Action Mary’s List of Best Holiday Films!
It’s time to face facts. We all love a good Christmas movie. When the cold wind is blowing, and the rain is never ending, nothing is better than watching a movie about the one season that can bring merriment to all, or at least create an emotional river of tears. Come on, we know. Admit it. You turn into jelly when you watch Love Actually.
Your faithful Action Mary staff has selected their seasonal film favorites. The ones we like to watch year after year, the best of the best. Of course, each of us has idiosyncratic traditions, so we decided to take a broad view of the holiday film genre, opening it up to guilty pleasures and non-holiday films that are equally fun to watch in December.
Shawn: My GOAT Christmas film is Gremlins (1984). It mixes two of my favorite genres, comedy and horror. It also faces head on the uneasiness some of us have about Christmas with the sad and hilarious story of why Kate (a never better Phoebe Cates) hates Christmas. Pair that with action, iconic character design and mythology, and you have a timeless tale that is fun from beginning to end.
Roger: Every Christmas, my wife and I are sure to watch The Ref (1994). This caustic, profane and frequently hilarious movie is a holiday treat. Denis Leary plays a thief on the run who kidnaps a hyper-bickering couple, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, and hides out in their lush Connecticut home on Christmas Eve. If you thought your family gatherings were dysfunctional, think again. Leary, who punches out Santa at one point, has never been better and Spacey is brilliant in a similar, but much better, role than his Oscar-winning turn in American Beauty. It stands as moving testament to the power of Christmas to transform even the hardest hearts.
Roger: And don’t forget Dr. Zhivago (1965). Let's face it. The holiday season is often miserable: too many family gatherings, lousy weather, crowded stores, and long travel delays. One way to take the sting out of your misery is to watch a movie with people suffering worse than you. Directed by David Lean the story, based on Boris Pasternak’s novel, concerns the life, and loves, of the poet-surgeon Yuri Zhivago. Set in Russia between 1916 and 1923, a truly miserable period, the movie follows Yuri (Omar Sharif) as he marries his childhood friend Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin) but falls for hot blond Lara (Julie Christie) who is having a sordid affair with the despicable Komarovsky (Rod Steiger). The movie kicks coherence to the curb quickly and relentlessly. It’s long, but when it’s over, you just might be happier about the life you have.
Heather: One of our family traditions is watching the animated movie Stick Man (2015), adapted from the children's book by Julia Donaldson. It's a sweet story about a family of sticks who live in a tree: Stick Man, his Stick Lady Love, and their stick children three. One day Stick Man accidentally gets taken away from his family home by a dog mistaking him for a fetch stick. From there he goes on an Odyssey-like adventure, first landing in a river and getting swept away, then used as part of a nest, as the flag on a sandcastle, and many more adventures. It's ultimately the story of being lost and then found, with an emotional family reunion on Christmas. The music and animation are what make it special. It’s just a dear, well-made little movie.
Melanie: Made during the early years of WWII, Holiday Inn (1942) is the movie that debuted the great song “White Christmas” sung here by Bing Crosby with pathos and hope. Crosby leaves Broadway and hyper-competitive showbiz partner Fred Astaire, who’s stolen his girlfriend, for quiet country living. He opens a wildly popular dinner theater that’s only open on holidays and falls in love with his leading lady, only to have Fred Astaire show up and sweep her off her feet. It shows its age in several scenes that might raise modern eyebrows, but there’s no denying the movie’s emotional wallop, which hasn’t aged a bit. It features some of the best singing and dancing you’ll ever see on screen.
Patrick: I’m dating myself but sign me up for Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, the legendary TV Special from 1964. This influential show launched a fashionable fad of stop motion animated television specials. Forget the ones that followed, none are better than Rudolph and his legendary red nose. I always loved it because I felt I belonged to the Island of Misfit Toys!
Pat: Patrick stole my favorite. Rudolph is a must-see for me every year. But I also love A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). Even after all these years, I’m still moved by the scene where Linus reads the Christmas story. And who doesn’t love the music!
Alexa: Can’t believe no one picked A Christmas Story (1983)! While there have been many movies my family watches around the holidays, no matter what, we always end up watching this movie. It’s a classic. The movie has so many memorable quotes that are unforgettable: “You’ll shoot your eye out kid,” or “I triple dog dare you.” After you’ve watched it, you can’t get the images of Ralphie in bunny suit or the kid sticking his tongue to the frozen pole out of your mind. The movie is nostalgic and always puts a smile on my face. Great for family parties because it makes everyone laugh.
Shawn: I was waiting for someone to mention A Christmas Story! It’s my second favorite after Gremlins!
Alexa: August Rush (2007) may not be your typical Christmas movie, but it’s a favorite in our household. We always watch it on Christmas morning. It’s about a musical prodigy living in an orphanage who ends up running away to New York to search for his parents. He meets some interesting characters along the way, including a few who try to profit off the hero’s talent. Searching parents, an emotional reunion, this movie has it all. It’s a glorious tear-jerker for sure. But it’s also a feel good movie that shows the true love of family, and powerful desire to be together.
Chelsea: For me, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without watching Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999). Mickey Mouse and friends are featured in an anthology of three stories where they learn lessons about the true meaning of the holiday season. Centered around the importance of being selfless, grateful, and kind, each story reminds us all that there is so much more to Christmas than the superficial glitz and glamour. This animated film is magical and heartwarming and will surely bring back the nostalgic childhood excitement that we all miss as we grew older. Grab a hot chocolate, get cozy, and prepare to laugh, cry, and cheer.
Roger: Why has no one picked Scrooged (1988)? Bill Murray is terrific as a television executive who truly is the meanest man in the world. Watching him get his comeuppance is both hilarious and deeply moving.
Jameleeh: Though it’s technically a Halloween movie, my parents and I have watched The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the "real world." When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life. So, he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking his place. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry. I've always really liked horror movies, but my mom didn't feel comfortable with me watching them in elementary school, so this was our family compromise, and I’m so glad it is.
Lexie: It’s not Christmas until the tree burns down! National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) is my go to holiday movie. One thing most people look forward to during the holidays is being surrounded by family – regardless of their quirks. Clark Griswold’s heart-warming (and at times harebrained) attempt to bring together two opposing family sides for Christmas quickly turns into a comedy of errors in his pursuit of the perfect “Griswold family Christmas.” As his parents, in-laws, and beloved cousin eddy’s RV of merry hillbillies clash day after day, Clark is reminded that the “perfect” Christmas celebration doesn’t exist, and it’s being surrounded by family during the holidays that makes the season so special, something we could all be reminded of. This movie is laugh-out-loud hysterical and Chevy Chase’s comedic performance of the persistently optimistic patriarch is what makes this movie a timeless classic.
Bianca: Every year my sister and I watch The Holiday (2006), a romantic comedy about falling in love over the holidays. Is it cheesy and predictable? Absolutely. But we still love it. Cameron Diaz plays Amanda Woods, a movie producer based in LA, who has just broken up with her boyfriend. Eager to get out of town for the holidays, she meets London-based Iris Simpkins (played by Kate Winslet) on a home exchange website. They agree to switch homes for the holidays, and adventures in love, self-growth, and discovery ensue.