There’s just something about Christmas movies. Each year, these films turn the chaos of the festive period into comfort – and, even more importantly, provide a genre of film that every family member can just about agree on, from films about overgrown elves to cinematic firsts, festive ghost stories and even old-Hollywood classics. Here are eight of the best choices so that you won’t have to argue over the remote this Christmas.
Elf (2003)
More than 20 years on from its original 2003 release, Elf remains one of those rare Christmas movies that is both hilariously silly and (surprisingly) sincere. The film is powered entirely by Will Ferrell’s fizzy, frenzied energy. He plays Buddy the Elf – a human raised by Santa’s helpers in the north pole, who visits New York City with the hopes of finding his real dad. And in the process, he accidentally spreads more Christmas spirit than ever. It’s wild to think Jim Carrey was once in talks to star in this film, because it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Ferrell gleefully eating syrup spaghetti, or sprinting through Manhattan in full elf costume. The snow in the movie might have been computer-generated, but Ferrell’s overgrown-child energy seems totally authentic. And despite years of sequel rumours, he has firmly refused an Elf 2. Maybe knowing when to leave a perfect film alone is the real Christmas miracle?
The Polar Express (2004)
Nothing beats that time in childhood when we fully believed that a Christmas miracle was around the corner every year. The Polar Express is one of those snowy, surreal films that takes you right back to that time. Based on Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 children’s book, Robert Zemeckis’s adaptation transforms a simple bedtime story into a full-blown digital odyssey, complete with hot chocolate, choreography and Tom Hanks playing … almost everyone.
The film also made movie history as the first to be shot entirely with motion capture, which gave the animation its now-signature “uncanny” aesthetic, which almost looks like a painting. Zemeckis even snuck in a personal Easter egg: the lonely boy Billy’s address, 11344 S. Edbrooke Avenue, is the same as his own childhood home in Chicago’s Roseland neighbourhood. The film racked up major accolades, including Academy Award nominations for sound editing and sound mixing. And two decades later, it remains a reminder that sometimes the wildest rides come from having the courage to have a dream.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
This movie proves nothing says “Merry Christmas” like electrical failure, family meltdowns, and a flaming turkey. Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold: an overzealous dad determined to pull off the perfect Christmas. One of the film’s most hilarious moments – Clark’s furious battle with the stubborn string lights – was even more painful than it looked. While filming, Chase actually broke his finger during the scene, but kept going (because apparently Griswold-level commitment means suffering for your art). Depending on your age, this film is either a one-stop tutorial in 1980s hair and knitwear, or a mildly horrifying trip down memory lane. And there’s plenty of behind-the-scenes lore, too: a young Leonardo DiCaprio was once considered for the role of Rusty. And the funny thing is, for all its talk of holiday spirit, the film never actually shows Christmas Day. It ends on Christmas Eve, proving that, sometimes, Christmas is really about the chaotic buildup.
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story is about one restless child’s quest for the “perfect” Christmas. Based on the semi-autobiographical tales of radio legend Jean Shepherd, the film follows young Ralphie Parker as he schemes to convince his parents (and, of course, Santa) that a BB gun is all he needs to achieve seasonal bliss.
The Parkers’ home – now a real-life tourist shrine – was filmed on West 11th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, with the cosy interiors built on a Toronto soundstage. And the movie’s most famous gag, the frozen tongue scene, was safely engineered with a hidden suction pipe. Bizarrely, another standout moment – when a gloriously tacky (ahem, creepy) leg lamp arrives in the mail – actually stemmed from real life. (The lamp was inspired by a prize that Shepherd’s own father once won.) Apparently, Jack Nicholson was almost cast as the Old Man, but the studio couldn’t afford him. I think the universe made the right call; it’s hard to imagine this family’s mayhem being any different.
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins is a Christmas movie that, to almost everyone’s surprise, encapsulates the precise vibe of the holiday: equal parts cosy and unhinged. The dark comedy, which was written by Chris Columbus, follows a small-town kid who is gifted a mysterious creature called a mogwai, along with three simple rules: don’t get it wet, don’t feed it after midnight, and don’t expose it to bright light. Naturally, all three get broken and mayhem ensues.
Howie Mandel provides the adorably squeaky voice of Gizmo, though he didn’t perform the movie’s signature Gizmo’s Song. Behind the camera, Tim Burton was once considered to direct, but the gig went to Joe Dante, who infused the film with both cartoonish humour and genuinely jump-worthy moments. And fun fact: Gremlins actually helped usher in America’s PG-13 rating, when parents realised this supposed “family movie” wasn’t all warm and fuzzy. Four decades on, its lasting message is … maybe just stick to socks this Christmas?
Jack Frost (1998)
Few Christmas movies feature grief, rock music and snowman reincarnation in the same sentence – but Jack Frost really went there. Michael Keaton stars as Jack, a musician and (mostly-absent) father who dies in a car accident, only to come back as a talking snowman determined to make things right with his son. The film almost looked very different: George Clooney was originally attached to star but instead left to play Batman. The snowman itself was crafted by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and was actually designed to resemble Clooney before the casting switch. Still, when Keaton stepped in, he even co-wrote two songs for the soundtrack. Jack Frost is peak 1990s holiday weirdness – equal parts cosy and quirky, but still totally heartwarming.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
If you thought the 1980s felt like a different time, then The Shop Around the Corner takes us way further back into another era entirely. The film is the original “enemies-to-lovers” Christmas romcom. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, it follows two feuding Budapest shop clerks, played by James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, who can’t stand each other in person but unknowingly fall in love as anonymous pen pals. As a director, Lubitsch was famously a stickler for detail, and even went so far as to have a $1.98 dress Sullavan bought off-the-rack bleached in the sun and altered to fit poorly, just to give her character a working-class authenticity. The story’s blend of humour and heart has endured for decades, inspiring classic romcoms such as You’ve Got Mail. It proves that there’s a certain type of nostalgic Christmas cheer that can only be sent by post.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz might not be a Christmas movie per se, but sometimes, the grinches (and wicked witches) among us need a break from all-out Christmas cheer. Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, the story begins in dusty Kansas and takes us straight into the glorious technicolour world of “Oz”. Here, Dorothy meets new friends (and foes) who redefined cinema – and who remind us that, no matter what else is out there in the world, there’s no place like home. At the time, the instantly iconic film won an Academy Award for its original song, Over the Rainbow – which, if you can believe this, was almost cut because the studio worried it was “too sad”. Garland also received a special Oscar as the year’s standout child performer, and went on to become one of Hollywood’s most enduring symbols. If, like the rest of the world, you’re totally obsessed with Wicked – and the seemingly never-ending press tour – then why not go back to where it all began?
