do to create closeness and understanding between family members who are very different? Does being different have to mean hating one another? How would you resolve a similar situation? How does Tommy's family in Boston differ from his birth family? How does this movie compare to traditional "holiday classics"? Which do you prefer?
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