Dragonfire's Picks for the Best Christmas MoviesDec 20 '07 (Updated Dec 25 '07) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I really enjoy all the movies I have included in my picks. They are all very entertaining and worth watching.
I love movies that are connected to Christmas in some way and tend to watch several every year around Christmas. I will even sit through some Christmas movies that really aren't that great again for some reason. I do have my favorites that I love watching every year. I finally decided that it was time I made up a list of what I consider to be the best Christmas movies. I have liked some Christmas movies that are considered classics even though they really aren’t any of my favorites. I have seen It’s a Wonderful Life many times and do think it is a good movie. I just got a bit burned out on it several years ago when it was played so often between Thanksgiving and Christmas on a few of the channels I got at that time. That also happened to me with Miracle on 34th Street. Before I get to my picks, I do want to briefly mention two other Christmas movies that I really like that were very close to ending up on my list. A Christmas Story, set in the 1940's, focused on Ralphie and his quest to convince his parents and Santa that he should get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. The movie was very entertaining and contained many funny moments, like when Ralphie had to put on the pink bunny suit his aunt gave him. The Santa Clause showed how Scott Calvin was magically transformed into Santa Clause after an accident on Christmas Eve. This is a unique, fun Christmas movie that is good for the entire family. The movie was successful enough to have two sequels, The Santa Clause 2, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause made. The sequels were entertaining, though not as good as the first movie. My first two picks aren’t exactly traditional Christmas movies or even some that many people would even consider as Christmas movies. I consider them to be Christmas movies since they took place around Christmas and the holiday did play a part in what was going on. These two movies could be good choices for someone who is looking for something a little different to watch around Christmas. Lethal Weapon - Just before Christmas, two very different detectives are assigned to work together. Roger Murtaugh is a happily married family man and Martin Riggs is depressed and suicidal after the death of his wife. The two men clash more than once while trying to solve the case they are working on. I love this movie and think it is one of the better movies that has Christmas elements included while not being specifically focused on some aspect of the holiday. Jingle Bell Rock played over the opening credits, one scene took place at a Christmas tree lot, holiday decorations were shown throughout the movie, and a few characters did talk about the holiday. Die Hard/ Die Hard 2: Die Harder - In both of these movies, John McClane was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In Die Hard, he had traveled to Los Angeles to see his estranged wife Holly and children for Christmas. During the Christmas party, the building where Holly worked was taken over by terrorists. John was the only man who escaped the terrorists and he set out to deal with them on his own. The movie was full of action and launched a new type of action movie and the movie career of Bruce Willis. There were a few Christmas elements in the movie without the holiday being the main focus of the movie. In the second movie, John was at the airport to meet Holly’s plane. They were spending Christmas with her parents. Terrorists took over the airport and when no one believed John about something, he took matters into his own hands to make sure Holly stayed safe. The second movie was also very entertaining, though I think there weren’t as many references to the holiday. Bad Santa - Despite the fact that this movie takes place right before Christmas and that the main character works as Santa in a mall, this is not a typical, traditional, family friendly Christmas movie in any way. Willie and Marcus were thieves who had worked together for years. They would get jobs as Santa and an elf and then rob the stores on Christmas Eve. Willie had a tendency to show up to work drunk and he talked horribly to the children. During the current job, Willie started seeing a woman named Sue with a thing for having sex with men dressed like Santa. The movie was very funny and entertaining but could also be very offensive to some people. This is not a Christmas movie for children to watch. The Nightmare Before Christmas - This animated movie blended Halloween and Christmas in a unique, entertaining plot. Jack Skellington had grown bored with planning the annual Halloween celebration for Halloweentown. He ended up finding his way to the very different Christmastown and then decided that he wanted to take over Christmas. Jack didn’t fully understand the holiday and ended up having to deal with several consequences. I tend to watch this movie between Halloween and Christmas since it features both holidays. The movie is another one that is a tad more twisted, so the darker tone might bother some people. There were several original songs included in the movie that fit in perfectly with what was going on. Home Alone - This was a fun if somewhat silly movie that focused on a young boy, Kevin, being accidentally left home alone when his family left to spend Christmas in France. He ran a bit wild, doing things his parents would never allow. In addition to dealing with being on his own, Kevin also had to deal with two robbers who were hitting all the neighborhood homes. Kevin came up with some inventive ways to protect the house. Certain things that happened weren’t the most believable, but the movie was still very entertaining. The Polar Express - This computer animated movie was based on a picture book and told the story of a special train that would pick up children who were starting to doubt the existence of Santa Clause. The children got to see Santa in the North Pole before he left on his journey. One of the children received a magical gift from Santa. The movie really dealt with believing and that message was handled well. Motion capture technology was used to create the animation and that did cause some of the characters to look a little odd at times. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) - This carton, based on the book by Dr. Seuss, has become a Christmas classic. I enjoy watching this every year around Christmas. It was about how the Whos in Whoville all loved Christmas and the Grinch, who lived just outside town, who hated everything to do with the holiday. The Grinch decided that he was going to take all the presents, decorations, and food to stop Christmas from coming. Things didn’t exactly go like he planned in this very entertaining cartoon. There were several funny moments in it and it also managed to share a message about the meaning of Christmas as well. In 2000, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was released as a live action movie with Jim Carrey playing the Grinch. Several things were added to the movie to make it longer. Many people were disappointed or upset with the movie. I enjoyed it and have watched it while decorating my Christmas tree every year for the last few years. Elf - In this funny though somewhat silly Christmas movie, Will Ferrell plays a human who was raised by an elf in the North Pole after he crawled into Santa’s sack as a baby. Buddy was an adult before he found out the truth and he decided to go to New York City to find his father, Walter, a man on the naughty list. Buddy had to deal with a very different way of life and with trying to build a relationship with Walter. The movie was very entertaining and has become one that I enjoy watching every year. There were a few gross things done for humor, but this is a family friendly movie overall. The Muppet Christmas Carol - A Christmas Carol has become a classic Christmas story and numerous movie versions have been made over the years. Several television shows have also done versions of the story. The Muppet Christmas Carol was a very entertaining version of the story featuring several of the popular characters from The Muppet Show. Michael Caine, as Ebenezer Scrooge, was one of the few human characters in the movie. The movie successfully blended humor into what is usually a more serious story. There were also a few original songs included as well. This is one of my favorite versions of A Christmas Carol. Scrooged - This modern version of A Christmas Carol featured Bill Murray in the lead role. This version of the story was more darkly twisted than many others. The darker things that popped out in some scenes worked wonderfully and added some unique twists to the movie while staying true to the spirit of the original story. I thought it was very funny how the Ghost of Christmas Present kept beating up on Frank during their time together. I believe this is the best modern version of the story. It shares a place with The Muppet Christmas Carol as one of my favorite versions of A Christmas Carol. I really can’t choose between the two movies. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Clark Griswold was once again on a quest for perfection and this time his target was his family’s Christmas celebration. Clark decided that they were going to have an old-fashioned Christmas with the entire family despite Ellen’s worries that things would go wrong. Things didn’t go well when they went to get the perfect Christmas tree and they just went downhill from there with the thousands of twinkle lights on the house that wouldn’t light and Cousin Eddie arriving uninvited in a junky RV. I love watching as Clark slowly starts to loose it before flipping out in a huge way. Clark’s flip out in this movie is the best from all the Vacation movies and it cracks me up every time. This is my favorite of the Vacation movies and probably my favorite Christmas movie as well. I watch it a few times every year in December and never get tired of seeing it. These are my picks for the best Christmas movies. I know people won’t agree with all my picks, but I really enjoy them and feel they are worth watching. Christmas Movie Reviews Alvin and the Chipmunks ~ Bad Santa ~ A Christmas Story ~ Christmas With the Kranks ~ Deck the Halls ~ Die Hard ~ Die Hard 2: Die Harder ~ Elf ~ The Family Stone ~ Fred Claus ~ Home Alone ~ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) ~ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) ~ The Ice Harvest ~ Jingle All the Way ~ Just Friends ~ Lethal Weapon ~ The Muppet Christmas Carol ~ Muppet Family Christmas ~ National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ~ The Nightmare Before Christmas ~ The Polar Express ~ The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ~ Scrooged ~  |
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