The nights are drawing in, the stockings are hanging from the fireplace, and the shops are starting to fill with hordes of panicked shoppers. Yes, it’s Christmas, and that inevitably means it’s time to get into the spirit of the Christmas movie. No other film genre has formed itself more strongly out of a time of year. We devour Christmas movies year in, year out, and every December new films fill the cinemas while the old classics rerun on TV. Here is our list of 10 great festive films to fill the time between now and the morning of the 25th.
Day 1: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is the twisted fantasy adaptation of the beloved Dr Seuss book, and it features one of Jim Carrey’s best comedic performances. It also remains the best cinematic production of Seuss’s unique imagination and style (let’s forget The Cat in the Hat ever existed). Carrey is unrecognisable under layers of green makeup and prosthetics as the Christmas-loathing monster. His attempts to steal Christmas are thwarted by the warm heart of young Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen).
You will have to excuse the terrible “Where are you, Christmas?” song, though, and people who hate Carrey’s schtick might struggle to appreciate him in Grinch form. But it’s hard not to marvel in the bizarre production design and attention to detail, and to have your heart warmed by the sentimental but perfectly festive ending. The expense of creating Whoville ran the film’s budget to an incredible $123 million, which would make it the highest grossing Christmas film ever made.
Day 2: Scrooged (1988)
Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol has been adapted for the screen more than almost any other book: from the Alistair Sim classic in the 1940’s, to 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, to the unsuccessful Robert Zemeckis animation in 2009 (which also starred Jim Carrey). But my pick is the often overlooked Bill Murray comedy Scrooged, which updates the tale to a modern setting.
In a nice bit of meta-plot, Murray is a cold-hearted TV executive that is producing a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol when he is visited by the three spirits, including a hilarious Carol Kane. The modern update allows the story to go into new directions which may have been restricted by the Victorian setting of the original, and you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next. Scrooged is not only full of the biting wit that defines Murray’s best films, but it also does not shy away from the darkness of the story as many adaptations do.
Day 3: In Bruges (2008)
I will admit Martin McDonagh‘s profanity-laden black crime comedy In Bruges would not be everyone’s first choice for a Christmas film. A plot that involves the murder of a priest, a racist dwarf, and numerous amounts of drug use may not be particularly festive. But In Bruges is set at Christmas, and it is a fantastic film. Bruges, the picturesque medieval town in Belgium, dusted with snow and Christmas lights, is the perfect setting for such an idiosyncratic crime thriller.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as two Irish hit-men who are told to hide there after a job gone wrong, and each disagree about its appeal as a destination. The dialogue is perfectly written, and Farrell‘s performance is brilliant. Yet, it’s the deep undercurrent of sadness, guilt and regret that make the film so powerful, and these themes would not be as interesting if the film didn’t have a Christmas setting. In Bruges is absolutely a Christmas film, although you probably shouldn’t watch it after Christmas dinner with the family.
Day 4: Elf (2003)
Let’s now sift through the cinema of the 2000’s and decide what the popular classics were. For those who grew up in the first decade of the millennium, Elf will be one of the first titles on the list. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy the Elf, who grows up at the North Pole but travels to New York in search of his father. Whether you like Ferrell or not, there is an undeniable charm and appeal to his character, with his innocent demeanor, bright green costume, and bumblings around the Big Apple. James Caan also gives one of the great humbug performances as his grumpy dad. Elf manages to capture the unique wonder and excitement that Christmas evokes in kids, a wonder that slowly disappears as you grow up. It remains a popular Christmas film because it reminds us that we all used to be Buddy the Elf at one point in our lives.
Day 5: Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins is one of the darker Christmas films. It is a mischievous and blackly comic horror about the fluffy mogwais who turn into devilish monsters if you feed them after midnight. Joe Dante’s 80’s hit was actually released in the middle of June back in 1984, but the strong Christmas setting is vital to its success. The gremlins tear through an American small-town right on the verge of the festivities, with the resulting chaos and gleeful murders providing a striking contrast.
The personality, brilliant design and horrific humour make for unforgettable little monsters, and the blackly funny violence eventually inspired the creation of the PG-13 rating. Gremlins makes sly winks at a Christmas classic seen elsewhere in this article, too, in that every time a television is seen a certain Frank Capra film is playing.
Day 6: Love Actually (2003)
All logic says I shouldn’t like this film. It’s rubbish. But strange things happen at Christmas. The repetition becomes warm and familiar, the cheesiness becomes heartwarming, and Love Actually somehow becomes a great film. Richard Curtis will never apologise for the sugary-sweet, oppressively nice fantasy London his romantic comedies are set in, and here he takes it to the extreme with a Magnolia-esque sprawling epic that deals with Christmas and love. There is the ridiculous love story between Hugh Grant’s bumbling Prime Minister and his working-class secretary; Colin Firth falling for his Portuguese maid; a young Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) telling Keira Knightley that he loves her with a series of placards.
Each of these stories would be scoffed on their own, but for some reason jammed together in a festive epic they happen to work. And there’s something very real and touching about Emma Thompson’s character as a cheated-upon wife and Liam Neeson’s bonding with his stepson after the death of his wife. Plus, Bill Nighy’s sweary introduction is unforgettable.
Day 7: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Strangely, one of Tim Burton’s most famous films, and the most Tim Burton-esque of all of them in terms of visual design, wasn’t actually directed by Tim Burton. But Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is stunning to watch and probably the best of all animated Christmas films. The film combines two holidays within the towns of Christmastown and Halloweentown, and under Tim Burton’s signature style they blend together into a completely original world. The stop-motion animation is perfectly done, the characters memorable, and the music striking – but overall, the combination of the spooky and gothic with warm and festive makes the tone unlike any other Christmas film.
Day 8: Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone came from humble beginnings to become one of the biggest comedy films of all time. Like Elf, its appeal comes from evoking the inner child in all of its audience, in this case the wish fulfillment of having no adults around to tell you what to do. Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) has somehow become an iconic character, and the climax in which the burglars are defeated by a number of booby traps has become a classic scene (to the extent that even the ending of Skyfall ripped it off). The film’s plot really makes no sense at all, and it’s impossible to get around the fact that Kevin’s mom and dad are just awful parents.
Also, the number of jokes in the film is actually quite small. But there’s something about Home Alone that works, and ensures the film still gets watched nearly 25 years after its original release. What makes it effective is the well-handled theme of family, represented not just by Kevin’s mother’s desperate attempts to get home but also by the elderly neighbour’s estranged relationship with his son. In classic John Hughes fashion it manages to be simply heartwarming without straying into cheesiness, which is a surprising compliment for a 90’s comedy.
Day 9: Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard is one of the more unusual Christmas classics. There’s the fact that it has very little to do with Christmas, and also that it’s a violent action thriller. But John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) one man quest against terrorists taking a building hostage is one of the most beloved action films, and it’s partly because the whole thing takes place on Christmas Eve. It is a great film, containing a strong hero, an evil and heartless villain (Alan Rickman), and action sequences that offer just the right amount of pace, suspense and violence. Die Hard is essential viewing for every Christmas period, both as an antidote to the family-friendly niceness of other Christmas films and also just because it is an excellent excuse to sit down and watch it again.
Day 10: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Well, it was always going to be this one, wasn’t it? 68 years after it’s original release, when it surprisingly flopped at the box office, It’s a Wonderful Life remains the definitive Christmas film. It’s strange to consider this, though, since Christmas is only in it for the final act. There is also the fact that it’s about a man who is relentlessly screwed over and driven to suicidal thoughts. But the final act, when George Bailey is visited by an angel at his greatest time of need, is a beautiful reminder of what Christmas is all about: giving, generosity, and family. James Stewart gives one of his greatest performances, the scheming Mr Potter (Lionel Barrymore) is one of the most effective villains of all time, and the story connects with people watching for the first time even seven decades later.
The Christmas film is a hugely important corner of cinema. A great Christmas film can and will be watched for generations. And with new films coming out around this time, we may soon have another festive classic to be enjoyed for years to come.
What’s your favourite Christmas film? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
(top image: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – source: Buena Vista)
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.