Christmas time is here, and that means alongside family gatherings and Christmas shopping, it is time to watch some holiday classics. Christmas is the one holiday that is practically a film genre onto itself, and every year there is a new batch of holiday movies that are competing with one another to become a new holiday classic. The very nature of Christmas movies means they have a shelf life far beyond their theatrical run because audiences can revisit them yearly and when one click can become part of a holiday tradition.
Everyone knows the classics that play every year on television like A Christmas Story or It's A Wonderful Life. There are multiple versions of A Christmas Carol for audiences to choose from. The Santa Clause films are an entire franchise themselves. Elf and The Polar Express are two of the most recent Christmas movies to be considered holiday classics and almost every year have special screenings in movie theaters. Everybody has likely had the "Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?" discussion at least once in their life.
These movies are all classics, but there are plenty of great Christmas films that have flown under the radar and deserve another look. These underrated Christmas movies are worth checking out and possibly could become new yearly watches for the holiday season.
The Ref
The Ref has an incredibly ingenious premise: a criminal on Christmas Eve abducts a married couple to avoid being caught by the police only to discover the couple is constantly bickering and are set to host Christmas Eve dinner for their equally dysfunctional family, forcing the criminal to deal with the threat of arrest while also losing his mind at the bickering family.
The Ref is one of the funniest Christmas movies ever, with a dark, adult, R-rated sensibility to contrast with the typical family friend holiday setting. Denis Leary gives one of his all-time great comedic performances and if one can look past the Kevin Spacey of it all, The Ref is likely to become an unexpected holiday surprise for anyone who hasn't seen it.
Happiest Season
Released on Hulu in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Happiest Season is the typical bringing your spouse home for the holiday movie, but with the added element of it being a young lesbian couple (Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis) and one party member not having come out to her traditionally conservative parents. Happiest Season clearly has fun playing off the misunderstandings and needing to lie to keep a cover but also digs into the damaging aspects that can have on a person and a relationship.
The movie never cast judgment on any side, even though it would be easy to, and finds a relatable reason for both the frustration of one person in a relationship being hidden and also the other partner's fear of losing their family just for being who they are. It offers a unique perspective on the holiday season from a queer lens that is often missing in mainstream films and particular holiday movies. Happiest Season is both hilarious and sweet and one that more people should watch.
Klaus
Klaus is a Netflix original animated movie released in 2019 and while it was nominated for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards it has sadly gotten overlooked in recent years and does not quite get the attention it deserves. The movie is a reworking of the Santa Claus mythology and focuses on a young postman who befriends a reclusive toy maker named Klaus.
Klaus is gorgeously animated, with a classic hand-drawn animation that lends to the old-time classic traditional nature of the film. It has a heartwarming story, and just the sheer inventiveness of reimagining Santa Claus to feel both distinct but also universally iconic makes it a must-watch.
Krampus
On the other side of Klaus is Krampus, the 2015 holiday horror movie that sees a dysfunctional family haunted by the European folklore creature for having lost the holiday spirit. The family must band together and remember the spirit of Christmas or suffer at Krampus's hands. Krampus is a great pick for anybody still looking for those spooky Halloween vibes during the holiday season.
While horror films are not one typically associated with Christmas, the story very much gets at the heart of the holiday season reminding viewers to not lose sight of what is important during the season of giving. After all, one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time is a ghost story, A Christmas Carol, where Scrooge is visited by three ghosts to remind the audience of the importance of the Yuletide season. Krampus serves as a more horrific but still funny extension of that story.
Shazam!
When it comes to superhero Christmas stories, most attention goes to either Batman Returns or Iron Man 3, yet Shazam! might be the best of the bunch. The story of a young foster kid who is given the ability to turn into a full adult superhero by saying a magic word is childhood wish fulfillment.
While at first, the Christmas setting appears as a visual aesthetic, as the film progresses it becomes part of the theme of the film. Shazam! is a film about the importance of family, and the big heroic moment of the film is when the main character shares his power with his new foster family giving them the strength to vanquish the villain.
The Night Before
The Night Before stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie as three friends who have spent Christmas Eve together since high school and have a slew of traditions, but as they have gotten older have decided to have one last big Christmas Eve. The Night Before is a movie based on holiday traditions and their importance, as they help give the holiday meaning. The film includes multiple references to other holiday classics like Home Alone, It's A Wonderful Life, Die Hard, and many more. The Night Before is a truly 21st Century Christmas movie and one that should become a yearly tradition.
Arthur Christmas
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Arthur Christmas follows Santa's youngest son Arthur who, after discovering his father's new high-tech sleigh failed to deliver one girl's Christmas present, sets out to make sure the girl gets her Christmas gift so that she doesn't lose her holiday spirit. It is a simple premise but an incredibly enduring one that also serves as a mini-origin story for a new Santa Claus, tapping into the qualities of what viewers want from the character.
Arthur Christmas has a fun time reworking the mythology behind Santa Claus, building off of previously established lore but also making a version that is unique to its own that makes for an exciting world of possibilities. Arthur Christmas was a decent hit at the box office when it was released and has found more life in subsequent years on home video and streaming. It's a surprisingly hilarious movie for the whole family, much funnier than other kid-friendly holiday films, and as the years go on it will hopefully grow more of an audience.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was the directorial debut of writer Shane Black, who rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s for his action comedy scripts like Lethal Weapon and The Long Kiss Goodnight, both of which were set at Christmas. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is no different and is elevated to greatness thanks to Black's sharp script and the incredible ensemble of Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan, and Val Kilmer.
The film is a neo-noir crime drama drawing heavily from pulp hard-boiled detective novels and the Los Angeles Christmas setting highlights that. There is something slightly off about the LA Christmas setting, as it does not feature any of the traditional trademarks people associate with the holidays like snow, and instead is a sunny climate. Everything is slightly artificial, highlighting how nothing can really be trusted as it is all fake. Yet the Los Angeles Christmas also has a cool aspect, being an alternative to the traditional Christmas aesthetics and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an alternative Christmas movie for people looking for something unique.