We all know the big ones… what’s a less famous one worth watching?
The Holdovers is fantastic.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: Shane Black in high form writing Christmas comedy/action/noir. Pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer absolutely crushing it. All around great movie.
Santa Claus: The Movie: Santa gets the Superman: The Movie treatment. Possibly made inside of a bag of cocaine. John Lithgow devouring large sections of scenery.
The Lion in Winter: Set during Christmas. Basically a Shakespearean drama/comedy, but written in modern English. Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Timothy Dalton, and Anthony Hopkins in his first film role, just an incredibly talented cast working with an amazing script. Bunch of royals all plotting and scheming each others’ downfall during a big Christmas get-together. Strong contender for my favorite movie of all time.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an underappreciated gem. It’s minimally christmassy, but its a perfect distillation of Shane Black’s style of buddy cop story telling and humor. Almost a reflection on how everyone else directed his screenplays.
I’m adding The Lion in Winter to my list. Thanks.
bad santa
Bad Santa is my favorite Christmas movie. Bad Santa 2, however, was kinda meh.
definitely gratuitous sequels
A Clüsterfünke Christmas (2021) is a decent satire on Hallmark Christmas movies
Maybe this isn’t that obscure, but Klaus (2019) is an excellent Christmas movie. It’s become a yearly staple since the first time we watched it.
Not sure if it counts as a movie, but I’ve loved Rich Little’s Christmas Carol for decades. Rich Little was/is a master impersonator and he plays all the major roles in A Christmas Carol with characters that would have been well known back in the 1970s. W. C. Fields as Scrooge. Richard Nixon as Marley. Johnny Carson as Freddie. You get the idea. It was my favorite version of that story until The Muppets, and still ranks as my second favorite.
Edit: you can find it on YouTube
Ebbie
Just for its sheer badosity, a 1950s movie made in Mexico, just called Santa Claus. Santa vs. the devil, I shit you not.
The Ref (1994) and A Wish For Wings That Work (1991)
Ernest Saves Christmas
Dang I had forgotten about the Ernest movies. I used to love them as a kid. Nice pull!
Went to a Christmas movie when I was a kid in the late 60’s or early 70’s. It was some low key film about a father living alone with his son. I don’t remember hardly anything else about it but his son died at the end. I was bummed out and though that was a stupid Christmas movie. What did my parents send me to?
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
Hands down the best Christmas movie that no one talks about. I love this movie.
- Lethal Weapon
- Gremlins
- Go
- Trapped In Paradise
- Less Than Zero
- Better Watch Out
- Dial Code Santa Claus
Dial Code Santa Claus (3615 code Père Noël) is the movie Home Alone ripped off.
I love Go and totally forgot it was a Christmas movie.
Xiang kai shek. I can see your thoughts.
The Holdovers (2023) is very good
three of my favourite go to Christmas movies:
Brazil
Blast of Silence
Batman Returns (all B’s, weird)Brazil you wouldn’t think is a christmas movie but it is and it’s easily my favourite Terry Gilliam movies.
Blast of Silence is an old movie but it’s a unique one about a lonely hitman whose returned to New York City for christmas and how the city itself as kinda left him behind.
Batman Returns IS a christmas movie and easily my favourite Batman flick. watch it every year.
Batman Returns isn’t just a Christmas movie, it’s a Batman spin on A Christmas Carol. Penguin represents Bruce’s past, Catwoman his present, and Schreck his future.
interesting take. I haven’t watched this movie in probably decades…but this will make me rewatch it. Thanks!
Die hard 2
It may seem like I’m playing two sides here, but I’m of the opinion that Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie, but Die Hard 2 is just a movie that takes place at Christmas.
The OG gives Christmas vibes, has lots of musical cues and small choices that play into that. I’m just not feeling it with the sequel.
