By Jasmin Collado
The year is quickly coming to a close and we are all anxiously waiting for the big day. But before Santa comes down your chimney, get together with the family and enjoy some of the best movies about the Christmas season. Without getting into what makes a real Christmas movie, let’s start the list off with one that definitely is, Die Hard. Even though this movie is from 1988, it holds up well as a believable action movie, and has even been considered as one of the best action movies of all time. If you have not seen this movie then buckle up and enjoy.
Bruce Willis plays a New York City cop, John McClane, who visiting his wife in California becomes involved in stopping the terroristic takeover of the Nakatomi Building. Alan Rickman makes a great villain because he is interesting, evil and yet likable. Willis has a cowboy attitude about doing what is right in that situation, even calling himself Roy Rogers. If you are still wondering why this is a Christmas movie, then remember that this was set during Christmas, there are presents, and at the end there is a redemption for the main character, as well as a key supporting character. I do not want to give it away, but when a policeman draws his weapon at the end, it is one of my favorite parts. If you are the one person who still has not seen this movie, this should be number one one on your list this break.
If you are more inclined to laugh than bite your fingernails, then you probably have already seen Will Farrell in Elf. This movie is pretty old too, coming out originally in 2003, so that means this is a twenty-year-old film. It is still as funny and outrageous today as it was two decades ago. Part of the humor is the life lessons learned by Farrell who is an orphan, but raised by an elf at the North Pole.
The charms are the life lessons and heartwarming moments that offset the silly comedy. Buddy, (Farrell) is a human who goes to New York City to find his real father (James Caan). When he finds him he learns about the true meaning of Christmas, which is where the value of this movie lives. James Caan is a great grumpy father-figure who softens up by the end of the movie. This is also a great movie if you have younger siblings because it is funny and age appropriate. By the way, if you want to see this one on the bigger screen, the PHS film club is sponsoring this movie on December 20, in the auditorium.
If you asked (and we did) what everyone’s favorite Christmas movie is, in addition to Elf, then Home Alone would top the list. Another older movie, coming out in 1990, the original Home Alone, has become a Christmas classic. Even though Macaulay Culkin is weird looking today, he did a great job as a child actor thirty-five years ago. He plays Kevin McCallister, who is accidentally left home alone. His family leaves him sleeping in the attic, where he was sent because of his bad behavior, to go on a Christmas vacation in Paris. Yes, this family is loaded. At first, Kevin is excited to have the whole house to himself, even ordering himself a cheese pizza. But, when two incompetent burglars (played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) attempt to rob the house, Kevin takes up the responsibility to defend his house at all costs.
It is in the battle plan to defend the house in the last thirty minutes of that film that will leave you gasping for air from laughter. But if it were all just comedy then this movie would have been forgotten. It is the heartfelt moments that make this movie an all-time favorite for young and old alike. How fun is it that you can watch a movie with your folks who enjoyed the movie when they were young, and it is still relevant to a modern audience. Good movies will do that.
After you catch your breath from the first Home Alone, get a bathroom break and continue the marathon with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Coming out just two years after the first movie, and just as good, Home Alone 2 follows the exact same format as the first. With the exact same cast and plot, burglars Harry and Marv (still played by Pesci and Stern) are let out of jail. They plan to rob a toy store this time, but Kevin McCallister will not have it. He is in New York City this time, and gets another cheese pizza, and a ride in a limousine to eat it. He even gets directions from Donald Trump, which shows that he was always a celebrity. The comedy based on the destruction of two goofy criminals, as well as the heart-warming story of friendship and loyalty makes this movie a Christmas classic. However, when you finish Home Alone 2 then stop, the next three movies are not worth the time.
One of the first completely CGI films is The Polar Express, which came out in 2004. While some say the imagery of characters is a little weird, the story, music and charm make this movie a classic, especially if you are watching with little ones. The story is based on a children’s book of the same name, by Chris Van Allsburg. It is the story of a young boy who takes a train ride to the North Pole.
Tom Hanks plays many roles in this movie and he is good in all of them, which is the sign of a great actor. The musical numbers will have you singing along and watching attentively to the end. It may not be the best movie of all time but it is a Christmas classic that makes the top ten list. The song “Believe” by Josh Groban would be enough to bring this movie to classic status all by itself. It makes believers of us all, whether young or old.
A year 2000 remake of the original animated classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss, features Jim Carrey as the Grinch. The fluffy grumpy creature hates Christmas and attempts to steal it away from Whoville. The whole reason this movie makes it is due to Carrey, who is like a cartoon character himself. The story of the Grinch is well-known, so the movie had to make interesting choices about how to make it relevant to a modern audience. They largely succeeded in that. The makeup effects and the funny numbers make this a choice that will please the entire family. Carrey throws enough jokes in that keep the older ones entertained and the whole thing is funny for your little brothers and sisters as well.
As long as we are talking about the Grinch, the original cartoon version is also a classic. It is not a full-length movie, but it is perfect for little ones. Made for television in 1966, the animation seems a bit dated sometimes, but the story is forever. The 2018 version is more modern in its presentation but it does not hold the charm of the original, or the originality of the Carrey version. If you like Jim Carrey, there is a sequel to the live action Grinch in production that will be out for next Christmas season. Hopefully that one will make the top-ten list next year.
Another fun family favorite that will keep everyone interested is another mult-decade old movie, Jingle all the Way. In this one, Arnold Schwartenegger plays a busy dad who does not have time for his family, missing family events and such. He forgets to buy his son a Turbo Man doll for Christmas, and, “only being the hottest selling toy ever,” he has no hope of finding one. He runs into another busy dad, played by Sinbad, and the two of them go head to head competing for the unavailable toy. The true meaning of Christmas giving is brought out by the end and everyone gets a Turbo Man. However, the fun of this classic 1996 movie is that it is still not dated, and the fun characters make the whole experience worthwhile. The ending scenes with Arnold are just funny and you need to make sure that you wait until the end of the credits for a post-credit chuckle. You will probably want to skip Jingle All the Way 2, with Larry the Cable Guy as the protagonist.
If you have some Jewish friends, or even if you don’t, perhaps Eight Crazy Nights will be some entertainment for the family. However, your family should be older. This is not a movie for younger kids because there is a bunch of off-color humor and even some substance abuse. Even though Adam Sandler plays a Jewish protagonist, he lives in a smaller New York town which is filled with people from all walks of life.
Coming out in 2002 this movie still looks pretty good and the jokes are still funny. It is not as good as the all-time classics, but for the purpose of this list, it still makes the top-ten. Adam Sandler is funny and this movie came out at the height of his popularity.
Another movie intended for youngsters, and still keeping with the theme of dads who are too busy for their families, is The Santa Clause, which is almost a Disney franchise by itself now. The original came out in 1994, with Tim Allen, the tool man, who plays Scott Calvin. He actually becomes Santa because of the Santa Clause, a contract that makes Calvin take his place in the event of an accident, like falling off the roof. The magic of Christmas and believing in Santa is at the heart of this movie, and it does have a lot of heart. The first one came out in 1994, then the sequel wasn’t released until 2002, when Santa had to get married to remain Santa. It is also fun, but not as good as the first one. The third of the original trilogy came out in 2006. The Escape Clause puts Santa up against Jack Frost who is jealous of Santa, also not as good as the original. Now there is a series on Disney+ called The Santa Clauses, which I have not had to time to check out yet, so stay tuned.
Finally, no Christmas list would be complete without mentioning number 10. A family movie about a good old-fashioned family Christmas, and how it all goes wrong. What could be more perfect than watching 1989’s funniest movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? The Griswolds begin the movie by avoiding road rage and hypothermia finding a Christmas tree, and end by having SWAT and the fire department over for a fun Christmas party. This is truly a classic and once you watch it the first time, it will be a fun addition to family Christmas movie marathons in the future.
So that is the top-ten list of family favorite Christmas and holiday movie marathon selections. I hope you have found a good one here, that you may not have seen. If you think I forgot any, please let me know by dropping a note in M117, the home of the Hilltop Star, or on our Google Classroom site.
