Home for the Holidays (1995)

Summary

A family reunites at Thanksgiving and everyone finds that they can't hide their problems.

Director

Jodie Foster

Downey Factor

Medium. After his character is introduced, his screen time is steady until almost the end.

Character

Tommy Larson, the ultimately harmless brother who likes to stir up trouble.

Looks

Sporting mid-'90s flippy hair.

Performance

He strikes all the right chords with this one. Good balance of comedy and drama.

Love & Sex

His real-life pal Sam Slovick plays his love interest; they speak on the phone but only appear on-screen together once.

Dies, Gay or Villain

No. Yes. No.

Cast

Holly Hunter, Claire Danes, Anne Bancroft, Dylan McDermott, Steve Guttenberg, Charles Durning, Geraldine Chaplin, David Strathairn

Connection

David Strathairn in Good Night & Good Luck.

Geraldine Chaplin in Chaplin.

RDJ Says

I was at a particularly, um, groovy point in my own development there ... I remember gassing to the point that Jodie and Holly Hunter would be like, "Do you mind transcending your adolescence? We're trying to make a movie." And there was Anne Bancroft just looking at me. I was altered as often as not. That was the first time for that on screen. I would spin through a scene like a whirling dervish. Everyone was like, "What just happened?" but I was off the set and going to lunch ... That was one of the most relaxed performances in the history of film ... I'm not saying I wouldn't have had a relaxed performance [without using heroin], I'm saying if you came into my trailer when I wasn't working I might have been constructing a large eighth scale model of the space shuttle and I had lots of "projects" going on in the room. That was the first time I was [high on a movie set] ... After I saw this film I left the theater and I was a little miffed because it was like I didn't have any complaints at all! I really enjoyed the movie and I really enjoyed everyone's performance. I really laughed my ass off ... That was one of my favorite movies, ever. Practically every take of that film was a print ... When I saw this film, I thought: Well, maybe I am a bit of an artist, in the same way that maybe Warhol was an artist. Because he did something innovative and he had a good sense of humor ... [It] wasn't much of a stretch for me, either. I have dozens of gay friends ... Anyone who's been around in the industry on the other side of the cameras as long as [Jodie Foster] is probably more well-equipped to direct or to understand how important the attitude of the director is than most directors, because I think for the most part, actors do a lot more films than directors do. She's the goods. She's it, as far as I'm concerned. [Jodie Foster] is an amazing director. She's really specific, and really nurturing. It was the first time I ever worked with a female director, but I think it was her personality more than anything else. She just had a kind of ease about the way she directed, like, "Hey, I know what I'm doing and I expect that you do, too. I did hire you, and I knew what I was doing when I hired you, so relax, and like very few things goes wrong."

Lit Reference

Home for the Holidays and Other Calamities by Chris Radant
Although this was the inspiration for the film, many character quirks that appear in the film were added by the screenwriter with suggestions from the director, cast, and crew.

Gossip

Jodie Foster was aware that Downey was on heroin, and told him that even though it wasn't causing problems, she was worried he would think that he could get away with doing the same thing on other movies.

Jodie Foster has said of RDJ's character: "Originally, [Tommy] was not gay. That was not part of the story and it was not part of the original script, so that was something that we brought in. It wasn’t about his acceptance of himself; it was about having to go home to a family when you already have a family. People that live in some subset groups&emdash;whether it’s gay people, whether it’s progressives, as opposed to going home for your conservative friends, or maybe you don’t live in a religious way but your parents are religious&emdash;your friends are your family and that is very true of my generation."

Time & Place

Present day (1995), Baltimore, Maryland.

Availability

Released in theaters 3 November 1995. On DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4

Foreign Titles

Argentina: Feriados en Familia (Holidays with the Family)
Brazil: Feriados em Família (Holidays with the Family)
China: The Annoying Family (English translation)
Croatia: Kuæi Za Praznike (Home for the Holiday)
Denmark: Hjemme er Bedst (Home is Best)
Finland: Joululoma (Christmas Holiday)
France: Week-end en Famille (Family Weekend)
Germany: Familienfest und Andere Schwierigkeiten (Family Reunions and Other Difficulties)
Hungary: Egy Békés Családi ünnep (A Peaceful Family Holiday)
Hungary: Szédült Hétvége (Dizzy Weekend)
Israel: A Family Vacation (English translation)
Italy: A Casa Per Le Vacanze (Home for Vacation)
Poland: Wakacje w Domu (Holiday House)
Spain: A Casa por Vacaciones (Home for Vacation)
Sweden: Hemma är Bäst (Home is Best)

Rotten Tomatoes

64% Fresh | 45 Reviews

Critical View

Emanuel Levy, Variety: Adding another colorful role to his already striking gallery, Downey shines—his multinuanced portrayal of a gay man is notably unstereotypical.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The story of Tommy, the gay brother, provides a counterpoint to the mainline madness. Foster and her writer, W. D. Richter, do not commit the mistake of making his character be about homosexuality. He is gay, but what defines him for the family is more his quasi-obnoxious personality, his way of picking on his boring brother-in-law, his practical jokes, his wounding insights, and finally his own concealed romanticism. Downey brings out all the complexities of a character who has used a quick wit to keep the world's hurts at arm's length.

Janet Maslin, The New York Times: The cast features Robert Downey Jr. as Tommy, Claudia's super-frenetic brother, who becomes a more appealing character when the film finally lets him calm down. Claudia's fond, teasing relationship with this gay brother is one of the better, more believable aspects of a film that overworks its screwball side.

Does It Hold Up

It holds up if you view it as a snapshot of life in the mid-90s. There are plenty of things about this movie that are outdated (some major plot points revolve around nobody having cellphones, non-existent airport security and gay marriage causes controversy), but it's probably not told much differently than it would be if you made a movie today that was set in 1995.

2 Reasons to See It

1. He's very funny and dramatic, and manages to look pretty good throughout.
2. It's one of his favorite movies.

Overall

This is certainly not a feel-good film, however, he is brilliant. A must-see.

If You Like It

You might also like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Wonder Boys (2000)

Photos

Video