Home for the Holidays (1995 film)

Home for the Holidays (1995 film) is a comedy-drama film directed by Jodie Foster and released in 1995. The film stars Holly Hunter as Claudia Larson, a single mother recently fired from her job who reluctantly travels home to her dysfunctional family's house in Baltimore for Thanksgiving.

The plot revolves around Claudia's chaotic Thanksgiving experience, filled with the eccentricities of her relatives, including her parents, Adele (Anne Bancroft) and Henry (Charles Durning); her overachieving sister, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson); Joanne's annoying husband, Walter (Steve Guttenberg); and her openly gay brother, Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.), who brings along his friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott).

The film explores themes of family dynamics, the pressures of the holiday season, and finding humor in difficult situations. The characters navigate personal struggles, reveal secrets, and ultimately find a degree of connection amidst the dysfunction. Home for the Holidays blends comedic situations with moments of genuine emotion, portraying a realistic, albeit exaggerated, depiction of a family holiday gathering.