Tim Allen is well-known for playing Tim Taylor in the 1990s sitcom Home Improvement, and now one of his lesser-reviewed movies is finding success on streaming. One of his other popular characters is Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise, a role he will return to in Toy Story 5 in 2026. After Home Improvement, Allen returned to TV as Mike Baxter in the sitcom Last Man Standing, which even featured a crossover with his breakout hit, as the star played both Mike and Tim in an episode. His next TV sitcom, Shifting Gears, is set to premiere on ABC on January 8.
Allen has also had success with Christmas movies. His best-known holiday role is as Scott Calvin in 1994’s The Santa Clause, which followed his character taking up the mantle of Santa. Allen once again put on the red suit in the 2002 sequel The Santa Clause 2, as well as The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006. Sixteen years after the final film, Scott Calvin was brought back in the Disney+ TV series The Santa Clauses, which has had two seasons, though no update has been given on a season 3.
Christmas With The Kranks Is A Hit On Hulu
The 2004 Film Was Panned By Critics
One of Allen’s other holiday films, Christmas with the Kranks, is now a hit on Hulu. Based on John Grisham’s novel Skipping Christmas, the movie starred Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis as a married couple who decide that they will not be celebrating the holiday as their daughter travels for a Peace Corps mission, only to then decide she wants to come home. The film was panned by critics, earning only a 5% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
As of this writing, Christmas with the Kranks is currently in the No. 10 spot of Top 15 Movies Today on Hulu. Right above Christmas with the Kranks is the Lifetime holiday film A Cowboy Christmas Romance. Two other critically-panned films starring well-known comedians are also currently in Hulu’s top 10 most watched movies list, those being Grown Ups and its 2013 sequel. Three out of Hulu’s top 15 movies are Alien films, with the latest installment, Alien: Romulus, taking the top spot on the list after being released on the streaming service on November 21.
Our Take On Christmas With The Kranks’ Streaming Success
Watching Tim Allen Onscreen Has Become A Holiday Tradition
Now that the Halloween season is over, it’s not surprising that viewers are turning to Christmas movies. Since the holidays are a time of traditions, many people will go back and watch classic Christmas films, like Allen’s The Santa Clause, which could be why viewers are choosing to watch another one of his Christmas films.
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All 5 Tim Allen Christmas Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
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Even though he doesn’t wear the red suit in Christmas with the Kranks, there are some similarities between them that can give viewers what they are looking for. Both Scott Calvin and Allen’s Christmas with the Kranks character, Luther Krank, go through story arcs where they end up better and more giving characters by the holiday. For many viewers who grew up watching The Santa Clause and Christmas with the Kranks, watching Allen in a Christmas movie has become a nostalgic holiday tradition.
Source: Hulu
Christmas With the Kranks is a 2004 holiday comedy directed by Joe Roth, starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film follows Luther and Nora Krank, who decide to skip Christmas festivities in favor of a Caribbean cruise, much to the dismay of their holiday-obsessed neighbors. Their plans are upended when their daughter announces a surprise visit, forcing them to celebrate Christmas at the last minute.
- Director
- Joe Roth
- Release Date
- November 24, 2004
- Writers
- Chris Columbus
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
