Christmas Movies You Can Count On
Entertainment with a moral compass.
There are literally hundreds of Christmas movies — most of them secular. Although many aren’t at all noteworthy, a good number tell memorable stories you’ll want to watch year after year.
Whether you’re religious or not, if you want to see a film you can rely on to make you feel better about the world, here’s a dependable list — guaranteed to lift your spirits and remind you to cherish your life.
And dare I say it, some of these titles may even restore your faith.
Of course, this isn’t anywhere near an exhaustive list. By all means, if you feel strongly about any I’ve failed to mention, let me know! (Find lots more on imdb’s Top 100 Christmas movies of all time, based on a popular vote.)
If there’s one you haven’t seen yet, give it a try. I promise, it will warm your heart and bring on the holiday cheer. If you don’t know where to rent or buy these titles, www.justwatch.com and www.imdb.com will steer you in the right direction. You can watch trailers there; find more trailers on www.youtube.com.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) is a Frank Capra masterpiece. Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a businessman in trouble who is visited on Christmas Eve by an angel who shows him what the world would’ve been like had he never been born. If you choose only one film to see at Christmastime, this is it.
2. Of course, there are many versions of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. The 1951 version starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge is a good example. My colleague Paul Walker calls The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) his favorite. The 2009 animated rendition starring Jim Carrey is exceptionally well rendered and faithful to the book. I also highly recommend Scrooged, the 1988 Bill Murray comedy send-up, as well as this year’s Spirited, an astonishingly surprising musical starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.
3. The Family Man (2000) again applies the alternate-reality device — with Nicolas Cage as a self-centered bachelor businessman who wakes up on Christmas Day married to his college sweetheart (Téa Leoni) with two young children. Don Cheadle and Jeremy Piven play pivotal roles.
4. In The Bishop’s Wife (1947), Mr. Dudley (Cary Grant) is an angel who answers the prayer of Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven), with magical results involving the bishop’s wife Julia (Loretta Young). James Gleason, Monty Wooley and Gladys Cooper make for a stellar cast. The 1996 remake, The Preacher’s Wife — starring Courtney B. Vance as Rev. Henry Biggs, Whitney Houston as Julia, and Denzel Washington as Dudley — was nominated for the Oscar for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score.
5. Meet John Doe (1941) is another work of genius from Frank Capra. It stars Gary Cooper as a homeless man whom an ambitious journalist (Barbara Stanwyck) hires to pretend to be John Doe, an everyman who threatens suicide on Christmas Eve as a protest against the state of the world. Outstanding performances from the exceptional cast including James Gleason, Edward Arnold and a young Walter Brennan. Patriotic and idealistic, it’s also more relevant today than ever.
6. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Natalie Wood was just a little girl when she played Susan Walker, whose divorced mother (Maureen O’Hara) works at Macy’s. Susan has been taught not to believe in fairy tales, until she befriends a man her mom hires to play Santa Claus (the incomparable Edmund Gwenn) — and he claims to be the real deal. Their neighbor, attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne) steps in to save the day when things get complicated. Stay away from the colorized version or any remakes. This gem is the one to watch.
7. A Christmas Story (1983) is the quintessential childhood 1940s Christmas memory from humorist Jean Shepherd — starring little Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. This year’s A Christmas Story Christmas is a funny and heartfelt sequel, which takes place in the 1970s, when a grown-up Ralphie earnestly tries to redeem a difficult Christmas for his family.
8. The Ref (1994) is a dark comedy starring Denis Leary as Gus, a cat burglar who takes a constantly arguing Connecticut couple hostage (Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey as Caroline and Lloyd Chasseur) — and ends up caught between them and their family on Christmas Eve. Glynis Johns and Christine Baranski are hilarious as Lloyd’s mother and sister-in-law. Directed by Ted Demme with a surprisingly refreshing script by Richard LaGravenese. A Disney film (Touchstone), it’s rated R, so not a kids’ movie.
9. Love Actually (2003) Most people say this is the Christmas movie to watch. And I won’t disagree. With its all-star cast and all the humor and pathos you can handle, these interwoven stories that prove the redemptive power of love are brilliantly portrayed by the likes of Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney and more. It is rated R though, so not one for the whole family.
10. Some argue that the action-packed R-rated flick Die Hard (1988) isn’t a Christmas movie. But it does take place on Christmas Eve during a company party at the Nakatomi building in L.A., when New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) shows up to see if he can make things work with his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). Everything goes wrong when a hostage situation erupts led by the sinister Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). Incredibly suspenseful with plenty of iconic one-liners and visuals, it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the good guys win. Police sergeant Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) plays a small but key role. Skip the sequels — they’re mostly forgettable.
Some Honorable Mentions.
White Christmas (1954) stars Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as the singing duo Wallace and Davis, who meet up with the singing Haynes sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen). Miscommunications ensue when the guys plan a surprise event at a Vermont inn for their former commanding general. This is a classic romantic musical with an outstanding Irving Berlin soundtrack — not only the title song, but also “Blue Skies,” “Sisters,” “Snow” and my favorite: “Counting Your Blessings.”
The TV movie Mrs. Santa Clause (1996) stars the venerable Angela Lansbury, who takes her husband’s sleigh for a spin a week before Christmas, landing in 1910 Manhattan, where Jewish, Italian and Irish immigrants live in harmony. With memorable songs by Jerry Herman (who wrote the music for Hello, Dolly! and Mame).
The 12 Dates of Christmas (2011) is a feel-good TV movie version of Groundhog Day for Christmas Eve. Amy Smart plays Kate Stanton, a woman who relives Christmas Eve over and over, botching her blind date with Miles Dufine (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and pretty much everything else — until she gets it right.
The John Hughes classic Home Alone (1990) is about a boy (Macaulay Culkin) who wishes he had no family, until he’s left all by himself at Christmastime. More than just slapstick, it’s much better than you expect it to be.
Lucy Moderatz (Sandra Bullock), who has no family of her own, is smitten with a man she sees every day (Peter Gallagher) on the Chicago el where she works in While You Were Sleeping (1995). On Christmas Day she saves his life after he’s mugged, and at the hospital, while he’s in a coma, she’s mistaken for his fiancée. Exceptional performances from Bill Pullman, Peter Boyle, Glynis Johns, Michael Rispoli and Jack Warden.
Based on John Grisham’s book Skipping Christmas, Christmas with the Kranks (2004) is the story of Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) who intend to forgo Christmas. Although there’s some over-the-top comedy (with the likes of Dan Ackroyd and Cheech Marin), the touching ending makes it all worth it.
Cameron Crowe’s Aloha takes place in Oahu, Hawaii, where Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) spends five life-changing days at Christmastime. The all-star cast includes Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Bill Murray and Alec Baldwin. This superbly complex multi-layered film tells many stories at once, and keeps you thinking about all of them. Contains one of the best movie scenes ever made — when Bradley Cooper and John Krasinski have a whole conversation without words — and subtitles.
In Serendipity (2001), Jonathan and Sara (John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale) meet while out Christmas shopping in New York City, and spend a few magical hours together. Years later, about to marry other people, they both wonder about their destiny. Jeremy Piven, Eugene Levy, John Corbett and Molly Shannon play supporting roles in this terrific love story.
In Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday (2006), Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet) switch houses between L.A. and rural England during the Christmas holiday. With surprising performances from Jack Black and Jude Law, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill rom-com. The friendship between Iris and her neighbor Arthur (Eli Wallach) is especially sweet.
Speaking of sweet, Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail (1998) starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, is technically not a Christmas movie, although it has plenty of Christmas in it. It’s actually a remake of the Christmas movie The Shop Around the Corner (1940) starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan.
Leo McCarey’s An Affair to Remember (1957), the classic romance starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, ends with an unforgettable scene at Christmas. The 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle — another Nora Ephron winner starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks — relies upon it as a theme for the plot, which at least thickens on Christmas Eve and ends with Valentine’s Day.
And finally. . . .
After you’ve seen Love Actually and Die Hard, it’s time to watch Love Hard (2021), in which Natalie (Nina Dobrev), using a dating app, thinks she’s falling for Tag (Darren Barnet), but soon discovers she’s been catfished by Josh (Jimmy O. Yang). I include it for the clever update of Baby, It’s Cold Outside — which everyone should sing from now on! — and the joyful ending.
So. . .that’s my short list. What’s yours?
I personally start making merry as soon as we get our tree at the beginning of December; then 12 days from Dec. 25th to January 6th; then 12 more after that (because the Eastern Orthodox Christmas commences on our Epiphany) — and that’s when we finally take down our tree. So there are still a good number of days to get in as many Christmas movies as possible. Or enjoy them anytime — because couldn’t we celebrate the birth of the Christ child in our hearts every day of the year?
©2022 Janis Hunt Johnson and CS Renewal Ministries. All rights reserved.
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