User reviews

My expectations were low when I started to watch this film. The premise seemed OK and from watching Home Improvement I knew the lead actor had some charm about him.

I can happily say that I didn't need to worry because this film is good family entertainment, that also manages to be a good Christmas film.

Sure, it's far fetched and the plot doesn't hold up to much, but it's also full of funny moments and has its heart in the right place.

It's a shame that Jonathon Taylor Thomas didn't go on to make more films after this one because he was likable and had good comic timing.

This is one of those films that you see on the shelf every Christmas. Why not give it a go?

Well intentioned Christmas film, just a little undercooked.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas is the lead of 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' and he's pretty good, especially at playing the cocky school kid. I feel his arc is satisfactory, though it would've been nice if there was a longer spell of him realising/correcting his behaviour.

Still, I feel there's enough in there to justify the (predictable) happy ending. I, also, like the road trip elements. Elsewhere on the cast, a young Jessica Biel appears as Allie. She's solid, as is Adam LaVorgna as Eddie. It's also noteworthy to see Gary Cole involved.

It's nothing impactful or anything, but it's fine festive viewing.

I'm a 90' kid and this movie was a staple every holiday season. If it doesn't hold a special place for you, you probably won't think it's a great movie. Your kids may like it though!

rules are all very well and good, but why should I have to write at least 10 lines about a movie when others have extensively critiqued it already, and all I want to do is disagree with the bad reviews? Sheesh. I almost didn't watch this film, after reading some of the comments here, but as it was on TV and I had nothing better to do, I ignored the bad reviews and was glad I did. Sure, it is lightweight and the plot is a bit far-fetched, but so what? It is a Christmas movie, folks, nothing more, nothing less. Jonathan Taylor Thonas strikes just the right note as a college student trying to get home for Christmas, and learning to shed his selfish, self-centered attitudes as he does. There were some genuinely funny moments, a lot of touching moments, and the only fart joke I have ever laughed at. The great scenery (parts of BC and Alberta pretending to be various locations in a cross-country race across the USA) added to the enjoyment of the film. I was just going to say "Ignore the bad reviews, I liked it" but I had to pad it out . IMDb, don't you know that brevity is the soul of wit?

This film is mediocre to the extreme.

It could, if you can overlook the glaring plot holes, be something good to watch on Christmas Eve if there is nothing else on and you have had a few drinks.

It's not the worst movie ever made, but it is clichéd, predictable and not very funny.

Three out of ten- and that might be a case of me being over generous because it's, as I write this, December 12th.

What is also frustrating is that there's a nucleus of a good idea in the script- albeit one that has been done before. If the script had been redrafted a few more times, and if some of the Disney schmaltz had been remove then the film might have landed, somewhere, on the better side of OK.

Jessica Biel isn't bad though.

OK. You can't expect a new "Miracle on the 34th street" here. But I like the Christmas season and the movies that are carried on with it. But the most important for me: My 9 yo son laughed a lot.....

`Home Improvement' star Jonathan Taylor Thomas stars in this predictable family comedy as a college kid whose father will promise him a new car if he makes it home before Christmas dinner begins. Thomas is in top form, but this should have been a two-part episode of `Home Improvement,' for he had left the show not long before this film was released. The Santa Race is the highlight of the film, but because there is little else here that is entertaining, this movie is only recommended for fans of the teen star.

2 out of 5

i like this film because the whole IDEA of it was to make it home on time for Christmas in order for Jake to be given the Porsche. now I've seen some of the other comments given about this film...its JUST A MOVIE. i think who ever wrote it was just trying to make a point to their story and for people to understand that it didn't matter about the Porsche or getting home by six O'Clock. it just mattered that you got home and spent it with the family. thats what i think the writer and director was trying to show. this film is good for a holiday movie. i would suggest this to any family who spend holidays together and looking for a film thats funny and has humor in it.

In my opinion, this is an excellent Christmas movie with a message to it. If you ask me, every mishap that Jake (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) encountered while trying to get home from California to New York for Christmas was absolutely hilarious. The most hilarious one, to me, was when he encountered Eddie (Adam LaVorgna) in his hotel room. This was because he had Jake's girlfriend (Jessica Biel) with him. Please, don't tell me my sense of enjoyment is twisted. In addition, the bus driver was a complete jerk. Also, from the looks of it, the Porsche that was at stake was absolutely vintage. The reason I said that is because it was a 1957 model. In conclusion, if you like Jonathan Taylor Thomas or Christmas movies, this is one you'll definitely want to see.

A quality holiday comedy right on time! Jonathon Taylor Thomas plays Jake a student attending college in California, who is going home to New York for the holidays, with his girlfriend, Allie, also from New York. Well Jake helps some jocks cheat and they get caught, so for payback they dress him up in a Santa Claus outfit and leave him in the middle of nowhere. In the meantime Allie is forced to catch a ride across the country with, Eddie, Jake's archrival. Jake is motivated to get home in time for Christmas by the fact that if he does his dad will give him the Porsch, also he doesn't want Allie to be mad at him, which she very much is for making her ride with Eddie. So Jake spends time on the road looking for a way home, pulling many miraculous stunts on the way, just looking to get the Porsch, until he learns the real lesson.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas plays Jake, a college student in California who hasn't come home to New York for the holidays since his father remarried. The father makes Jake a deal he can't refuse: get home by 6 p. m. Christmas Eve, and he can have the Porsche they rebuilt together. One problem: Jake helps some athletes cheat on a final exam, but his plan is sabotaged, and 'Eddie and the boys' leave him in the desert wearing a Santa suit, with nothing but a note they signed. Eddie sets out to take Jake's girlfriend home. Jake calls her but there is a problem with her answering machine. Jake calls home for help but he has lied and schemed too many times before. It is his ability to lie that gets him on the road making progress toward his goal, but also into new jams. He sees Eddie several times (what are the chances?) but his girlfriend doesn't see him until the fourth time, and that doesn't turn out well. Of course, Eddie and Jake's girlfriend don't get along too well in their travels east. It's a fun film if not great. Jake helps several people, including himself, learn the true meaning of Christmas. Lots of great scenery in the first half of the movie, and a lot of the music is good, with styles including jazz and bluegrass. And the situations Jake gets himself into are quite funny. Have you ever seen a 5K race where all the entrants are dressed like Santa? It's a family film with a little off-color humor (I saw the edited version, so no bad language to speak of).

This movie was absolutely awful!!! it was so boring for anyone who had a brain, It was so lame, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jessica Biel. EVERYONE in this movie did an awful job, it looks like they just threw it together in an hour without thinking at all, DONT SEE IT

This movie's major flaw, other than the early release date in a shameless attempt to get the jump on the holiday movie dollar, and the utterly cliched writing that makes for scenes more sappy than a Vermont Maplewood, is the casting of Johnathan Taylor Thomas as the lead. Thomas, still his gravelie voiced, smart-alecky, "Home Improvement"-type self, just doesn't work with the material given to him. He's playing a smug pretty-boy with all the connections and all the answers, and he comes off more snotty than charming. Mainly because his one-liners just aren't funny. His smugness is un-amusing. There's no biting intelligent sarcasm, nor razor sharp wit or funny facial expressions. He's more like a spoiled 16-year old trying to be funny in front of dad's camcorder. Director Arlene Sanford, who's past efforts behind the camera have consisted mainly of tv sitcoms and hour-long dramas such as "Ally McBeal" and "Caroline In The City", does manage to pull off a few heart-warming holiday moments (aided greatly by composer John Debney's trademark gooey scoring), and even manages to make Jennifer Biel of "7th Heaven" fame interesting, mostly when she's in scenes without J.T.T. Kudos also to Sanford for casting Gary Cole in her film; even though his role is limited and largely unimportant, he's a talented actor who deserves more exposure than he gets. If it's Christmas Eve and you're in the mood to be pumped up for the holiday and sick of "Its A Wonderful Life", than "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is for you. Otherwise, wait for the next theatrical Christmas vehicle...without good looking teenagers from tv in the lead.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Since being home for Christmas is the best present, why can't it be the only present you have to buy your family?

Even better, why can't there be a bribe involved like the one in this comedy?

When his father (Gary Cole) entices him home for the holidays with a Porsche, Jake (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and his girlfriend Allie (Jessica Biel) trade in their tickets to Mexico for ones to NYC.

But unforeseeable forces separate them: Jake is spirited away on a hitchhiking adventure through the desert dressed as Santa Claus, while Allie is escorted to New York by Jake's nemesis (Adam LaVorgna).

On the road, Jake realizes that all of his strained relationships need repairing.

Surprisingly heartfelt, I'll Be Home For Christmas is a zany road movie to a fault. However, the travel obstacles faced by Jake are somewhat relatable.

Incidentally, most Christmas visitors come bearing gifts of influenza. (Yellow Light)

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I'll Be Home For Christmas is a very mediocre and lazy film. The acting is pretty much laughable and very poor. The script and dialogue is embarrassingly bad and disappointing . I mean Adam LaVorgna is pretty nice to look at, and I did enjoy his character, but that's really the only character I liked. Heck, the best scene in the entire film is where Eddie comes out shirtless and gets his towel taken from him lol. But anyways, back to the actual movie, basically this movie is just a bunch of stupid sight gags that end up falling flat, peppered with some pretty bad acting. There's not a whole lot more to it then that, it's poorly made, dumb, and not entertaining in the least. I was expecting a good bit more once I saw the wait Disney logo on the cover. Also, the main character is kind of a jackass, I couldn't stand his character or his attitude. 3/10 simply because I loved looking at Adam LaVorgna, but that's really it's ONLY saving grace.

First of all I'm just thankful there's a holiday movie out there that isn't Jingle All the Way, Christmas with the Kranks and especially the Grinch..ugh. This movie is a great Christmas movie, why's everybody gotta bag on a good ol standard xmas flick just because there are no major stars, songs or special effects. Seriously. Get over yourselves. Johnathan is a great lead, he's effective emotionally and his cookie cutter transformation is warm and real. Honestly, I enjoyed the way the film made me feel. Without having to go through trashy sleaze to get to the nice ending. There aren't many quality Christmas films being made anymore. The last truly wonderful Christmas movie I saw in Theaters was The Preachers Wife. Denzel, Whitney, and tons of music. I'll Be Home, although not on the same scale, still shows plenty of heart.

It's just an all-around warm film with laughs and love for those into Christmas movies.

There is no goof tab for this movie, and I don't know how to make one, so I'll put it here: 1) JTT's character says that he has not been home from college in the past year(s) for Christmas, but also mentions he is 18. Most incoming freshman to college are 18, then turn 19 while there. It is very unlikely that he started college earlier than at age 18.

Also, on the trivia side, Jessica Biel (Allie) and Adam Lav. (Eddie) both starred on the TV show 7th Heaven at the same time. They also dated in real life.

Not a terrible film but not great either. Fair to say Christmas helps carry it and so does a good soundtrack but only so far. I felt it was brought down by a corny and unnecessary love story. No one cares for a fake romance, especially a teen one. It could have made a stronger film if it was mainly about Jake's journey home for Christmas with some meaningful and funny events. He could have had a stronger motive as well instead of a Porsche.

Well, I'd give this a 6 out of 10 because I love Christmas, but really the plot was fairly thin and wasn't this same idea run through in John Hughes "Dutch (aka Driving Me Crazy) - kid doesn't want to go home (for Thanksgiving in that movie), but then he has all sorts of adventures on the road on his way home and learns his lesson, etc, etc.

The only problem with this movie is that, unlike "Dutch", I honestly didn't feel that JTT had learned his lesson at all, he was still a scam artist at the end. Disney should really learn some lessons from John Hughes / Chris Columbus, they really know how to make a kids live-action movie!

I was so disappointed because it sounded like a really fun idea, but turned into the plot of a so-so TV movie.

It's worth seeing, but go on cheap Tuesday, or with free tickets, you'll feel less ripped off!!