A Seasonal Celebration: Discovering Overlooked Christmas Films
Something that bothers concerning many contemporary Christmas movies is their excessive self-consciousness – the gaudy decorations, the formulaic music selections, and the stilted dialogue about the true meaning of the season. Maybe because the style hadn't yet solidified into routine, movies from the 1940s often explore Yuletide from increasingly inventive and less neurotic angles.
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
A cherished discovery from exploring 1940s holiday comedies is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 romantic comedy with a brilliant concept: a jovial vagrant winters in a empty posh mansion each year. During one cold spell, he brings in new acquaintances to live with him, among them a ex-soldier and a teenager who is secretly the heiress of the property's rich landlord. Helmer Roy Del Ruth imbues the picture with a found-family warmth that many contemporary Christmas movies strive to achieve. It perfectly balances a socially aware commentary on shelter and a delightful city fairytale.
Tokyo Godfathers
Satoshi Kon's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers is a engaging, poignant, and deeply moving take on the festive tale. Drawing from a classic Hollywood film, it centers on a triumvirate of down-and-out people – an drinker, a trans woman, and a teenage runaway – who come across an abandoned infant on Christmas Eve. Their journey to find the child's mother sets off a chain of misadventures involving yakuza, foreigners, and seemingly magical connections. The film embraces the magic of fate frequently found in Christmas stories, delivering it with a stylish visual style that avoids overly sweet emotion.
Introducing John Doe
While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life justifiably earns plenty of praise, his earlier film Meet John Doe is a powerful Christmas film in its own right. Featuring Gary Cooper as a handsome everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a resourceful journalist, the film kicks off with a fake note from a man promising to fall from a building on December 24th in frustration. The public's embrace forces the journalist to hire a man to impersonate the fictional "John Doe," who then becomes a national symbol for kindness. The movie functions as both an heartwarming tale and a sharp indictment of ultra-rich businessmen seeking to exploit popular feeling for political gain.
The Silent Partner
While Christmas horror movies are now commonplace, the Christmas thriller remains a somewhat niche subgenre. This makes the 1978 film The Silent Partner a fresh discovery. Featuring a wonderfully vile Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank employee, the movie sets two kinds of opportunistic oddballs against each other in a well-crafted and twisty narrative. Mainly unseen upon its initial release, it is worthy of a fresh look for those who prefer their holiday entertainment with a chilling tone.
Christmas Almost
For those who enjoy their holiday gatherings dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a blast. Featuring a star-studded ensemble that features Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the film explores the dynamics of a household compelled to endure five days under one house during the holidays. Hidden issues come to the surface, leading to scenes of high humor, including a confrontation where a shotgun is produced. Naturally, the film finds a heartwarming ending, offering all the fun of a family disaster without any of the actual consequences.
The Film Go
The director's 1999 movie Go is a holiday-adjacent caper that is a young-adult riff on interconnected narratives. Although some of its humor may feel of its time upon a modern viewing, the movie nevertheless contains many aspects to appreciate. These include a engaging performance from Sarah Polley to a memorable appearance by Timothy Olyphant as a laid-back drug dealer who fittingly sports a Santa hat. It embodies a specific kind of fin-de-siècle film attitude set against a festive setting.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
The satirist's wartime farce The Miracle of Morgan's Creek skips typical holiday warmth in exchange for bawdy fun. The story follows Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who finds herself pregnant after a hazy night but cannot remember the man responsible. Much of the comedy stems from her situation and the efforts of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to marry her. Although not immediately a Christmas movie at the start, the story climaxes on the festive day, showing that Sturges has refashioned a playful take of the Christmas story, packed with his characteristic sharp humor.
Better Off Dead
This 1985 teen comedy with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential specimen of its decade. Cusack's
