Christmas is right around the corner! And what better way to get into the spirit of the yuletide season than to watch a classic holiday movie. But which one? There are so many good ones to choose from. And with all that gift-shopping, cooking, tree-trimming, and endless sports-watching, there’s so little time to enjoy all but a few. Here are five (and some change) that have stood the test of time. (Several may be playing at local theaters. Check your listings.) Whether they jerk your tears or tickle your funny bone — or maybe both — you’ll be glad you watched them, hopefully with the entire family.
#5: “Elf” (2003) [PG-13]. Will Ferrell’s Buddy is obviously too human-sized to be a real elf, and when he finally learns the truth, at age 30, the giddy man-child sets off from the North Pole for Manhattan to find his biological father, a stern and cynical businessman played by James Caan. Ferrell — who frequently worked in his pre-acting days as a shopping mall Santa — is occasionally over-the-top, but his elfin warmth and innocence and slapstick antics will delight your kids and melt your icicles. Fans of Manhattan will appreciate Buddy’s adventures on location, including his hilarious wrangle in Central Park with a nasty raccoon. But the film’s most risqué moment is also one of its funniest: Buddy accidentally knocks himself unconscious after secretly accompanying his love interest in a duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” while she’s showering in the buff.
Ferrell — who frequently worked in his pre-acting days as a shopping mall Santa — is occasionally over-the-top, but his elfin warmth and innocence and slapstick antics will delight your kids and melt your icicles.
#4: “Die Hard” (1988) [R]. Detective John McClane (played by Bruce Willis in full comedic badass mode) takes on a band of German “terrorists” (actually, bank robbers in disguise) who take the employees of his estranged wife’s Japanese-owned company hostage on Christmas Eve. This is one of the most thrilling action movies ever made with summary executions, violent beatings, endless bombings, and mountains of shattered glass offset by nonstop deadpan humor that will leave you in stitches. Holed up in the 50-story office building commandeered by the hostage-takers, Willis, barefoot but heavily armed, slowly eliminates their ranks, setting the stage for a final heroic duel with their evil leader — masterfully portrayed by the late British thespian Alan Rickman — as his wife’s life hangs in the balance. In the end, Willis not only saves the day, but manages to win back his girl. This is a marital healing — forged in blood and gore — for the ages. Not for the kiddies, though.
#3: “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947) [G]. A delightful comedy-drama featuring child actress Natalie Wood (later to star with James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause”) as a petulant Grinch (named Susan) who refuses to believe in Santa Claus. After the store Santa at Macy’s is found drunk, management replaces him with a white-bearded man, Kris Kringle (played by Edmund Gwenn), who claims he’s the real Santa. It turns out that he is, but not before he’s sent to an insane asylum and has to prove his identity in court to avoid being committed for good. Susan, however, remains skeptical of Kringle, especially when the beautiful house he promised her for Christmas fails to materialize. But on Christmas morning, the dejected girl “accidentally” encounters her dream home, and inside the door, finds a huge candy cane.
Gwenn won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Maureen O’Hara, who plays Susan’s mother, originally turned down the role — until she read the script. (A 1994 remake is a disaster and should be avoided!).
In “A Christmas Horror Story” Captain Kirk — we mean William Shatner — plays an inebriated radio DJ who comically weaves tales of Krampus, zombie elves, and other magical mayhem.
#2 “Home Alone” (1990) [PG]. Inexplicably left behind by his vacationing parents and family over Xmas, 8-year old Macaulay Culkin (as Kevin) emerges as a feisty defender of hearth and home against two clumsy and befuddled home invaders (including Joe Pesci of “Goodfellas” fame, in a malevolent comedic turn). Kids will cheer Culkin’s ingenious tactics to foil his would-be assailants, which leave Pesci and his partner battered, bruised, and thoroughly exasperated. Kevin’s snowbound family finally realizes its mistake and rushes home, only to find their adorable and exultant son savoring his victory. This is fun for the whole family.
#1 “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) [G]. Jimmy Stewart, in one of his most memorable roles as kind-hearted businessman George Bailey, becomes despondent and suicidal on Christmas Eve after the savings and loan he inherited from his father faces foreclosure, and he fears that his reputation is ruined. God sends an angel to remind him of all the good he has accomplished in his life and hundreds of his friends and neighbors— rallied to his side by his worried wife (played by Donna Reed) — come together to celebrate the power of community in small town America. This indelible classic, while supremely uplifting, also portrays life’s hardships in New York’s fictional upstate Bedford Falls with a gritty realism that makes the ending seem less like a fantasy than a genuine miracle. When Bailey’s brother offers a Xmas eve toast to “my big brother George, the richest man in town,” we feel its wallop. Equally memorable are Bailey’s loving interactions with his four children, including his daughter Zuzu, whose wilted flower petals tucked in Bailey’s trousers become one of the film’s most endearing touchstones. This classic was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Actor for Stewart.
And PSSST, those are just 5 of the classics! Tired of treacly and overly sentimental Xmas fables? You can always take a walk on the wild side. Try ”Bad Santa” [PG-13, 2003] starring Billy Bob Thornton as a dour and cynical con man who poses as a mall Santa to stage a criminal caper. It’s laugh-out-loud hilarious and may be just what you need to remind yourself of the venal side of humanity that pervades even the happiest of holiday celebrations (there were also two sequels).
And what about holiday horrors? “A Christmas Horror Story” with the irrepressible William Shatner (of “Star Trek” fame) features a small town that is suddenly plagued with malevolent spirits, including zombie elves and Krampus — the anti-Santa Claus. Imagine Bedford Falls besieged by a wicked band of enforcers, at the behest of evil old Mister Potter! Finally, for hardcore sci-fi fans, there’s a string of Martian themed-movies to consider, starting with the 1964 kiddie movie, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (which some have dubbed the “worst movie ever made”) and 2009’s animated TV movie “A Martian Xmas,” in which the friendly peace-loving aliens mistakenly believe that Earth is planning an invasion and decide to pre-emptively invade and destroy us. It takes an 8-year-old Martian stowaway and a timely last-minute intervention by Santa himself to avert an intergalactic disaster. Peace on Earth. Goodwill to Martians, too!
