I'm often asked, as a Movie Guy, what my favorite movie of all time is, what's my favorite scary movie, what's my favorite Christmas movie. I never have a definitive answer as I love so many movies for so many different reasons. However, in the spirit of this Christmas holiday, I've decided to make a list of my favorite Christmas movies . . . as of right now. This list changes over the years, but this is my top 22 right now.
22. Gremlins 1984 - Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) receives an unusual gift for Christmas, a pet, a Mogwai. Billy names the pet Gizmo, in honor of his father (Hoyt Axton) an inventor of unique gizmos that someday might be his claim to fame. There are three simple, but important rules to care for the Mogwai: they don't like bright lights, don't get them wet, and definitely don't ever feed them after midnight. It isn't long before Billy accidentally breaks the rules resulting in devious imps called Gremlins who wreak havoc on their small town.
21. Bad Santa 2003 - Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) and Marcus (Tony Cox) are conmen who pose as department store Santa and Elf to get the inside edge for robbing the place blind. Willie unintentionally befriends a boy (Brett Kelly) and falls for a girl (Lauren Graham) and, like the Grinch, somehow finds a bit of true Christmas spirit buried deep inside. It's rude, crude, crass, irreverent, filthy and funny. A Christmas movie that is definitely NOT for the whole family.
20. A Charlie Brown Christmas 1965 - For the longest time, I've wondered why the theme song to
19. The Polar Express 2004 - Based on the best-selling 1985 book by Chris Van Allsburg. It featured state-of-the-art 3D animation turning Tom Hanks into one of the most realistic cartoons to date. Hanks showed off his vocal acting chops providing the voices of the train Conductor, the hero boy's father, the hobo on the train, the narrator, and Santa Claus himself. It's the story of a boy teetering with doubt about Santa Claus who is invited aboard a magical train, "The Polar Express", destined for The North Pole to meet the jolly old elf himself. It's a unique story that has lasted for decades and has brought that wonderful imaginative world to life with the most amazing animation to the film's date.
18. Die Hard 1988 - It is often debated whether Die Hard should even be considered a Christmas movie, though many declare its place definitively and many others have just accepted it. New York police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) flies to Los Angeles where his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) has moved to take a prestigious job at the Nakatomi Towers. The company is having its annual Christmas party when a group of highly trained and heavily armed terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take the employees hostage as they attempt a huge Christmas heist. McClane is the only able to save the day as Die Hard sparked a handful of blockbuster movies featuring the right cop in the wrong place at the wrong time. Filled with action and humorous one-liners, Die Hard deserves to be somewhere on almost everyone's Christmas movie list.
17. Miracle on 34th Street 1947 - The real Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn) confronts a drunken Santa about to appear in Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is convinced to take over the role and becomes the store's Santa. He is so popular, the increased business could also be its undoing if anything goes wrong. Dorris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), the Macy's executive who discovered the man, secretly has him evaluated for sanity that quickly gets out of control with an entire court hearing to determine his sanity.
16. It's a Wonderful Life 1946 - George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) has given up on his dreams and aspirations to stay in the small town of Bedford Falls, to run the family-owned Savings and Loan, to keep the town alive and to keep the greedy banker Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from taking over everything. The pressure gets to be too much for him and he wonders if everyone would be better off without him. An angel Clarence (Henry Travers) is sent from heaven to show him that life in Bedford Falls wouldn't be so wonderful without him around. It's a true Christmas classic but it falls a little bit each year on my list of favorites as I see more and more what a temper Bailey had. I know it's more indicative of the time the film was made, but it does tend to distract me from the overall theme of the movie each time I see it. Right now, it sits as one of my favorites, but down at number 16.
15. Disney's A Christmas Carol 2009 - Direct from the classic Christmas story by Charles Dickens, Disney pulled out all the stops with some of the most realistic cartoon animations ever created with Jim Carrey performing the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge. We all know the story of the miser being visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as his stone cold heart is warmed by seeing how he has affected those around him, but the Disney animated version is a visual spectacle that is jaw-droppingly beautiful and terrifying.
14. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2000 - It might seem that Jim Carrey was made to play animated Christmas characters as he donned the green Grinch suit for the live action version of Dr. Seuss' classic. "Every Who down in Whoville loved Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville did not." And Carrey plays the role of the Grinch to absolute perfection in this charming movie.
13. Jingle All the Way 1996 - 1996 is also the year the Tickle Me Elmo doll was the must-have gift of the year. If you didn't get this for your kid, you were a bad parent. This led to fights, brawls, anger, tears and a mayhem that has not been seen since. It wasn't the first time a toy had this effect. This phenomenon was the basis for Jingle All the Way. Little Jamie (Jake Lloyd) wants what every boy wants, the Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. His busy father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) forgot to buy it and scrambles with many others at the last second to try to save his family's Christmas by finding the doll. Hilarity ensues as he and a mailman (Sinbad) go toe-to-toe tearing up the city looking for the doll. It's the most popular Christmas movie, but I think it deserves more credit than it gets.
12. The Santa Clause 1994 - Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is an executive at a toy company. His son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) spends this night on Christmas Eve. The two inadvertently kill Santa Claus. To quiet his son, Scott puts on the suit and climbs in the sleigh binding him contractually to become the next Santa. Scott tried to keep the magic of Christmas and Santa alive for his son, though not necessarily a believer himself. Now he must keep the crazy secret hidden from his family and co-workers as he transforms permanently into Santa.
11. The Nightmare Before Christmas 1993 - Tim Burton's claymation spectacular became an instant classic as Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween, stumbles into the world of Christmas. He tries to recreate the magical wonder, but ends up destroying the holiday for millions of children in this dark and beautiful movie. Though the movie is called Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Burton himself did not direct this. He was busy on Batman Returns (a Christmas movie that did not make my list). Instead, he turned his ideas over to his pal at Disney Henry Selick to direct the movie. It took 3 years to make the movie and they were able to film one minute of the film each week. The effort was well worth it in this phenomenon.
On to the top 10:
10. Fred Claus 2007 - Like Jingle All the Way, Fred Claus is another one that slipped by many and doesn't get the credit it deserves. Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) is Santa Claus' (Paul Giamatti) brother. While Santa is busy all year preparing to take care of the children of the world, Fred is busy skating by trying to find the one big thing that will set him up for life. He wants to invest in his next idea, and reluctantly turns to his brother for help. Santa agrees, but only if Fred will come to the North Pole to help with their Christmas preparations for a few days. Fred agrees and turns their world upside down as both brothers are finally able to see Christmas through each others' eyes. There's a great scene at the end of the movie that I haven't seen in any other Christmas movie. Once the presents are all delivered, the elves run to the Globe to watch the delight they were able to bring to all the children of the world on Christmas morning. I think it's funny and cute and original and it sits at number 10 on my list right now.
9. The Muppet Christmas Carol 1992 - I have no idea how many versions of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol have been made throughout time, but there are three that made my list. I already talked about Jim Carrey and I'll get to number 8 next. Jim Henson's Muppets have one of the best retellings for me. Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit and Michael Caine plays Ebenezer Scrooge as narrated by Gonzo. It's a fun and different but true to the book telling of the classic story with some songs that have to be in every Muppet movie and I loved it.
8. Scrooged 1988 - Xavier Cross (Bill Murray) is a television executive who, like Ebenezer Scrooge, is a cold-hearted, career-driven man who has lost his way. Also like Scrooge, Cross is visited by three ghosts to show him who he used to be, who he has become, and where he is heading if he doesn't change his ways. It's a common Christmas story told in a unique and hilariously touching way.
7. The Santa Clause 2 2002 - Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been Santa Claus for nearly 10 years now, but it could all come to an end if another one of the stipulations of being Santa is not met. Santa has to be married. As if dealing with his rebellious son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) and preparing for Christmas for the world wasn't enough. He has to find a wife. Fortunately, they all work together to find the solution. Charlie has been acting out because he is burdened with the greatest secret in the world that he can't tell anyone. His antics force Scott to interact with the school's principal Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) who has also lost a bit of her Christmas spirit along the way. There are two things that make me rank this sequel higher than the original on my list: first was the scene at the school's Christmas party that Santa's magic turns into a true party; and second was Santa finding a Mrs. Claus and I'm definitely a sucker for the good guy finding the good girl.
6. Elf 2003 - Buddy (Will Ferrell) snuck into Santa's (Ed Asner) magic sack. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) raises him as an elf, but he never fit in. Eventually the truth is told to Buddy and he embarks on a journey to New York to find his biological father (James Caan). Buddy struggled to fit in with the elves at the North Pole and finds it just as difficult to find his place in New York with the humans, but his endless joy and Christmas spirit begin to inspire his family, his coworkers and eventually the city of New York.
5. Miracle on 34th Street 1994 - This classic was redone from the 1947 original. Santa is played by Richard Attenborough and Macy's is now Cole's Department Store and the executive Dorey Walker is played by Elizabeth Perkins. Instead of Walker having Santa evaluated by a psychiatrist, Cole's competitors at Shopper's Express set him up to be arrested. It is up to lawyer and neighbor Bryan Bedford (Dylan McDermott) and Dorey's daughter Susan (Mara Wilson) to prove his innocence in a remake that I feel surpasses the original.
4. Home Alone 1990 - The McAllister family has gone to France to celebrate Christmas abroad, but their left the son Kevin (Macauley Culkin) at home alone. He believes his wish to not have a family came true, but his dream turns into a nightmare as two hapless criminals (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try to rob the house. Kevin defends his home and longs for his family who find a way to reunite through a series of Christmas miracles.
3. A Christmas Story 1983 - All Ralph (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder B. B. gun. His mother, his teacher and even Santa all tell him he'll shoot his eye out. There are so many memorable moments in this film. The neighbor's dogs, the leg lamp, the pink bunny suit, the queen mother of dirty words, the bullies, the triple dog dare, Santa, the little piggy eating, the Christmas duck dinner, and the B. B. gun for sure. This one never gets old.
2. White Christmas 1954 - Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) served in the military together and become one of the most successful performing duos. They end up in Vermont together with another performing duo, sisters Betty Haynes (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera Ellen). The lodge in Vermont is run by their former Major General Thomas Waverly (Dean Jagger) and is bleeding money. Wallace and Davis use their fame to gather their old troop back together and put on a Christmas show that saves the lodge. The music, the misunderstandings, the romance, the comedy all come together for one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time.
1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 1989 - Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) are hosting their families for Christmas and this movie is jam-packed with some of the funniest and most-quotable Christmas scenes from any holiday film. The road rage, the cutting of the Christmas tree, his pretentious neighbors, Mary the department store clerk, 25,000 lights on the house, the swimming pool, cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), the RV, Clark's boss (Brian Doyle-Murray), the SWAT team. It's non-stop fun that still rings hilarious 27 years later.
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