# Is "Die Hard" a Christmas Movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 2, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283 "2013-12-02T14:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 30
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/582 "2024-12-02T20:55:46Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > No it would have to be Kermit But “Mother-frogger” sounds too dirty for a family-friendly movie. Plus, Sam deserves his own vehicle after all these years. Even Gonzo got his own movie! ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/583 "2024-12-02T20:56:16Z")
The 2019 series of _A Christmas Carol_ (with Guy Pearce) is pretty dark. Not as dark as _Die Hard_, but with more molestation and sexual humiliation. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/584 "2024-12-02T21:09:32Z")
Wait, what? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/585 "2024-12-02T21:11:19Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > To suggest it isn’t a Christmas story is just absurdity. I concur. Those are the Spirits of Christmas > [@Horatius](#): > > Just because it’s a Christmas movie doesn’t mean you _have_ to watch it every Christmas, or even _any_ Christmas. A bad Christmas movie is still a bad movie, after all. Yep. I included the year without a Santa Claus, which isnt “bad”, but I watch it only for the Snow and Heat Miser songs. > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Absolutely, but one would be hard pressed to come up with a reasonable definition for “Christmas movie” that includes it while excluding _Die Hard_, I did above. Some supernatural elements. Being fort and formots about Christmas, and the Spirit of Christmas. I gave two definitions, and like i said- take your pick- if you like the first one- with elements of Christmas in the background of a Action film- then fine. Die Hard qualifies. It is certainly set during the holiday. > [@MrDibble](#): > > ’ve already laid out a couple criteria that distinguish the two - family-friendly and schmaltzy. _A Christmas Carol_ has both, _Die Hard_ does not. Not sure about the schmaltzy, but yes, Family friendly, Eeven one of the scariest versions-A CHRISTMAS CAROL - 1984 with Geoge C Scott is just a PG rating, same with A CHRISTMAS CAROL - 1999. and Disney’s A Christmas Carol- which is kinda scary. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/586 "2024-12-02T21:17:01Z")
I’m being quite serious. You can check it out on Wikipedia or IMDB to get a plot summary. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/587 "2024-12-02T21:21:34Z")
Die Hard is not a _Family Friendly Christmas_ movie. That’s a subcategory of all Christmas movies. Die Hard is still a _Christmas_ movie though, because of all the previously stated and obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/588 "2024-12-02T21:36:05Z")
I anxiously await: **Die Hard - The Lego Movie** or **Lego Dies Hard** Or a Godzilla themed redux. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/589 "2024-12-02T21:54:20Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Sam deserves his own vehicle after all these years. He can drive a black SUV in his role as an FBI agent. 😉 Other roles: The president of the company could be Fozzie Bear, whose good-natured bumbling stalls the bad guys long enough for Kermit to save the day. “Of course I have the vault codes!” he says as he drops his Rolodex and sends cards flying everywhere. “I think it’s this one! Oh wait, this is part of the stand-up act I’m working on. Where do they grow the best pizza ingredients? Nakatomato Plaza! Wakka wakka wakka!” Gonzo would of course be the demolitions guy. We periodically cut to shots of him climbing into progressively larger cannons and shooting himself at the vault. Instead of cutting all the phone lines to the building, the reason the cops take so long to show up is because Beeker is the dispatcher and nobody can understand his APB. Hans Gruber should be an actor with serious dramatic chops, playing it absolutely straight and chewing the scenery like beef jerky. I’m thinking Rizzo and/or Pepe for the limo driver. Cameos would be police officers, Nakatomi staff, and various celebrities (as themselves) watching news coverage from their couches. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/590 "2024-12-02T22:47:31Z")
Muppet Die Hard. I’d watch it. Still not a Christmas movie. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/591 "2024-12-03T00:40:55Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Now, I don’t think White Christmas is a _musical_. Yes, there’s a lot of musical numbers in the movie, but they’re mostly done as stage acts. Off the top of my head, at least three are not stage numbers. “Snow” takes place on the train to Vermont. “Count Your Blessings” occurs during a midnight snack. “The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing” occurs when Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen are dancing at a night club. There may be others. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/592 "2024-12-03T02:13:00Z")
4 performers together for an extended period? They’re going to sing. Performers always perform for each other. Ok, ya kinda got me on the other two. “Dancing”, especially. Very typical of a musical - throw in a big dance number. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/593 "2024-12-03T03:20:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > ETA: if it’s not kid-friendly, it’s also almost automatically not a Christmas movie. Christmas movies are a subset of family-friendly movies. They have to be PG. There is only one R-rated exception that springs to mind easily - _Love, Actually_ is the rare R-rated Christmas film I’d allow. Pah, by that criterion _Bad Santa_ isn’t a Christmas movie, and that’s just crazy talk. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/594 "2024-12-03T03:26:45Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Pah, by that criterion _Bad Santa_ isn’t a Christmas movie, and that’s just crazy talk. It isnt, and stop calling me Shirley. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/595 "2024-12-03T03:38:21Z")
One thing is certain: _ **discussing** _ Die Hard is a holiday tradition that comes around at the end of every year…just like Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/596 "2024-12-03T04:50:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Anyway, I think “family friendly and schmaltzy” is maybe good criteria for a subset of Xmas movie (like “family Xmas movie”) but I don’t see why the entire genre would require it. That is the “Christmas movie” genre. Other things are “movies set at Christmas” or “movies that subvert Christmas”, but neither of those are “Christmas movie” as a genre. > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > As definitions go it’s also incredibly subjective (‘family friendly’ is certainly a family by family judgement call) so it’s not super helpful. I said specifically “G” or “PG”, with the one “R” exception (because I don’t share the horror of nudity that US raters do). I’m happy to allow other R Christmas movies if it’s just nudity and language. I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s violence, specifically, that I feel makes a movie not a Christmas movie. > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > he 2019 series of _A Christmas Carol_ (with Guy Pearce) is pretty dark. Not as dark as _Die Hard_, but with more molestation and sexual humiliation. And they made a horror movie of _Winnie the Pooh_. Just because a particular interpretation is dark doesn’t make the original or most interpretations not a Christmas story, just _that_ version. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Not sure about the schmaltzy They all have it. _A Christmas Carol_ always has its Tiny Tim, _The Holiday_ and _Love, Actually_ both have the dead mom, classics like _It’s A Wonderful Life_ and " _Miracle on 34th Street_" are pure unadulterated schmaltz, and the less said about the schmaltz content of Hallmark Christmas movies, the better you’ll sleep at night. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > by that criterion _Bad Santa_ isn’t a Christmas movie Never seen it, so I can’t really say. It might be an exception, like “Love, Actually”, which I’d watch with a 10 year old, or it might be too much for that kind of family viewing. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/597 "2024-12-03T05:42:07Z")
xxxxxxxx delete ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/598 "2024-12-03T15:11:36Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Never seen it, so I can’t really say. > > It might be an exception, like “Love, Actually”, which I’d watch with a 10 year old, or it might be too much for that kind of family viewing. It’s a feel good movie about a depressed mall Santa who befriends a neglected young boy and a Jewish woman seeking love, and with their help finds the true meaning of Christmas. With a lot of cursing, sex, and a little bit of violence. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/599 "2024-12-03T15:33:50Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s violence, specifically, that I feel makes a movie not a Christmas movie. So a movie about the Christmas Truce in WWI wouldn’t be a Christmas Movie, because of the violence just before and just after the truce? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/600 "2024-12-03T16:04:46Z")
Depends on if and how the violence, and the other horrors of the trenches, are depicted, but I’m inclined to think not, no. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/601 "2024-12-03T16:23:20Z")
So in your opinion, Christmas is for kids only? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283.md?page=29) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283.md?page=31)