CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (2004) *1/2 Little Steven as musical supervisor, so you know it rocks. Cheech Marin as a cop, that's funny and he's always good. I don't know if it's John Grisham's fault (that's my first guess, but the other writer's Chris Columbus), but the Tim Allen character is never credible as this individualist preparing to run against the social currents. What is he, an accountant? What happens when they run against the current? Indictments for embezzlement, or homes that cost too much full of laughable and laughably expensive paintings. Oh, that can't always be true and I'm sure it's not, but.he's never vaguely a real character. And neither is his wife. Jamie Lee Curtis can't quite decide whether she's mainly socially obsequious and demure, or an iron lady with a velvet veneer. So she blows back and forth and is never more convincing than when she giggles. They're probably not bad performances given what they had to work with. The only part where it really gets going is when Dan Aykroyd makes a speech. There are all kinds of token if mandatory warm and ulterior Christmas messages in there, and occasionally they almost get out, but because of the power of the message rather than production. As I say, the music's good and it all could have been worse with lesser actors.
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