Winning two Best Actress Oscars and having a lot of friends among her peers probably allowed director Jodie Foster to assemble a great ensemble cast for her film Home For The Holidays. The whole cast clicks well individually as well as a team to bring us Thanksgiving Day at the Larson household.
This is not promising to be a good Thanksgiving for Holly Hunter. She's been laid off and her daughter Claire Danes has told her in so many words she's losing her virginity to the high school hunk. So by herself she's off to spend Thanksgiving with her parents and siblings and spouses of same.
The Larsons aren't exactly the Cleavers. Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft are the parents, Durning is old enough to be called eccentric rather than crazy and Bancroft is a walking bundle of neuroses. Brother Robert Downey,Jr. is gay and most irreverent. The worst is Cynthia Stevenson who makes a total fetish out of being normal and is forever acting like a martyr just for being born with this family. Her husband is Steve Guttenberg who just tries to take it with a smile.
Although this has far more laughs, with a few more characters the main body of the film is structured like that Eugene O'Neill dysfunctional family the Tyrones. Characters are drawn deep though the plot is minimal. You'll end up liking the Larsons far more than the Tyrones.
It's not Long Day's Journey Into Night, but Home For The Holidays is a good piece of work from Jodie Foster and her cast.
This is not promising to be a good Thanksgiving for Holly Hunter. She's been laid off and her daughter Claire Danes has told her in so many words she's losing her virginity to the high school hunk. So by herself she's off to spend Thanksgiving with her parents and siblings and spouses of same.
The Larsons aren't exactly the Cleavers. Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft are the parents, Durning is old enough to be called eccentric rather than crazy and Bancroft is a walking bundle of neuroses. Brother Robert Downey,Jr. is gay and most irreverent. The worst is Cynthia Stevenson who makes a total fetish out of being normal and is forever acting like a martyr just for being born with this family. Her husband is Steve Guttenberg who just tries to take it with a smile.
Although this has far more laughs, with a few more characters the main body of the film is structured like that Eugene O'Neill dysfunctional family the Tyrones. Characters are drawn deep though the plot is minimal. You'll end up liking the Larsons far more than the Tyrones.
It's not Long Day's Journey Into Night, but Home For The Holidays is a good piece of work from Jodie Foster and her cast.