I love the holidays. The post-Halloween to New Year's Eve period of time is one of my favorite times of the year. Right now we are going through a very bizarre holiday season where we can't (or shouldn't! #stayhome) see our families and everything's been disrupted. Well, the one thing about a lockdown holiday that can't change from the regular holiday is that we can at least watch movies at home just like we always did. Here are some of my favorite holiday movies (and no you will not find Die Hard on this list or any list I might put out haha!).
A lot of people think of this movie of a saccharine, overly sentimental movie. But it is actually really dark, and somewhat cynical. I think the movie is hopeful, sure, but it dives into some really harsh material. The undercurrent of financial despair and broken dreams runs through the film, with James Stewart brewing a hidden resentment. But it's also life-affirming, and funny.
Look I love this movie. I think the cast is perfect--Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz doing what they do perfectly with charming leading men next to them. It's funny, sweet, romantic, just about a perfect holiday movie. I kind of like that this movie doesn't really put a lot of emphasis on Christmas as a holiday. It's just about that magical time when spirits are lifted and anything can happen.
This isn't a traditional holiday movie in that it's not about the holidays. I think it mainly takes place in the summer? But it feels like a holiday classic because it played all the time during this time of year when I was a kid. We watched it as a family a lot, and it's about families coming together and getting through it. "My Favorite Things" also got rebranded as a Christmas song and that contributed to this movie being associated with the holidays a lot.
I do watch this movie almost every year during the holiday season. The animation is really striking, the story is interesting, and it's quite funny. The idea of Santa as some astronaut control zone thing isn't new but this movie does some fun things with the concept. It zips by with charm and humor, and has a touching finale. This is the kind of movie I wish had more of an audience because it's just a lot of fun.
Sandra Bullock became a household name in this melancholy romcom. The movie is about loneliness and belonging, while bringing in some hearty laughs. I have seen this movie a million time but it never fails to make me laugh (that paper boy falling off a bike!). It's a pretty smartly executed movie that taps into why some people need family, a home, a place. Sandra Bullock is just phenomenal. It's so easy to see why she skyrocketed to fame after this.
Look I gotta give the bros something, right? Considering this movie is somewhat controversial I guess you could say I giveth and taketh away like the Lorde. Shane Black is somewhat known for his Christmas movies (though I am not a fan of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, sorry). He brings his voice to the MCU template and it works. This movie is unique in the MCU and offers some exciting action scenes and a decent narrative.
This two and a half hour French Christmas melodrama is a lot weirder than you might think. It emplys a half dozen cinematic tricks and changes direction. It becomes grating towards the latter half but to the point of genius. French icon Catherine Deneuve is marvelous as the chilly, formidable matriarch and she sets the mood for this ice-cold but oddly relatable holiday movie. The movie is a looking-glass version of your basic Hollywood family Christmas movie, and that's pretty cool.
Obviously this is not an extensive list. Happy to hear any recommendations in the comments below!
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