Lesser known, underrated, or simply unconventional Christmas movies

This the first one I thought of when I read the thread title.

Was it Uncle Nick?

I like Christmas movies that have miracles happen in them

One Magic Christmas

Course I cant think of any other ones similar

I do like:

House without a Christmas tree
Man who saved Christmas

Oldie but goodies
Holiday Affair
The Shop around the corner
(off to see what holiday crap I need to take care of)

One Magic Christmas – is that the one with Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton? My wife used to have a tape of that movie… in fact it may still be in a box in the basement, but it’s been years since we had a VCR.

One I thought of while reading through the thread is “The Silent Partner” with Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer. Not really a Christmas movie but it does take place around Christmas. A bank teller foils a robbery attempt by a mall Santa and gets away with the loot himself. When the bank robber figures out what happened, he goes after the bank teller.

Was going to recommend this one myself :slight_smile:

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Mixed Nuts, with Steve Martin and Madeline Kahn. It concerns a failing suicide hotline in Venice, California, and includes a transvestite, a very pregnant Julia Lewis, and Rob Reiner as a veterinarian. What more do you need for Christmas?

that’s it

oh another one is david bowies “merry Christmas mr christan” its about a squad in a ww2 Japanese pow camp………

^ It’s, “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.”

One that used to be shown here in the U.K. is It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.

Seconded. Funny movie.

A Little Christmas Tail

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang takes place during Christmas, including a Christmas party where one of the characters dresses up in costume for it. Does that count?

Not a movie, but definitely unconventional, I really enjoyed Happy! They’re doing a marathon of it this year on SyFy, but I just binged it on Netflix. The opening scene alone is gold, if gold is being fucked up the ass by a hobo while having a meth-induced heart attack.

The Great Rupert, about a generous squirrel. Live action, though Rupert is stop motion. With Jimmy Durante. Directed by George Pal.

If you like totally ridiculous B movies watch Santa Claus Vs. The Martians.

I love the Wham-O air-puff guns the Martians use as weapons. :cool:

Even I have standards in bad movies, Christmas or otherwise. So a good bad Xmas movie that I like to mention is Trapped in Paradise. Great cast doing their usual shtick. Just ignore the “plot”.

In the Firpo family, the man with half a brain is king.

Things to Come (1935)
Opens on Christmas, 1940…but there will be very little to celebrate.
Christmas Holiday (1944)
Christmas in New Orleans finds nightclub/brothel singer Deanna Durbin recalling her failed marriage to wastrel Gene Kelly.
Conquest of Space (1953)
Christmas is briefly celebrated in outer space, making this almost as much of a Christmas movie as Die Hard.

According to early script treatments, Disney’s 1979 film The Black Hole actually takes place at Christmastime—however, while fitting with some of the religious imagery in the story, very little of this seems to have made it into the final film.

For a straighter example, though, how about Kirk Cameron’s 1990 Christmas film, “A Little Piece of Heaven—he plays a struggling pig farmer who drugs and kidnaps orphaned and abused children, convincing them that they’ve died and are in heaven, so they can help out on his farm and keep his mentally handicapped sister company! It’s a comedy! And he’s the good guy!

And the first child he captures and puts to work is black!

1984’s “The Night They Saved Christmas” is probably a better movie for this thread and one’s soul. A Christmas movie for the tyke who believes in Santa, but is also a nascent chiphead, and also handy for coming up with plausible explanations for suspicious questions. (“How does Santa get to every house in one night?” Taking advantage of speed, time zones, and time dilation equipment. “How does he carry all the toys in his sleigh?” He actually doesn’t—but he prepositions large cargo satellites full of gifts around the planet beforehand, and periodically resupplies during the mission.)

Come to think of it, this is the Christmas Special that teaches children one of the most valulable lessons of all—the importance oflogistical planning.

Clearly not including TV specials in your list, because “A Charlie Brown Christmas” didn’t make the list. But you’re gonna be watching these movies on a small screen, right?

For me, the one I like most is “Hooves of Fire” (BBC Animation). Running time around 30 minutes. A product of it’s time (1999), but then, so am I.