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AFI Movie Club: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
AFI Honorary Degree recipient Jodie Foster directs an all-star cast, including Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft and Robert Downey Jr., for Thanksgiving in this holiday treat – HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
Click Here to Find Out How to Watch HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Now
Watch this exclusive video from the AFI Archive in which HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS director Jodie Foster speaks about the balance between choreography and finding possibility in filmmaking:
Movie Trivia About HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
DID YOU KNOW? HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is based on a short story written by Chris Radant that first appeared in the Boston Phoenix.
DID YOU KNOW? Filming of the Thanksgiving dinner in HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS took more than 10 days, using 64 turkeys, 20 pounds of mashed potatoes, 35 pounds of stuffing, 44 pies, 30 pounds of sweet potatoes, 18 bags of mini-marshmallows and 50 gallons of juice that stood in for wine.
DID YOU KNOW? In HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Aunt Glady was played by Charlie Chaplin’s daughter, Geraldine Chaplin. She shares the screen with Robert Downey, Jr. – who just a few years prior had earned an Academy Award® nomination for portraying her father in the film CHAPLIN.
DID YOU KNOW? The scene where Robert Downey, Jr. describes the issue with Leo’s broken nose was completely improvised. According to director Jodie Foster, Downey improvised for several minutes before hitting his mark and finishing the scene perfectly as scripted. The whole thing was completed in only one take.
DID YOU KNOW? Two decades prior to HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning starred together in the 1975 film THE HINDENBURG. They had previously worked together in Mel Brooks’ TO BE OR NOT TO BE, for which Durning was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor.
DID YOU KNOW? Across their celebrated careers, the star-studded cast of HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS has received a remarkable total of 14 Academy Award® nominations between them – with Anne Bancroft and Holly Hunter each taking home Oscars® for Best Actress for THE MIRACLE WORKER and THE PIANO, respectively. Director Jodie Foster also has four nominations for acting, with Best Actress wins for THE ACCUSED and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
DID YOU KNOW? HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS was edited by Lynzee Klingman, who also spent a number of years as part of the faculty at the AFI Conservatory.
Learn more at the AFI Catalog.
The movie doesn’t end at the credits: Family-friendly Discussion Questions
Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram now using #AFIMovieClub. Or post your responses in the comment section below.
-Can you relate to Claudia’s difficult travel experience at the beginning of the film? How does it foreshadow the events of her family Thanksgiving?
-Are you able to relate to Larsen’s familial dysfunction? What makes watching another family’s issues so cathartic?
-Why are the holidays such a stressful time for families?
-What is the significance of Henry congratulating Jack for his nuptials to his son Tommy?
– What does Tommy mean when he says to Jack that he misses his “real family”?
-Is it important to know if Leo and Claudia end up together at the end of the film? If so, why?
-How would you rate HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS?
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