Your favorite festive movies ranked, from Christmas classics to total turkey
How many times have you watched True Love this month? What is it about Home Alone that makes us want to come back for more? Is The Holiday really that bad, and is there any perfect Christmas movie?
Well, if there’s one lesson to be learned from the cinematic ghosts of last Christmas, it’s that festive features come in all shapes and sizes. Moral stories, flashy soap operas, sweet fantasies, explosive action sequences — you can name it, we’ve seen it all. Some of them get better with each viewing, others start to lose their sparkle.
Let’s take a look inside the vault and see which Christmas movies made this year’s best list and which ones deserve to be thrown in the naughty corner…
It was a wonderful life (1946)
Originally a box office flop, Frank Capra’s gripping epic Yuletide stars the inimitable James Stewart as George Bailey, a desperate businessman pulled by guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers), he came back from the brink on a cold Christmas night in Bedford Falls.
Indeed, the clever Clarence showed George what the world would be like if our boy had never been born. You know what will happen next. Based on a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern, Capra’s classic combines a bit of Dickensian magic with contemporary charm and drama. The end result is every bit as special as you remember. The definitive Christmas movie? May.
Review: Beautiful! 5/5
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
When a New York Santa Macy (a musically perfect Edmund Gwenn) insists that he is the real St Nick, no one believes him, at least not his skeptical boss, Doris Walker ( Maureen O’Hara). Alas, lovable Kris Kringle is finally on trial after provoking a psychologist with a vulgar language, and heroic lawyer Fred Gailey (John Payne) must get things right.
Fun fact: Gwenn remains the only actor to win an Oscar for playing Santa. Oh, and yes, the 1994 remake does, but George Seaton’s winning original is the magic.
Review: Beautiful! 5/5
Home Alone (1990)
It’s been 30 years since Kevin McCallister set up traps in his house and tried to kill a few mind thieves. Yes, that makes us feel old. Much has been made of the festive home invasion theme of John Hughes and Chris Columbus, and the room is still divided as to whether it’s a silly, throwaway caper or a favorite present. on vacation through time. We are at the back camp.
Excellent cast and great staging, Home alone is almost on the right side of the chaos and our little Macaulay Culkin has brought a cute, scary and engaging twist for all ages. Also, it was interesting to watch Joe Pesci try not to swear for two hours.
Video of the day
Review: Beautiful! 4/5
Near to
Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie
Hard Death (1988)
Spare us the exhausting debate: die hard definitely a Christmas movie and that’s the end of it. A New York police officer on duty, John McClane (Bruce Willis), flies to Los Angeles to mend things with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), on Christmas Eve. Alas, Holly and her colleagues have been held hostage by an uninvited Christmas party guest (Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber) and his greedy “trash” friends. With no spare, no shoes or socks, our little Bruce tries to save Christmas. Yippee ki-yay, Santa Claus.
Review: Beautiful! 5/5
Near to
Michael Caine takes The Muppets Christmas Carol seriously
Muppet’s Christmas Song (1992)
Did you know that Michael Caine decided to play straight in Brian Henson’s creation based on Charles Dickens’ masterpiece? “I’m going to do this film like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company,” Caine said at the time. “I would never wink, I would never do anything Muppity. I’m going to play Scrooge as if it were a purely dramatic role and there are no puppets around me.” And that’s why this beautiful little film is so successful – Caine took it seriously. Plus, the puppets are great – so are the songs. Absolutely lovely things.
Review: Beautiful! 4/5
Holiday (2006)
Oh Boy. Yes, this movie really happened. Iris (Kate Winslet) is a heartbroken reporter from London who swaps houses for Christmas with Amanda (Cameron Diaz), a heartbroken movie trailer editor from Los Angeles. Iris falls in love with Amanda’s musician friend, Miles (Jack Black), and Amanda falls in love with Iris’s irresistible handsome brother, Graham (Jude Law). Nancy Meyers delivers another sugary, big screen soap opera where everyone is rich, everyone is white, and no one talks like a real person. Only, this time, it’s set for Christmas. So terrible, almost impossible to turn away.
Verdict: Naughty! 1/5
Elves (2003)
Is Jon Favreau’s perennial favorite Christmas movie really as good as people imagine? Not necessarily. But Will Ferrell’s cute portrayal of an emotionally unstable boy who is raised by Santa Claus and travels thousands of miles to find his biological father (James Caan) in New York City, has its moments. its engraving. Most of them are now memes and GIFs. That’s what modern life is like.
Review: Beautiful! 3/5
Near to
A cuddly Tim Allen makes the Santa Clause work
Santa Claus (1994)
The middle-aged divorcee, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), is the worst father ever. However, that all changed when the real Kris Kringle slipped and fell off the roof on Christmas Eve. Raised by her precocious son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), Scott wears a suit, gets to know reindeer, and what? We have a new Santa Claus. John Pasquin’s perfect, family-friendly scene isn’t nearly as smart as one might think, but a surprisingly cuddly Tim Allen makes it a success. Skip to the next section.
Review: Beautiful! 3/5
Scrooged (1988)
Bill Murray retired because of this. Richard Donner’s surreal and subversive take on the novel by Charles Dickens stars Murray as Frank Cross, a cruel, callous and grumpy TV network president who receives a series of visits Unwanted ghost on Christmas Eve. True story: Murray was miserable on set. He also clashed with Donner and insisted on editing the script. Indeed, Scrooged It’s all over the store, but hey, it’s not all bad. Grumpy Murray is better than no Murray.
Review: Beautiful! 3/5
True Love (2003)
When newly elected British Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant) develops a crush on one of his employees, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), things get complicated at No10 Downing Street. But it’s not as complicated as the situation at her sister’s house, where poor Karen (Emma Thompson) suspects her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman), is away from home for Christmas.
Worse yet, Karen’s mate, Daniel (Liam Neeson), recently lost his wife. Meanwhile, Colin Firth’s Jamie (we don’t know to whom he’s related) tries to write a novel and Bill Nighy (he’s not related to anyone in this movie) plays the role. a rock star. Writer and director Richard Curtis admits he was under a lot of pressure about this film, and it shows. But I like Vacationswe jwe cannot turn away. Bonkers, really.
Verdict: Naughty! 2/5
All titles are available to stream on Netflix, Now TV, and Amazon Prime.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/your-favourite-festive-films-ranked-from-christmas-classics-to-total-turkeys-39850099.html Your favorite festive movies ranked, from Christmas classics to total turkey