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There are a number of great film options for fans looking to binge Christmas movies this holiday season. There are more made-for-TV movies than most people can count, along with classics that find airtime every year. But there are also a number of options that fans just can’t quite agree on in regard to whether or not they are Christmas movies.
So, what makes a Christmas movie? Does it need to be set during the holiday or feature recognizable Christmas elements like Santa Clause or Christmas trees? Or is there a looser set of guidelines that determine whether or not a film is a Christmas movie?
10 Gremlins Includes Horror Elements, But is Most Definitely A Christmas Movie
Joe Dante’s 1984 hit movie Gremlins introduced fans to the cute creature named Gizmo – a mythical mogwai who was given as a Christmas gift to his new owner Billy by his inventor father. There were rules associated with the gift – such as “don’t get it wet or else it will multiply,” as well as, “don’t feed it/them after midnight” – or else they’ll transform into the titular mischievous gremlins.
Gremlins is set at Christmas, but features a number of horror elements that earned one of the very first PG-13 ratings ever given out – which has made some fans question Gremlins’ place amongst other Christmas movies. Of course, horror and Christmas aren’t always separate – as films like Black Christmas have shown – so it remains a loveable holiday movie.
9 Lethal Weapon Features A Number Of Christmas Songs For The Holidays
One name that will appear a few times when discussing debatable Christmas movies is writer/director Shane Black, whose affinity for the holiday has led to a number of movies set at Christmas that include Lethal Weapon (directed by Richard Donner).
The iconic buddy cop movie is set during the Christmas season and even opens to the sounds of “Jingle Bell Rock” along with other memorable Christmas songs. While the storyline isn’t focused specifically on Christmas themes, the setting and soundtrack more than earns Lethal Weapon its place alongside other Christmas movies.
8 The Nightmare Before Christmas Stars Halloween Characters At Christmas
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beautiful stop-motion animated film that has a loyal fanbase who return to watch it every holiday season. Despite the title and setting, The Nightmare Before Christmas has seen some debate over whether or not it’s a Christmas movie.
This is largely due to the dark and scary Halloween-themed characters who attempt to take over Christmas by kidnapping Santa Claus. The Nightmare Before Christmas hits all the right notes as a typical Christmas movie otherwise. It’s fun and musical in a way that appeals to fans of dark animation as well as holiday movies.
7 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Is Set During Christmas In LA
2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starred Robert Downey Jr. as a reformed criminal turned amateur actor hoping to research the role of a private detective from Val Kilmer’s larger-than-life PI, and the two quickly find themselves embroiled in a twist-filled case.
Shane Black wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which approached classic hardboiled detective themes in a new way. Although the movie is set during Christmas celebrations in Los Angeles, the holiday doesn’t affect the storyline all that much. The movie doesn’t tackle typical themes of family or personal redemption either, which is what inspires debate amongst fans about whether it’s a Christmas movie.
6 Edward Scissorhands Is Technically A Story About Snow Falling On Christmas
Tim Burton is another writer/director who comes up frequently in debates about Christmas movies, a discussion which often includes his 1990 dark fantasy Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp. The movie is framed by a story told by a grandmother to her young grandchild, who wonders why it always snows on Christmas.
What unfolds is an unbelievable romance that introduces Depp’s artificial human with scissors for hands, who finds inspiration for his beautiful ice sculptures after falling in love with Winona Ryder’s Kim Boggs, who is later revealed as the narrator. Edward Scissorhands is also partially set at Christmas, making it a holiday movie about love and family that many fans rewatch every season.
5 Eyes Wide Shut Doesn’t Feel Like A Typical Christmas Movie At All
Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, can be categorized in many different ways. However, most wouldn’t immediately see it as a typical Christmas movie as Eyes Wide Shut deals with a sex-fueled cult of masked elitists.
That said, the movie’s holiday setting directly shines a light on consumerist themes that have negatively impacted society as a whole. The main character’s journey through the dangerous masked cult’s unforgettable party is also part of his journey back to his family, which checks off more than one Christmas movie box in a way only a director like Stanley Kubrick can.
4 Trading Places Takes Place During The Holidays With Christmas Elements
There are quite a few elements that make a Christmas movie, from a holiday setting, to themed characters like Santa Claus, and a story about family or redemption of some kind. 1983’s Trading Places stars Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd as the unwilling participants in the bet of rich brokers to test the theory of nature over nurture.
They do this by manipulating events to invert their societal roles, wrongly accusing and firing a rich banker while a wrongly-accused criminal got hired at the firm. Trading Places takes place during the holidays, features a disgruntled former employee in a Santa Claus costume, and provides dual redemptive story arcs for the main characters as they fight to get their lives back and get even.
3 Batman Returns Is Set During Christmas And Features A Tree-Lighting
1992’s Batman Returns from director Tim Burton explored Christmas time in Gotham City Danny Devito’s Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman caused trouble for Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight.
Christmas is given a Gothic overhaul in Gotham City during the holidays, featuring an ill-fated tree-lighting ceremony and giant villain-launching presents that take advantage of the season to build the story’s narrative. However, Batman Returns is dark and violent, which has some fans questioning its overall place among other family-friendly holiday movies.
2 Iron Man 3 Is Another Shane Black Movie Set During Christmas
The third entry in the hit superhero series that helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2013’s Iron Man 3 from writer/director Shane Black was set during Christmas like a number of his other projects.
Robert Downey Jr. reteamed with Black and reprised his fan-favorite role of Tony Stark/Iron Man as he investigated the terrorist attacks of The Mandarin. Iron Man 3‘s holiday setting is complete with gift-giving, snow-filled vistas, and a redemption arc for Tony as he struggles with his past failures and comes out as a new man.
1 Die Hard Has Been The Focus Of Christmas Debates For Years
The film leading the most debates about Christmas movies is John McTiernan’s iconic 1988 action hit Die Hard starring Bruce Willis, who starred as a lone cop trying to stop a team of high-tech terrorists/robbers as they interrupted a Christmas party to hold a skyscraper hostage.
Die Hard takes place during the holidays and features a soundtrack filled with classic holiday hits that place it firmly in the Christmas movie category. However, the film lacks some of the usual themes and elements shared by other movies in the genre, which has ignited the debate among fans for years.
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