Friends, lovers, family, enemies, and everyone in between: as the song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I’m (hopefully) here to spread some Christmas cheer your way as the 25th of December rapidly approaches. This week, I’ll be running down a “holiday wishlist” of sorts, discussing some of my most-beloved and most-watched Christmas movies over the years. If you’ve got time between last-minute shopping, trimming the tree, or shoveling the walk, feel free to check this list (you might even want to check it twice), and maybe even pop one or two of these into the VCR. Well, no one has VCRs anymore, but you get my drift.
Remember, George – no man is a failure who has friends. Merry Christmas!
It’s a Wonderful Life – This one is probably my single favorite holiday film, and also one of my favorite movies of all time, and so I’m leading with it here. One could, in fact, make the argument that it’s not much of a Christmas movie given that very little of it actually takes place on or near the holiday – in that sense, Die Hard is much more of a Christmas movie than It’s a Wonderful Life will ever be, but let’s not jump down that rabbit hole (Die Hard is a Christmas movie, by the way). Of all the movies I’ll be talking about, this is probably the one I’ve watched most, and it’s also the oldest, proving in some small sense that cinema is capable of standing the test of time. What’s especially interesting about it, though, is that in spite of the widespread love it receives today, it initially performed poorly at the box office (due, according to its Wikipedia article, to “stiff competition”), and even more dubious is the fact that it only took home a single Oscar statuette: a Technical Achievement Award for the development of a new snowfall technique (it was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor for Jimmy Stewart, Best Director for Frank Capra, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Recording).
Oscar-worthy snow.
The Santa Clause – This is maybe the film on my Christmas movie wishlist that most consistently makes me laugh (its only real competition is Christmas Vacation), with constant one-liners that hold up every year. It’s what I undoubtedly feel is Tim Allen‘s finest moment (I suppose Toy Story is a near runner-up), and also features what I think is one of the more brilliantly imaginative and vibrant depictions of Santa Claus in film. You don’t need to bother with either of the sequels (The Santa Clause 2 is alright, but I’ll admit that I’ve never even bothered to watch the critically panned third installment featuring Martin Short as Jack Frost), but this one is a comparatively easygoing watch that you should be able to find on cable easily enough.
Eric Lloyd (Charlie) actually did a pretty interesting Reddit AMA a few years back focusing on his experience working with Tim Allen on this film.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – With a real earworm of a theme song and a truly iconic performance from National Lampoon’s leading man Chevy Chase, this is another solid gold classic that’s easy to find on TV during this time of year. From the absurdist humor of the sledding scene to the character-driven antics of the family convergence dominating the second act, Christmas Vacation finds itself constantly producing lines that you and your family will be adopting as your own inside jokes for years to come. If you carve out the time to watch this one, you’ll have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tapdanced with Danny f***ing Kaye!
Take a look around you, Ellen! We’re at the threshold of hell!
The Family Man – No holiday is complete without a little Nicolas Cage, and while the Fourth of July has National Treasure, Halloween has Ghost Rider and Pay The Ghost, and April Fools Day has…a lot of options, Christmas without a doubt has The Family Man, in which Cage’s character, after publicly performing a selfless act of kindness, is given the chance at a “glimpse” of what his life would be like if he had stayed in America with his then girlfriend (Tea Leoni) instead of flying to London and “going into arbitrage.” With a solid message, the expected but nonetheless memorable dose of Cage, and a solid supporting turn by Don Cheadle as an angel, this has fallen into place as my family’s typical Christmas Eve watch, and for good reason.
Two-hundred forty-eight dollars, B. Cheddar comin’!
A Christmas Carol (1951) – I’ll admit that I’m choosing this version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale from a veritable sea of versions simply because it’s the one my dad most enjoys, and therefore it’s probably the one I’ve seen the most frequently. Sure, Alastair Sim‘s acting is hammy at times, and sure, a black-and-white story focusing often on poverty and despair in 1800s London can often be a little grim, dry, and hard to swallow (or stay awake for), but it’s a critical watch (or read) for anyone looking for a more secular reminder of the reason for the season.
Me when I realize I forgot someone on my Christmas gift list on December 24th.
Some honorable mentions that I unfortunately didn’t have the space to cover, but are still typical holiday season watches for me: A Charlie Brown Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas (original animated version), Elf, A Christmas Story, The Polar Express, Home Alone, and a whole bunch of the old claymation specials from back in the day (The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town), even though many might not consider those full-blown films. Any others I missed? Let me know!
Tune in next week for The Tuesdays With Cory Christmas Extravaganza Pt. 2 (subject matter TBD – more movies are an option, as is a ranking of The Office‘s Christmas episodes; let me know of any holiday-themed things you’d like to read about in the comments!).
Tuesdays with Cory 