I'll Be Home for Christmas

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I'll Be Home for Christmas

PG

1998

1h 26m

Holiday

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

22%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Estranged from his father (Gary Cole), college student Jake (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie (Jessica Biel), does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie (Adam LaVorgna).

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Critics Consensus

Neither parent nor child will find any merriment in this mess.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Sep 7, 2011

D+

This family comedy finds unearned laughs in old women and dog flatulence.

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Lael Loewenstein

Variety

Apr 16, 2008

Arrogance gives way to humility, making this an appropriate, if thoroughly cliched, Christmas morality tale that's sugar-coated with an attractive cast spouting sitcom-quality dialogue.

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Louis B. Parks

Houston Chronicle

Jul 21, 2005

None of the cast comes off well, but they have little to work with, since the dialogue sounds like it was made up on the spot and performed without rehearsal.

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Common Sense Media Editors

Common Sense Media

Jan 1, 2011

3/5

Jon Taylor Thomas' yule tale charming for tweens.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Dec 24, 2010

2.5/4

An innocuously entertaining comedy...

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Pablo Villaça

Cinema em Cena

Dec 19, 2008

2/5

Um filme natalino que advoga a eficcia da mentira e do egosmo como formas de ser bem sucedido.

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Kirstie W

@RT23694674 Sep 10, 2026

90s me , obsessed with Jonathan Taylor Thomas I’d have thought this was elite. Adult me. It was okay.

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Jens B

@Jens97 Dec 23, 2025

The idea is nice, there are a few smiles/laughs, I have nothing against Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Gary Cole has criminally little screen time, the vultures are cute - harmless Disney kitsch for the whole family.

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The H

@RT75285738 Dec 30, 2024

Very boring & nothing noteworthy, kept mispronouncing vehicle brands, characters weren't loveable, was a slog to get through.

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Ma'ark T

@RT57514104 Dec 18, 2024

It's hard to believe that movies such as I'll be Home for Christmas are able to be made. Surely at some point, those involved realise how bad it is. Interetsing to see Jessica Biel and Jonathan Taylor Thomas in this together. I wonder how JTT's career would've have gone had he stuck with it...

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Ed R

@JustcallmeER Nov 8, 2024

My favorite Christmas movie of all time!

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Derek L

@RT51637195 Dec 24, 2023

Even though Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Jessica Biel did their best throughout the entire film, story and character wise, it was rather messy and underwhelming with little or no character growth.

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Arlene Sanford

Director

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Jake Wilkinson

Jessica Biel

Allie

Adam LaVorgna

Eddie

Gary Cole

Mr. Wilkinson

Eve Gordon

Carolyn

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Synopsis

Estranged from his father (Gary Cole), college student Jake (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie (Jessica Biel), does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie (Adam LaVorgna).

Director: Arlene Sanford
Producer: David Hoberman, Tracey Trench
Screenwriter: Tom Nursall, Harris Goldberg
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures, Buena Vista International [us]
Production Co: Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.2M
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: DTS, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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