Once again, the holidays – or is it holidaze? – are upon us, bringing with it a flurry of Christmas movies.
You have your endless parade of cartoons, specials, Christmas-themed episodes of your favorite TV shows, bad holiday comedies (1996’s Jingle All the Way and 2007’s Fred Claus come to mind), and Christmas-set horror movies (1984’s Gremlins). Then there’s the cheesy yet feel-good Lifetime and Hallmark films. And how can we forget the 24-hour marathon of 1983’s A Christmas Story (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year), beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on Christmas Day?
If those don’t do it for you, maybe these lists of Christmas movies will.
Classic Christmas Movies
You can’t go wrong with these classics, which can lighten the hearts of even the most ardent cynics.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947): If Christopher Reeve is the definitive Superman, Edmund Gwenn is the definitive Santa Claus. In fact, he won an Oscar for this role. Santa/Kris Kringle becomes the in-store Santa at Macy’s in New York City and creates quite the stir. Attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne) must prove Santa is the genuine article. Along the way, Santa befriends a smart yet cynical little girl named Susan (Natalie Wood), whom he must convince he is who he says he is.
This movie also stars Maureen O’Hara, William Frawley, Porter Hall, and Thelma Ritter in what is an enduring, charming tale that had no business being remade throughout the decades (particularly 1994’s remake).
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): Hard to believe, Wonderful Life received mixed reviews and wasn’t successful at the box office upon release, even though it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Today, it is a Christmas classic and considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Director Frank Capra chronicles the tale of everyman George Bailey (James Stewart), who is about to commit suicide on Christmas Eve, thanks to the shady machinations of business rival Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who swears out a warrant for his arrest. George had grandiose dreams, but he sacrificed them for the greater good, ensuring the people of Bedford Falls would have a roof over their heads.
As he’s about to take his own life, his guardian angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) – who will finally earn his wings if he saves George – shows him what life be like without him had he never been born, transporting him to a dark alternate world where Bedford Fall is now Pottersville, which is populated by sin businesses and crime. The people he once knew are callous and hardened, including his own mother (Beulah Bondi). George begs Clarence to let him live again, not caring what happens to him.
As he returns home, full of good cheer, the people whose lives George touched reach out to him in his hour of need. Reunited with his wife Mary (Donna Reed) and his kids, he learns Clarence finally got his wings. Stewart’s acting is phenomenal; there’s a reason why he’s one of Hollywood’s beloved icons. Throughout the decades, Wonderful Life has been remade – and unnecessarily at that.
The Bishop’s Wife (1947): Based on Robert Nathan’s 1928 novella of the same name, The Bishop’s Wife stars Hollywood legend Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. Bishop Henry Brougham (Niven) is unable to raise the necessary funds to build a new cathedral. Praying to God for guidance, his prayer is answered in the form of a suave, debonair guardian angel named Dudley (Grant), who reveals his true identity only to Broughman. The bishop’s so obsessed with fundraising that he neglects his family.
In the meantime, Dudley finds himself falling for Julia (Young), Broughman’s wife, as he inspires the bishop’s congregation to perform good dudes. At the climax of the movie, Dudley does the honorable thing and doesn’t interfere with the Broughmans’ marriage. He tells Broughman that it’s very rare for an angel to envy a mortal. His work completed, Dudley moves on to his next mission, all memory of him erased.
Fun fact: The Broughmans’ daughter Debby was portrayed by Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu in Wonderful Life.
Fun fact: This movie was remade in 1996 as The Preacher’s Wife with Denzel Washington as Dudley, Courtney B. Vance, and Whitney Houston.
White Christmas (1954): Hollywood legends Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney star in this classic musical, featuring the songs of Irving Berlin and Crosby’s definitive version of the titular song, “White Christmas” (introduced in 1942’s Holiday Inn).
Singers Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Phil Davis (Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. They run into Gen. Waverly (Dean Jagger), Bob and Phil’s commanding officer in World War II, whose country inn is failing. The four plan a yuletide miracle: A fun-filled musical extravaganza that’s sure to put Waverly and his business back in the black. Future Oscar winner George Chakiris of West Side Story fame plays one of the men dancing with Clooney.
Filmed in Technicolor, White Christmas is notable for being the first movie to be released in VistaVision, a widescreen process developed by Paramount that uses twice the surface area of standard 35mm film.
Modern Miracles
You also can’t go wrong with these modern-day classics, which are worth watching.
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017): This biopic chronicles how Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) wrote his 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol, which gave the world Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim. He has only six weeks to complete it in time for Christmas, which wasn’t widely celebrated at that point. He’s seen interacting with his characters as he pens his masterpiece, including Scrooge (Christopher Plummer). Despite the odds against him, A Christmas Carol is an overnight success and has profoundly impacted Christmas.
Speaking of Dickens…
A Christmas Carol (1984): Yes, many have portrayed Scrooge on the big and small screens – Alastair Sim, Reginald Owen, Albert Finney, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Jim Carrey, et al – but few bring the gravitas to the role that George C. Scott does in this adaptation. Indeed, he gives a tour de force performance.
There’s a strong chemistry between him and Edward Woodward’s Ghost of Christmas Present as they exchange barbs with spot-on delivery. After Scrooge is redeemed, in the scene he apologizes to his nephew Fred (Roger Rees), he maintains his dignity and doesn’t grovel as seen in other adaptations. He also can’t help having fun with a tardy Bob Crachit (David Warner). This version closely follows the novel (with minor changes) and is considered the definitive version.
While we’re still on the subject of Dickens…
Scrooged (1988): One of the better remakes of A Christmas Carol, Richard Donner’s Scrooged is considered an alternative to traditional Christmas movies. TV mogul Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a heartless, cheap, tyrannical exec who forces his staff to work through Christmas as his network puts on a live version of A Christmas Carol (very meta). Like Scrooge, he’s visited by three ghosts who take him on a journey of his past and give him a chance at redemption.
The movie co-stars Robert Mitchum, Alfre Woodard, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, David Johansen, Carol Kane, with cameos by Buddy Hackett, Mary Lou Retton, Jamie Farr, and Lee Majors. Majors’ cameo is one of the funniest scenes as he and Santa Claus team up to save the North Pole from terrorists in Cross’ movie, The Night the Reindeer Died. It would’ve been great had that movie actually been made!
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989): Based on screenwriter John Hughes short story “Christmas ’59” that was published in National Lampoon magazine of all places, the third installment – and the funniest – in the Vacation franchise tells the story of Clark Griswold’s (Chevy Chase) efforts to have a good old-fashioned family Christmas take a hilarious turn for the worse.
There’s the unwelcome arrival of redneck Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his clan. There are Clark’s attempts at lighting his house’s exterior Christmas lights, which cause a citywide blackout. Clark is devastated to learn his miserly boss Frank Shirley (Brian Doyle-Murray) has canceled Christmas bonuses, which Clark hoped to use to pay for a swimming pool. As a result, Cousin Eddie kidnaps Frank and the Griswold home is invaded by the SWAT team.
In the end, despite it all, everything works out for the best as Clark learns the true meaning of Christmas.
Home Alone (1990): Hughes delivers another holiday hit with Home Alone, the second highest-grossing movie of 1990 behind Ghost. The McCallister family is preparing to leave for Paris where they will spend the holiday. Extended family stays with them in their suburban Chicago home, forcing son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin in his star-making role) to sleep in the attic. A power outage occurs, and everyone oversleeps. Barely making their plane in time, they inadvertently leave Kevin behind, and his mother, Catherine O’Hara, doesn’t realize this until they’re halfway to Paris.
At first, Kevin is having a blast having the whole house to himself. He then tests his mettle against the Wet Bandits, a duo of criminals played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who break into his house. He outsmarts them by rigging the house with booby traps. Once they’re arrested, Kevin is reunited with his relieved mom. Home Alone should’ve stopped there, but since it made beaucoup bucks, naturally it spawned a franchise. Don’t bother. Stick with the first film.
Christmas Action Movies
These movies have been debated if they’re truly Christmas movies per se. Christmas is only the backdrop and not the central theme.
Die Hard (1988): This classic action film is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year! Time flies. Die Hard wasn’t expected to do well, yet it cleaned up at the box office and made a movie star out of Bruce Willis. The term Die Hard has since become shorthand for plots featuring overwhelming odds in a restricted environment, such as 1994’s Speed being referred to as “Die Hard on a bus.”
Detective John McClane (Willis) goes to Nakatomi Plaza to meet his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), in an effort to fix their rocky marriage. As they argue, terrorists led by the suave, debonair yet deadly, ruthless Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take everyone hostage and it’s up to John to save the day – and his wife. Barefoot, John uses guerilla warfare tactics to take out the terrorists one by one, getting badly wounded along the way.
While it’s disputed that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, it cannot be disputed that it changed the way action movies are made.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990): “You’re the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time!” And thank God he is, that McClane. The often-overlooked second installment in the Die Hard franchise also occurs on Christmas Eve, a year after the original (amazing how quickly McClane recovered from his wounds). While waiting for his wife Holly’s plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, McClane discovers terrorists have hijacked Dulles’ air traffic control system in order to spring a drug czar being flown in from overseas. As a result, all planes must remain airborne with several running low on fuel – including Holly’s.
The premise is wildly unrealistic (Uncle Sam would NOT fly a drug czar who’s based on Manuel Noriega to a commercial airport on Christmas Eve) yet spectacularly entertaining!
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996): Writer Shane Black likes to set his movies during Christmas – 1987’s Lethal Weapon, 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and 2013’s Iron Man 3 – and this underrated action flick is no exception. Geena Davis plays teacher Samantha Caine, who’s found washed ashore on a beach, pregnant with her daughter Caitlin (Yvonne Zima) and totally amnesiac. After suffering a concussion during a car accident, Samantha discovers fighting skills she’s never demonstrated before, particularly when an assassin comes to her home. Recruiting P.I. Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson), Samantha learns she’s really a CIA assassin who’s been MIA for eight years. They also discover a false flag operation within the CIA.
Easily one Black’s best scripts.
Enemy of the State (1998): Set during Christmas, this smartly-written, fast-paced techno-thriller directed by Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer eerily predicts the Patriot Act. A group of National Security Agency operatives led by Tom Reynolds (Jon Voight) go rogue and kill a congressman (Jason Robards) who refuses to support new counterterrorism legislation that violates the privacy of citizens. They stage his murder to appear to be a heart attack.
However, it’s caught on tape, which is unknowingly placed in the possession of attorney Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith). Consequently, Reynolds destroys Dean’s reputation and makes him Public Enemy No. 1. His only hope to clear his name is an enigmatic man named Brill (Gene Hackman).
Easily one of Smith’s best films – if not his best, Independence Day, Ali, and Men in Black be damned.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): The Oscar-nominated animated film from the fertile imagination of auteur Tim Burton was originally a poem he wrote in 1982. Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, accidentally wanders into Christmas Town. Jack decides that he and his fellow Halloween Town denizens will take it over. He kidnaps Santa Claus (Ed Ivory) and delivers horrific gifts to children worldwide. In the end, he learns the true meaning of Christmas and works with Santa to fix his mistake.
The film’s updated stop-motion animation and Burton’s distinct visual style, combined with frequent collaborator Danny Elfman’s musical score, make it a very unique visual treat.
Batman Returns (1992): Another Burton entry deserving a second chance. Ignore the scenes with that disgusting Penguin (Danny DeVito), which ruin an otherwise worthy sequel to 1989’s Batman, also directed by Burton. It’s the smoldering chemistry of Batman (Michael Keaton in his last appearance as Batman until this summer’s The Flash) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) that heats up this Christmas “tail.” Although enemies as Batman and Catwoman, they are lovers as Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. Once they learn who they truly are, things get complicated (quite the understatement).
Burton’s distinctive vision of Gotham City set against a Christmas backdrop make it quite the visual spectacle.
