I'll Be Home for Christmas is a 1998 Christmas-themed film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, presented by Walt Disney Pictures, produced by Mandeville Films, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. It was released in theaters on November 13, 1998.
Synopsis
A few days before Christmas Eve, Jake Wilkinson's father offers to give him a vintage 1957 Porsche if he is home in by 6pm on Christmas Eve (when his family has Christmas dinner) in New York. He prepares to go; however, a group of bullies leave him stranded in the middle of the desert dressed in a Santa Claus suit. They do this as punishment for not getting an exam cheat sheet from him, not knowing that it was their leader, Eddie Taffet, who prevented it, to get him out of the way and claim his girlfriend, Allie, for himself. While he is stuck in the desert, Eddie is giving Allie a ride to New York. Now, Jake has only three days to make it to Larchmont, New York if he wants both her and the car.
He stumbles upon a few obstacles such as a man named Nolan who is driving kitchen goods to his dealer near New York so he hitches a ride with him, unbeknown to him that he is a thief. A police officer named Max pulls them over for speeding and becomes suspicious of them, so Jake lies and says that Nolan is his elf and they are donating the goods to the children's hospital. Officer Max offers them to follow him since he is heading in the same direction. At the hospital the children remind Jake, Nolan, and Officer Max about the importance of family, and Nolan decides to win back his girlfriend, Marjorie, who is headed in the opposite direction. Officer Max buys Jake a bus ticket to New York.
Meanwhile, Allie & Eddie are heading for New York and decide to stay at a pretend village hotel and are caught kissing under some mistletoe on camera by Jake. Hesitant to speed the bus up, he uses a cooler and a week-old meat sandwich saying that it is a liver one for a little girl at the hospital. He finds the village and Allie and Eddie's room; he sees him walk out of the shower in a towel and assumes that he had slept with her (he didn't, she made him sleep in a sleeping bag). She and Jake eventually make up but he blurts out that Eddie prevented him from getting his dad's car. Upset that he had come there to get the car and not herself (which he actually did), she replaces his seat on the bus and leaves.
Jake & Eddie drive off. He tells him that he will go home, win back Allie, and get the car. Eddie, jealous that Jake will get Allie, throws him out but is soon arrested. Jake decides to enter a Santa Claus race to win a $1,000 prize so he can buy a plane ticket to New York. He meets a nice man whom he beats and wins the prize, but on his way to the airport he learns that the man is actually the mayor who uses the prize money to buy turkeys for the needy. Jake reluctantly gives it to the him and calls home. His sister arranges for a plane ticket for him but he is not granted it since he has no identification, so he decides to stow away in a dog kennel in a cargo plane. When he reaches New York he apologizes to Allie, purposely waits in front of his father's house so he'll get the car deal, and even refuses to take it when his dad says he's only a few minutes late.
Songs
Title | Performed by |
---|---|
"Cool Yule" | Cherry Poppin' Daddies |
"Over the River and Through the Woods" | The Dons |
"I Walk in Circles" | Daisyhaze |
"I Won't Be Home for Christmas" | Blink-182 |
"One More Night" | Amber |
"White Christmas" | The Drifters |
"Christmas Carols by the Old Corral" | Tex Ritter |
"What's New Pussycat?" | Tom Jones |
"Blue Christmas" | Buddy Guy |
"Here Comes Santa Claus" | Elvis Presley |
"Doctor Jones" | Aqua Jessica Biel (uncredited) |
"Deck The Hall" | The Accidentals |
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" |
|
"Up on the Housetop" | Jessie Dayton |
"Oira Oira Polka" | The Polka Kings |
"Let's Get It On" | Marvin Gaye |
"Clarinet Polka Yodel" | Mary Schneider |
"I Got Rolled" | Jimmy Ray and J.T. Thomas (uncredited) Adam LaVorgna (uncredited) |
Five Easy Pieces | |
"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" | 'N Sync |
"O Majorie" (uncredited) | Sean O'Bryan |
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (uncredited) | |
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (uncredited) | |
"Silent Night" |
Broadcast history
The film aired on ABC a few times, before and after it aired on the Starz/Encore premium channels. The Disney Channel originally aired it in 2002, but due to unresolved conflicts, as of 2019, it is no longer shown on there. It aired on the Hallmark Channel in 2009, ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas line-up in 2011 and 2013, and later Freeform in 2018, and on Starz Kids & Family in 2012.
Home video releases
Cast
Actor/actress | Character(s) |
---|---|
Jonathan Taylor Thomas | Jake |
Jessica Biel | Allie |
Adam LaVorgna | Eddie |
Gary Cole | Jake's dad |
Eve Gordon | Carolyn |
Lauren Maltby | Tracey |
Andrew Lauer | Nolan |
Sean O'Bryan | Max |
Lesley Boone | Marjorie |
Amzie Strickland | Mary Tom Tom girl |
Natalie Barish | Darlene (Tom Tom girl) |
Mark De La Cruz | Esteban |
Kathleen Freeman | Gloria (Tom Tom girl) |
Jack Kenny | Gabby |
Celia Kushner | Mama (Tom Tom girl) |
Blair Slater | Ian |
P.J. Prinslow | The Brandt-Man |
Kevin Hansen | The Murph-Man |
James Sherry | The Ken-Man |
Alexandra Mitchell | Little Girl at Hospital |
Eric Pospisil | Little Boy at Bus Station |
Cathy Weseluk | Wendy Richards |
Peter Kelamis | Conway (Bus Driver) |
Betty Linde | Older Lady in Bus |
Awaovieyi Agie | Service Man |
Brendan Beiser | Bellhop |
Graeme Kingston | Pizza-eating Santa |
Ian Robison | Mayor Wilson |
Ernie Jackson | Kenyan Santa |
Kurt Runte | Taxi Driver |
Nicole Oliver | Tickets Agent |
Tasha Simms | Parade Manager |
Dmitry Chepovetsky | Angel |
Delores Drake | Fraulein Maid |
Chris Willes | Race Official |
Nick Misura | Groundskeeper |
Mark Acheson | Sandwich Passenger |
Bart Anderson Tom Heaton Eileen Pedde |
Turf 'n Turf Customers |
J.B. Biven | Santa in a Port-a-Potty |
Annette Dreeshen | Nose-strip Girl |
Manami Hari | Edelbruck Clerk |
Sarah May | Sierra |
Alexander Milani | Wet Lap Boy |
Ron Timms | Party Guy |
David Neale | Running Santa |
Paul Norman | Bushick |
Michael Northey | Freight Handler |
Melissa Sauer | Busmom |
Mike Battie | Santa in Stilts |
Uncredited | |
Elizabeth Friedman | Friend |
Paul McMichael | Student |
Bonnie Smart | Yelling Nun |
External links
content from Wikipedia (view authors). |