The film is inspired by a true story by Susan Burton first told on the public radio show This American Life, under the title In the Event of an Emergency, Put Your Sister in an Upright Position in 2001.[4]
Unaccompanied Minors was released on December 8, 2006, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $21 million against a $25 million budget.
Plot
Spencer Davenport and his sister Katherine must fly from California to Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve to spend the holidays with their dad. At their layover at the Midwestern Hoover International Airport, a massive blizzard grounds all planes and cancels all flights, and the siblings are sent to the anarchic UM (unaccompanied minor) room, where they meet Christmas-spirited smarty-pants Charlie Goldfinch, surly tomboy Donna Malone, arrogant rich girl Grace Conrad, and mysterious Beef Wellington.
Charlie, Spencer, Beef, Grace, and Donna sneak out, and proceed to enjoy themselves around the airport. Caught by airport security guards and returned to the UM room, they find the other minors, Katherine included, have been sent to a lodge down the road, and that the grouchy head of passenger relations, Oliver Porter — whose trip to Hawaii was also canceled — intends for the kids to spend Christmas Eve in the UM room. Knowing that it will break Katherine's faith in Santa Claus if she does not receive a present by the next morning, Spencer asks the others to help him get a present for her.
With Spencer's plan, the kids give the friendly clerk watching them, Zach Van Bourke, the slip. Mr. Porter grows desperate to get the kids back, so sends all the airport guards to find them. After Donna and Grace fight, Spencer insists they put their differences aside and work together, and Beef leaves seeking a Christmas tree. Along the way, he reflects on how his step-father, Ernie, hoped to make him stronger by saying men are made, not born. Meanwhile, Spencer and Katherine's father tries to drive to the airport in his biodiesel fueled car, which breaks down.
The kids head to a thinly secured exit in the back of the airport, distracting the guards by freeing a dog. Hiding from Mr. Porter in baggage claim, Charlie is in a suitcase which gets placed on a conveyor belt; Donna goes after him, putting herself on a wild ride. Spencer and Grace follow them to the unclaimed baggage warehouse, where they find many wonderful presents, including a set of walkie-talkies, and a doll for Katherine.
However, seen dancing on security cameras, Mr. Porter and the guards chase them through the warehouse. Using a canoe, the kids take Zach captive and sled to the lodge while pursued by the guards, eluding Mr. Porter long enough to find Katherine asleep in the lobby, and place the doll in her arms. While running around the lodge, Grace has to remove her contacts and put on glasses, which made her look like a dork in the past (but not to Spencer).
With their mission completed, the minors quietly go back to the airport with Mr. Porter. He bumps them from their flights and places them under surveillance. The minors then confess why they act the way they do. An emotional Grace admits that even though her parents are still together, they don't spend much time with her and are traveling without her during Christmas. She has just returned from boarding school and chose to stay at the airport instead of going to her nearby home. Spencer, feeling bad, devises an escape plan.
Using the walkie-talkies, the minors tamper with the security cameras and escape through air ducts. They find the Christmas decorations Mr. Porter confiscated, and Beef returns with a huge Christmas tree that he traded his prized Aquaman action figure for. With Zach's help, the kids decorate the airport, and take items from the unclaimed baggage warehouse to use as presents for the rest of the stranded passengers.
Mr. Porter finds Spencer to admit defeat and reveals that he's unhappy because he hasn't family to spend Christmas with and his wife divorced him on Christmas five years ago. Spencer inspires some holiday spirit in him.
On Christmas morning, Mr. Porter dresses up as Santa Claus, hands out presents to the passengers and has the minors' flights restored. Spencer reunites with Katherine, their father arrives to pick them up, Beef tells a girl about his trek to find a Christmas tree, Charlie and Donna exchange phone numbers and share a kiss, and Grace accepts Spencer's invitation to spend Christmas with him and his family.
Cast
Dyllan Christopher as high schooler Spencer Davenport
Tyler James Williams recorded a song for the film with the same name but was not used in the film, only in a television spot to promote the film.[citation needed]
Reception
Box office
Unaccompanied Minors grossed $16.7 million in the United States, and $5.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $21.9 million, against a production budget of $25 million.[3]
The film grossed $5.7 million in its opening weekend, finishing seventh.[7][8] In its second weekend it dropped 39% to $3.5 million, finishing 10th.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 30% based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Unaccompanied Minors, while featuring credible performances by its mostly young cast, is simply a rehash of other, funnier movies."[9] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[7]
