I always watch it this time of year in a double feature with Gremlins.
Which could be New Years.
Right.
New Years, certainly. Thanksgiving, maybe.
Nope,
But see- no one has defined “Christmas Movie” -
Is Christmas there in the background and part of the plot- but not a critical part of the plot? Music, tree, Santa, trappings, etc- Does that make a film a “Christmas Movie” ? If So, Die hard and Its a WonderFul Life both qualify.
Or is the film about the magic of Christmas? Are mythical creatures a major part of the film? Could you never possibly remove Christmas and still have a film? That is how I define a Christmas Movie.
Bruce Willis firmly declares that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, stating it is a “god-damn Bruce Willis movie” instead.
- Director John McTiernan believes it is up to the audience to decide whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie.*
*t wasn’t intended as a Christmas movie, or the fact that it was deliberately built around Christmas, but not intended to be a Christmas movie.
https://screenrant.com/die-hard-christmas-movie-cast-crew-opinion/
So, I don’t consider it a Christmas Movie. But if you prefer the first definition I gave- then it is.
All this, and what @msmith537 says make Die Hard a Christmas movie.
Tripler
It’s not Christmas until Al Ka-Bong Leong gets his Hershey Bar.
Which is why White Christmas is not a Christmas movie.
That all seems reasonable to me. Die Hard could indeed have taken place during any other holiday, and be essentially unchanged (apart from the set decorations).
You might as well say that The Untouchables was a Flag Day movie, since a US flag is visible in at least one scene.
(My edit in the first quote.) I don’t think that DrDeth used “the magic of Christmas” to mean supernatural doings (though if I’m wrong about that, no doubt he will come along to say so). In White Christmas the 'magic of Christmas, in the sense of people forgiving each other and prioritizing kindness–and being reminded to do so by the approaching holiday–is certainly a fundamental part of the plot. So on that basis it surely qualifies as “a Christmas movie.”
I can’t think of New Year’s movies where the plot hinges around the main character relearning the importance of being with family over his career. Maybe there are some, but that’s a classically Christmas movie thing.
Mostly supernatural even if not obvious. (a lot of Hallmark films are like that -“was that really?”) White Christmas is kinda either. Hard to imagine rewriting it as a New years film, but not impossible.
Not really. He stays a cop- in fact they made sequels based on that. It is just a “nice little romantic touch”.
The sequels aren’t relevant to the first movie; it’s a stand alone story. (And in any case, the sequel has him move to LA to be with his family. Then for reasons unexplained he moves back to New York, and then at some point he fights Russians and blows up a fighter plane with a car. Made-for-cash sequels do that kinda stuff.)
So how would you classify A Charlie Brown Christmas? TV show not movie, of course, but it still should be able to be categorized using your criteria.
Some might place the ‘tree ends up looking full despite starting out spindly’ as having been a supernatural effect, I guess. I’d call it more of a human perception effect, as in the climax of The Music Man (the love of the people for their children makes them see the children as playing beautifully in splendid uniforms, despite the reality being that they were playing badly in shabby uniforms).
(I’m going to hope that these are not considered to be spoilers.)
Well, there is that, and iirc a Light coming down from a star? Not to mention, actual long quotes from the Gospels.
Okay I admit- YMMV. If you prefer my first definition, then Die Hard qualifies. I am not saying DH isnt a Christmas Movie, i am saying it depends on the defintion.
Here are what I consider Christmas movies
A Christmas Carol
*Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. *
Miracle on 34th street.
The Santa Clause -and sequels
- The Nightmare Before Christmas*
*Polar Express. *
The Year Without a Santa Claus.
Now, can anyone deny those would be classed as Christmas films- first?
And that Die Hard would be classed first as an Action Film? Of course it is. Action first. Christmas? Maybe secondarily.
Interesting Film- Violent Christmas. Yes- a Christmas movie no matter the definition, but is it first an action film?
Or is that- as some have claimed- just many years down the line when River City has a top flight Marching band?
Interesting theory (which I’d never heard before), but Robert Preston and the other characters don’t look ‘many years’ older in that scene. Also that theory is contradicted by the scene inside, before they all go out and march down the street. The parents are all crying out with pride ‘that’s my Timmy!’ and such, even though the kids’ playing is terrible.
Anyway, back to Christmas movie definitions: if we’re talking “action” or violence, there are still degrees of Christmasy-ness. For example I’d argue that 2015’s Krampus IS a Christmas movie as the theme of family is so important in it. But none of the three versions of Black Christmas qualify because there is nothing in them, really, about the positive aspect of family* or of forgiveness or of kindness toward one’s fellow-humans, etc.
*There are some very negative aspects of “family” in the second of the three.
The key is that all the other offices in the tower are gone. Only Holly’s company is in the tower, making the theft easier.
The heist is planned for a time when only one company is in the tower; making it easy to control the people in the tower. They are all in one area and not scattered throughout the various floors due to the party.
There is only one time of year there would be a party and other businesses closed…a winter/holiday/ Christmas party.
Hence Christmas movie.
Also Alexander godunov has angel hair.
Uh, no.
*5 different government and private companies that I worked for showed me that new year and thanksgiving are not given such a big party…
Potlucks if any.
Or New Years.
Party- maybe yes, maybe no, I worked for a place that did the party- band and everything. But closed? Certainly.
Disagree. You could center the movie around Mardi Gras keeping the same basic plot (going up to Vermont, helping old General, etc.) and everything is the same. I feel the same way about the song “Last Christmas” by Wham! You can replace the word “Christmas” with “Flag Day” and the song stays the same.
That being said, main parts happen at and around Christmas, and it should be considered a Christmas movie.
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. None of the songs are relevant to the plot.
Yep. Not a Christmas film by my 2nd definition. Which is the one I prefer.
IMO, “Christmas Movie” and “Violent action movie with multiple on-screen deaths” are mutually exclusive categories (just like “Christmas movie” and “Horror film” are mutually exclusive.)
A movie can be set at Christmas but not be a “Christmas movie”, is how I see it.
Both “Violent Night” and “Red One” would like to have a word.
I have watched Violent Night twice. I see his point. Certainly it is an action film first.
I have heard Red One is really bad.