Add some variety to your holiday movie lineup this year with these 10 movies that almost, sort of, basically count as Christmas movies.
There are certain movies that seem to always find their way onto the TV during the holidays. Crowd favorites like Elf, A Christmas Story, Home Alone, and It’s a Wonderful Life are usually included in most viewing rotations throughout the holiday season. Inevitably, someone will restart the Love, Actually versus The Holiday debate. (FYI: The Holiday is way, way better.) Meanwhile Freeform will play The Santa Clause, The Polar Express, and other classic holiday movies on a constant loop. There’s no doubt that there are more than enough Christmas movies to get you through to the New Year.
However, if you’re in the mood to change it up this year and looking for some movies to provide some variety this Christmas, look no further than this list! We compiled a list of 10 great almost-Christmas movies. Some are Christmas-themed, others just use Christmas a backdrop for the story. Regardless, they’re sure to give you the right dose of Christmas spirit while also giving you something new to enjoy this holiday season.
Check out the full list below!
‘Batman Returns’
Tim Burton’s Batman Returns gave the world Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and their plot to take down and expose the Batman. It did all of this during Christmastime in Gotham. While the movie might not get you in the mood to spread love and cheer, it will certainly remind you of how fun superhero movies can be when they’re stylized and don’t take themselves so dang seriously. The Christmas trees definitely help.
‘Carol’
In the two years since its release, Todd Haynes’ Carol has emerged as a definitive Christmastime movie. The movie is a love story set in New York City in the 1950s. After meeting in a department store while Christmas shopping, a romance blossoms between Carol and Therese and the film charts the way that romance affects them and their lives. Haynes sets the film against a gorgeous Christmas backdrop that is sure to bring a little romance to your Christmas spirit this holiday.
‘Eyes Wide Shut’
Stanley Kubrick’s final film Eyes Wide Shut is a twisted erotic drama that follows a husband (Tom Cruise) obsessed with his wife’s (Nicole Kidman) admission of having sexual fantasies about other men. He embarks on a high-stakes, one-night conquest of sexual discovery that lands him in situations far beyond his control. The night begins at a Christmas party and devolves from there. Kubrick develops a visual backdrop full of glowing Christmas lights and decorated trees, creating a juxtaposition between the debauched nature of the story and the perceived innocence of festivities themselves.
‘The Apartment’
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine shine in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment. Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, an insurance worker who lets his bosses to use his apartment for dates in exchange for promotions at work. Things get complicated when Baxter falls in love with his boss’s mistress Fran Kubelik (MacLaine), an elevator girl that works in his office building. Set during Christmastime in New York, the city provides a gorgeous backdrop for the complicated romantic engagements and developments of the story.
‘All That Heaven Allows’
Douglas Sirk’s essential melodrama All That Heaven Allows begins at the peak of fall foliage and brings us all the way into the new year. As the film follows the scandalous (for the 1950s) relationship between window Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) and a much younger man Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson), the backdrop changes from the reds and yellows of fall to the glittering white Christmas. The film’s classic depiction of Christmas set against the emotional excesses and social faux pas of the central romance make the movie a perfect piece of counter programming to typical Christmas fare.
‘The Lion in Winter’
If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones and looking for a unique film that can both fill the void left by hiatus and satiate your Christmas spirit, look no further than The Lion in Winter. Starring Katharine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole, the film is a sharply written, tense family drama that follows all the drama of a family vying for claim over the throne. Like any big family dinner, The Lion in Winter is complete with plotting, backstabbing, lying, and betrayal. The film takes place over Christmas…in 1183. Prepare yourself for castles, dungeons, thrones, and schemes – The Lion in Winter doesn’t disappoint.
‘Fanny and Alexander’
For those viewers willing to branch out into foreign films, Fanny and Alexander might be the right movie for you. The film is a Swedish drama that follows two siblings as their large family at the beginning of the 20th century. Featuring some of the most gorgeous and lavish Christmas decorations ever captured on film, Fanny and Alexander captures the beauty of the holidays. It also follows one family’s turmoil in the aftermath of loss. From director Ingmar Bergman, the film is a triumph of the medium and perfect for those looking for something different to watch this holiday season.
‘Sleepless in Seattle’
Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle opens on Christmas Eve in 1992. Sam (Tom Hanks) is a widowed husband mourning his wife that died 18 months prior. His son Jonah calls into a radio talk show to try to find his father a new wife. Across the country in Baltimore, Annie (Meg Ryan) listens to the radio show and becomes preoccupied with Sam’s situation. She writes him a letter suggesting that Sam meet her on the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day. While much of the film takes place after Christmas, there is something magical about how the film opens int he midst of so much Christmas spirit and energy. That magic propels the story forward, making it a great option for those looking for something different this Christmas.
‘Die Hard’
By now, the Bruce Willis-led Die Hard has been co-opted as a Christmas movie, but we should not forget that it is first and foremost a kickass action movie. The genius of Die Hard is that its Christmas-time setting brings a level of plausibility to a film that is otherwise chalk full of totally implausible events. Setting an action movie around a holiday Christmas party is the perfect combination of low and high-concept elements that has made the movie an enduring favorite for movie lovers. Even if it’s a popular choice, it remains a great Christmas movie that isn’t quite a Christmas movie.
‘Meet Me in St. Louis’
As one of the premiere MGM musicals, classic movie fans already know and love Meet Me in St. Louis. For those looking for something new this Christmas, this musical from director Vincente Minnelli is the perfect choice. The story follows four sisters in the year preceding the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It’s an uplifting tale of love and life complete with song and dance. The Christmas scene vignette is complete with decadent decorations, passionate romance, and marriage proposals. If you love White Christmas, you should definitely try this on for size.
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