Story
A group of children find themselves snowed in at Hoover International Airport while in transit to visit family at Christmas. They are Spencer (Dyllan Christopher) and his younger sister Santa-phobic Charlie (Tyler James Williams), rich-girl Grace (Gina Mantegna), tomboy Donna (Quinn Shephard), and quiet and child-like Beef (Brett Kelly). The unexpected stopover and Christmas holiday travel reminds them all of their various family problems, including divorce, abandonment and family expectations.
As unaccompanied minors at the airport, the children are taken by Passenger Relations worker Zach (Wilmer Valderrama) to the Unaccompanied Minors (UM) Lounge. The five older children decide that the chaos of the UM Lounge is not for them and make their escape. This action earns them the wrath of the surly Passenger Relations manager, Oliver (Lewis Black). His holiday to Hawaii has also been ruined by the weather. The children are caught by security and thrown back into the UM Lounge.
Undaunted, they band together, realising that only as a team can they free themselves again. Spencer has added incentive to escape, because he has now become separated from his sister. With their combined abilities and the aid of soft-hearted Zach, they again try to escape. At the same time, Oliver and his security team are desperately trying to control them.
Themes
Separated families
Violence
There is some violence in this movie, mostly intended for comic effect, including:
- Donna punches a number of people in the stomach and groin and they are shown to be in pain
- Zach is jumped on and crushed by children in the UM Lounge. He is seen to be in distress but recovers quickly
- a dog bites a baggage handler on the bottom and another in the groin. While the men yell in pain, the children are seen to escape.
- in the unclaimed baggage area, Donna finds num-chucks and Charlie finds a cane. They hurt themselves while trying them out.
- during a chase scene down a snowed covered hill, Oliver and his security guards give chase on various toboggan-like objects. They all lose control at different points and crash into trees, snow, car-parks. They are not shown to have any serious injuries from these accidents.
- Oliver upsets a hotel guest, who is shown raising a fist to him. Oliver is heard to yell “ow!” and reappears with a bruised face, slightly bloodied nose and lip.
Sexual references
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
- Charlie finds a bra in the suitcase he is trapped in and makes approving sounds and nods
- Donna kisses Charlie, and he tells her she’s ‘hot’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
In one scene, Spencer’s auntie wakes up on Christmas Day with a bottle of spirits in her hand, looking hung over.
Nudity and sexual activity
None
Product placement
None
Coarse language
There is no coarse language in this movie, but there is some name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
While many children will enjoy the slapstick and occasional toilet humour in Unaccompanied Minors, adolescents and adults may find the humour weak and the plot improbable. You might like to talk about values such as the importance of family, whatever shape it takes, teamwork and friendship, and forgiveness and generosity. You could also talk about the real-life consequences of using violence to resolve issues, and the impact of divorce.