10. Bad Santa (2003)
Sadly the last appearance of 8 Simple Rules star John Ritter, Bad Santa is truly one of a kind. According to online sources both Jack Nicholson and Bill Murray were interested in taking the lead role of Willy in this offbeat black comedy. All we can say is ‘thank god Billy Bob Thornton was available’. Bad Santa is irresistible to watch at this time of year. Its pure outrageousness in the form of a mall Santa who is the front for a convenience store robbery, and just so happens to: enjoy fornicating with large women, drinking, puking, pissing, and cursing at every little kid, has us in stiches. It has been rumored for a while that a sequel will go into production early 2014. If so, then I personally can’t wait to see more antics involving the heartless safecracker and his kid sidekick. “I’m an eating, drinking, shitting, fucking Santy Claus”.
9. Jack Frost (1998)
After Batman and Beetlejuice, Jack Frost is one of my favourite Michael Keaton movies. So he might only be in the film for about fifteen minutes at the beginning, but the mythological Christmas character was truly reinvigorated for this movie where a father who returns from the afterlife to mentor his teen son, does so in the form of a snowman. With Keaton’s witty and sarcastic attitude brought across as the snow-dads voice, this 90s kids movie really takes it up a notch. It also makes spikey haired teen punks look like wimps when a talking snowman throws snowballs at them. Coupled together with a magic harmonica, this touching tale is a true testament to the great holiday filmmaking of the 1990s.
8. Jingle All The Way (1996)
Schwarzenegger running down a street reciting the names of Santa’s reindeer… “Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen” is enough to make Jingle All The Way one of my favorite Christmas movies, and the fun doesn’t stop there. Like a few others on this list, the slapstick style of comedy employed for Arnie’s journey to find his son (Star Wars’ Jake Lloyd) a Turbo Man Doll on Christmas Eve is hilarious to watch. Known for his typical body building robotic army roles, Schwarzenegger always openly admitted that he enjoyed playing the good guy. It was even said that he approached Harold Ramis about becoming a Ghostbuster if they ever made another film, not a bad shout considering GB2 was set during the holiday season! Every year we route for the big guy against rival father Myron (Sinbad), who will also go to any length to secure the one item that will make his child happy on Christmas day. “Its turbo time!”.
7. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
There have been a great many adaptations of Dickens literature, and the Christmas Carol has been told in both live action and animation through the years over and over again. With Michael Caine as Scrooge, and the supporting cast in the form of Jim Henson’s Muppet characters, this movie is a true Christmas classic. If like me you are a fan of Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the crew, then the Muppets take on the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past is a winner. The movie is both emotional and entertaining, and so lovingly crafted that you forget you're watching a spoof of the story with looney puppets. “Bah humbug”.
6. The Santa Clause (1994)
A movie made by Disney, starring Tim Allen, and based around the notion that anyone’s Dad could become Santa Claus if they believe hard enough…finally they got something right in the 90s! Tim Allen undergoes a heavy transformation as he turns from Scrooge like corporate advertiser to the main man himself. The Santa Clause is fantastic fun for children and adults. It employs beautiful sets and impressive effects to bring the North Pole and Santa’s workshop to life, leaving little to the imagination. There are also a few sad moments when it seems that only Charlie (Allen’s son) believes that his father really is Santa. But don’t worry; one of the happiest Christmassy endings takes place of course, it's Disney after all! A big Christmas movie franchise, The Santa Clause gave birth to two sequels with further clauses that get Tim Allen into difficult situations when trying to remain in the red overcoat and the big black boots. Each film will make you believe, after all “Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing”…gotta love those elves!
5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Just one of the many National Lampoon’s Vacation films starring Chevy Chase, Christmas Vacation brings a gut busting slapstick feel to what would typically be a traditional Christmas tale. The families are all together, and the spirit of the high holiday fills Clark Griswold (Chase) with a sense of longing. For the perfect Christmas, Clark goes to a whole heap of trouble, and almost entirely at the expense of destroying the home of yuppie neighbor Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Watch out for an early appearance of the Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki and a young Juliette Lewis as Rusty and Audrey Griswold, comedy classic from John Hughes.
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
I never really know whether to watch this on Halloween or Christmas, so sometimes I just do both. It is possibly one of the greatest films created by gothic mastermind Tim Burton. With claymation characters and classy songs from Danny Elfman (who just so happens to be the singing voice of Jack Skellington), The Nightmare Before Christmas has settled itself into the zeitgeist of the 90s resurgence of Christmas classics. It’s almost Grinch like approach to the darker corners of the imagination, have a strange effect on the viewer. Halloween vs. Christmas is like a child’s dreams come true; there’s no wonder perhaps that this movie has remained so pivotal to festive entertainment. I personally would love to live in Halloween Town, but then again, it might get a bit samey after a while…good thing the old pumpkin king knows his way around.
3. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Some may not have believed a live action adaptation of a Dr. Seuss story would have worked, but when you have Ron Howard directing and Jim Carrey starring, how could it not. Despite being a remake of the classic 1966 animated movie of the same name (that was voiced almost entirely by Frankenstein’s Boris Karloff), this Christmas tale is zaney, family friendly, and most importantly… funny. Jim Carrey’s facial expressions and physicality are only heightened by the make-up and green body suit that turn him into the Seussical creature that tries to destroy Christmas. For all the Whos down in Whoville it’s a must see around the holiday season, and narrated by none other than Anthony Hopkins.
2. Home Alone 1-2 (1990/92)
Ok... so it might be cheating putting them both together, and although it spawned three dreadful sequels, Home Alone defied the conventions of family entertainment. Basing the entire movie around the performance of Macaulay Culkin after his breakthrough appearance in the John Candy classic Uncle Buck, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York really express the anxieties that all children feel in a large family around the holiday season. Culkin carries both films with ease, and his cleverly plotted battles against wet bandits Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are both hilarious and heart warming. With Christmas Vacation and The Home Alone movies, writer/director John Hughes is safely one of the masters of Christmas comedies. “Merry Christmas ya filthy animal”.
1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings”…how could it not be number one. Like only a handful of Hollywood classics, It's A Wonderful Life is effortless and beautiful. The fact that the story of George Bailey lends itself to a Christmas miracle is thankfully one of the best darn excuses to watch the movie at least once a year. For anyone in need of a life-affirming lesson, look no further than this exceptional cinematic masterpiece. Jimmy Stewart’s performance is one for the ages, and who could forget the adorable Henry Travers as his guardian angel Clarence. I recommend this more than any other Christmas movie…just make sure to watch the original version and not the re-master that brought the film to colour, it spoils that which is already perfect in every way.
So...what is your favourite Christmas Movie? Leave your thoughts and comments below and perhaps they will make it into The Moviegoer's nice list for next year!!!
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