The 1995 film, “Home for the Holidays,” tells the story of Claudia Larson’s time at her childhood home one Thanksgiving. Before jetting off to her hometown, Claudia (Holly Hunter), a single mom, faces both the loss of her job in Chicago as an art restorer and the difficulties of her daughter (Claire Danes) growing up and not joining her this Thanksgiving. To make things worse, her brother, Tommy, is not supposed to be there. Claudia will have to face her insufferably uptight sister, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson), and deal with all of her family’s oddities alone. As a Gen Z watcher, the warmth and relatability present in “Home for the Holidays” invokes a sense of nostalgia for a time I never could have experienced. Out of respect for how much I love this movie and hope you can appreciate it in its entirety, I have not included any major spoilers.
No introduction of this movie can encapsulate its quirky appeal and embrace of imperfection without including insights into the two characters that really made the movie for me.
First and foremost, there’s Tommy, Claudia’s younger brother, played by a young, long-haired Robert Downey Junior. Featuring a baseball bat, flashes of the camera, a mysterious guest named Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott), and dancing in the kitchen with his mother, Tommy’s surprise entrance to the Larson house for Thanksgiving is a very memorable event. Tommy is the quintessentially fun, lovable, weird, mischievous, annoying little brother who is prone to telling stories that will embarrass you. With his camera seemingly always in hand, Tommy loves taking pictures of his family at their worst–or arguably, their best–moments.
Last but not least, is Claudia’s aunt Glady (Geraldine Chaplin). Your ultimate spinster, Glady wears (and eats off of!) a homemade necklace of Froot Loops, is the proud owner and caretaker of 210 plants, and loves to sing often, but not well. Sisters will appreciate the hints at the relationship–and unspoken rivalry–between Claudia’s mother, Adele Larson (Anne Bancroft), and Glady. On the subject of wearing lipstick, Glady offers this quip to Claudia: “Your mother uses too much of that orange goop that all the prostitutes love.” Aunt Glady’s monologues are something else, and the lamp she gifts Leo Fish on Thanksgiving night comes to be an object of importance later on.
“Home for the Holidays” does not dance around how awkward some Thanksgiving gatherings can be, but rather embraces the chaos. All that could go wrong seems to at the Larson’s Thanksgiving dinner, starting with an awkward prayer where Claudia’s father, Henry Larson (Charles Durning), expresses his misease with the state of the world. Including Glady’s spectacular monologue, there is plenty of tension at the table built into family dynamics, like the cooking competition between Joanne and Adele and Joanne’s attack on Tommy’s sexuality. There is indeed crying at the Larson Thanksgiving table, long after the phrase “No politics on Thanksgiving” was uttered.
Out of this continual uncomfortability and cartoonish behavior of some members of the Larson family come many important lessons for Claudia. Watching old family tapes in the basement after the disastrous dinner with Claudia, saying, “I wish I had it all on tape,” Henry solemnly articulates his appreciation for the happy moments he has shared with his family. Above all, “Home for the Holidays” teaches us that life is all about taking chances and that we must enjoy the beauty of moments in our life and cherish them for their lack of replicability.
I hope you give this movie a watch, especially with loved ones! Enjoy!
P. S… Since we love talking about fashion here at Her Campus, I just have to discuss some of Claudia’s looks! Claudia is not glamorous or showy, but her wardrobe is a testament to the power of quality basics. Her wool coat, brown suede boots, square-buckled black leather belt, sheer black tights, and the long-sleeved navy blue velvet notched-neck minidress she wears to Thanksgiving dinner (my favorite!) are all covetable staples that can be worn time and time again in many different ways. Claudia teaches us that when in doubt, go simple!