Best 25 Christmas movies of all time
From It’s a Wonderful Life to Elf and The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, Leigh Paatsch has pulled together the must-watch movies of the festive season.
Movies
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Christmas comes but once a year, but Christmas movies come in bulk, year in, year out.
Like cheap tinsel, most of them soon lose their sparkle. So what are the best Christmas movies, the ones that truly stand the test of time?
They may not necessarily be the movies that look (the snowflakes!) or sound (the sleighbells!) like Christmas. But they are the movies that make you feel like it is Christmas. These are the movies that convey the highs, the lows and yes, the spirit, of everyone’s favourite day of the year.
25. ARHUR CHRISTMAS (2011)
BINGE, FOXTEL, NETFLIX
Ever wondered how Santa can deliver gifts to every kid in the world in one 24-hour period? Turns out the jovial gent is commander-in-chief of a rigorously planned military exercise every December 25th. This cute’n’chipper affair is the work of Aardman Studios, renowned for their classic claymations starring the great Wallace and Gromit.
24. HAPPIEST SEASON (2020)
IN CINEMAS NOW
A sprightly Christmas-themed rom-com about a same-sex couple trying to keep their relationship under wraps until the holidays are over is consistently charming fare throughout. Harper (Mackenzie Davis) does not wish to spend Christmas apart from girlfriend Abby (Kristen Stewart), so she hauls her home to join a family Christmas celebration by posing as her ‘roommate’.
23. CAROL (2015)
STAN or RENT
Christmas is not always merely a time for celebration. Often, Christmas can be a time for change. So we learn in the unforgettable opening act of this haunting adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel. Cate Blanchett’s title character meets Rooney Mara’s department store worker at the height of the shopping season, a chance encounter that radically reshapes the lives of both women in an instant.
22. THE NIGHT BEFORE (2015)
RENT ONLY
A Christmas stoner comedy, you say? That can only be the work of Seth Rogen. He stars as Isaac, one of a trio of thirty-something buddies about to end a long tradition of Christmas Eve blowouts with one last blast. The sketchy chain of events linked up here churns up a lot of big, strong, stoo-pid laughs, in a Superbad-meets-Pineapple-Express kind of way.
21. KRAMPUS (2015)
RENT ONLY
Be careful what you wish for, especially around Christmas time. This is the chilling message of Krampus, one of the stranger Christmas films to come out of Hollywood in a long, long time. This is the story of a kid whose exasperation with both his dysfunctional family (deservedly) and Santa Claus (undeservedly) invokes an evil spirit from the dark side of the North Pole. Stars Toni Collette, Adam Scott.
20. THE HOLIDAY (2006)
AMAZON, NETFLIX, STAN
A star-studded trans-Atlantic rom-com that truly gives Love Actually a run for its money. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swap addresses in the US and UK for the Christmas holidays, and both get great new guys (Jude Law and Jack Black respectively) as house-warming presents. There’s a genuine electricity between both screen couples that powers this pleasing affair right to the end.
19. BAD SANTA (2003)
RENT ONLY
99 per cent of all Christmas movies trade in the feel-good. Here is the ultimate embodiment of the other one per cent. You wouldn’t even hail it as feel-bad. This is gleefully feel-rotten to its very core. Billy Thornton plays an alcoholic safecracker who annually poses as a department store Santa to lay the groundwork for a low-risk inside job on Christmas Eve.
18. THE FAMILY STONE (2005)
FOXTEL or RENT
Dynamic ensemble comedy about the annual gathering of an eccentric clan at Christmas time. The writing is sharp, the performances are strong, and there’s barely a corny moment throughout. An underrated comedy that accurately nabs the tensions that can only arise at this time of year. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Claire Danes.
17. WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)
STAN or RENT
Yep, it’s the movie based on the immortal song of the same name by Irving Berlin. It had been used on-screen before (in 1942’s Holiday Inn), but this breezy production houses the Bing Crosby rendition everybody knows and loves. This is a syrupy song-and-dancer for the most part, but old hands like Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney keep the true Christmas spirit coming.
16. DIE HARD 1 & 2 (1988-90)
RENT ONLY
Nothing shuts out the deafening sound of bells and carols like the blam-blam-blam of hardcore action-movie double-bill. The most relevant candidate on these grounds are the first two Die Hards, where Bruce Willis goes solo against marauding hordes of terrorists. He must
do so on Christmas Eve on both occasions! What are the odds of that?
15. LAST CHRISTMAS (2019)
BINGE, FOXTEL, AMAZON
A happy-sad British rom-com centres on the December trials and tribulations of Kate (Emilia Clarke), whose messy life is suddenly cleaned up by the arrival of mysterious new boyfriend Tom (Henry Golding). The movie’s long chain of pithy punchlines, poignant revelations and Christmas cliches can haul any willing viewer to a place of misty eyes and goofy smiles.
14. SCROOGED (1988)
RENT ONLY
Yet another unconventional take on the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, and this time it’s all about the perfect casting of a magnificently miserable Bill Murray, who plays Scrooge as a supersonically sarcastic TV executive. Murray deadpan reactions to cringe-worthy Christmas excesses never fail to amuse.
13. TRADING PLACES (1983)
AMAZON or RENT
People often forget the crucial role the Xmas-New Year period plays in what many believe to be the greatest role-reversal comedy of them all. Eddie Murphy was never funnier than he is here, and the moral comeuppance delivered to those rich fat-cats at the end delivers a satisfying ‘punch the air’ moment like no other.
12. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)
DISNEY+ or RENT
The deathly dapper Fred Astaire double Jack Skellington is the King Of Halloweentown, a strange hamlet devoted to America’s scariest annual holiday. However, Jack is getting bored with the tricking and treating, so he moves to hijack Christmas from the control of one S. Claus. A creepily subversive dose of Christmas jeer from writer-producer Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
11. HOME ALONE 1 and 2 (1990-92)
FOXTEL, DISNEY+
Don’t go feeling sorry for little Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). So what if his family abandoned him at Christmas? Not once, but twice! The kid knows how to fend for himself. So half-witted house burglars like Joe Pesci had better watch out. Both movies are clever, inventive adventure-comedy affairs that stand up strong to repeat visits.
10. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)
DISNEY+ or RENT
Of the 50-plus adaptations of this Dickens depression-fest, this is the one the leaves out the sad stuff and goes for your funny bone. The choice of Gonzo as narrator is inspired, and Michael Caine makes one heck of a silly-sinister Scrooge. As with all things Muppets, all ages will be happy with the results.
9. LOVE, ACTUALLY (2003)
BINGE, FOXTEL, AMAZON, STAN
Everyone’s favourite sneaky Christmas guilty pleasure. Ten tales of relationships starting, ending and changing shape are explored with considerable wit and eloquence. Does get very, very mushy at times, but the overall excellence of a stellar ensemble (Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson and Laura Linney) more than compensates. The most inspired piece of casting will always be Hugh Grant (yes, Hugh Grant!) as a British Prime Minister game enough to tell a US President (played by Billy Bob Thornton) where to get off.
8. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947)
DISNEY+ or RENT
It is over 70 years old now, and this weapons-grade weepie has lost none of its potency when it comes to bringing on the sniffles. All you need to know is that a kindly, but disoriented department store Santa named Kris Kringle is being hauled through the courts to prove he is not insane. His defence is a real Christmas cracker: all evidence suggests Mr Kringle might really be Mr Claus himself! A 1994 remake goes equally well.
7. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000)
NETFLIX, AMAZON, STAN
Based on the beloved Dr Seuss children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this is quite an impressive piece of work. Jim Carrey (that man again!) has a field day in the title role, the title role, the only living creature in the vicinity of the happy hamlet of Whoville who hates the Festival of Santa with a passion. The wonderful narration (quoting directly from the book) comes from celebrated actor Anthony Hopkins.
6. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)
BINGE, FOXTEL
The guilty-pleasure option few can ever resist. The immortally idiotic Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his extended clan have yet another holiday from hell. Every dumb Xmas joke imaginable gets the right going-over from the movie’s secret weapon, screenwriter John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Home Alone). Co-stars Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Randy Quaid.
5. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009)
DISNEY+ or RENT
A surprisingly faithful (and often, archly scary) adaptation of the classic novel by Charles Dickens. You want your heartwarming feel-good ending? You are going to have to earn it. Just like that mean old skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) must earn a seemingly undeserved shot at redemption. Animated in the eerie “motion-capture” style of The Polar Express, and the visual power brandished here is impressive.
4. THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY (1968)
YOUTUBE (free)
A beautiful, touching interpretation of the classic carol. Complete with parrup-a-pum-pums supplied by the Vienna Boys Choir. Though the animation used to bring this tale to life is primitive, it more than gets the job done. Has never been available on home streaming, but you can find a great copy on YouTube. A gift that will always keep on giving.
3. ELF (2003)
RENT ONLY
One of those rare Christmas comedies with both a big heart, and big laughs to match. Will Ferrell is brilliant as Santa’s not-so-little helper, forced to abandon the North Pole to find his real dad in mean old New York. Ferrell’s outmoded dialogue is a particular delight. It takes some serious skill for an adult male to cheerily exclaim “smiling is my favourite!” and “I’m a cotton-headed ninny muggins!”
2. THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004)
BINGE, FOXTEL, NETFLIX
Starring the many ‘likenesses’ of Tom Hanks, an emotionally arresting and visually striking adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s award-winning picture book. A small boy having trouble believing in Santa Claus is invited on a train ride to the North Pole to experience the true spirit of Christmas. There is something indescribably unworldly about this picture, and not just because of its pioneering use of motion-capture technology.
1. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
STAN or RENT
When first released, this unconventional fable was roundly ballyhooed for its overt sentimentality. However, after infiltrating global Yuletide TV schedules in the 1960s, It’s a Wonderful Life rapidly found its due measure of respect as a legitimate family favourite. You won’t see a burly white-bearded fella in a red suit, prettily wrapped boxes under a tree, or even a reindeer. Nevertheless this downbeat chestnut is the most definitive Christmas classic of them all. The great Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a good-hearted small-town banker about to end it all one snowy December evening until he is tapped on the shoulder by a trainee angel. The wise old visitor from up above teaches George a priceless lesson about the value of a human life by revealing what the world would have turned out like if he had never lived. Yes it is cheesy all right, but it is also utterly irresistible.
Originally published as Best 25 Christmas movies of all time
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