As I spend the days trying to squeeze in all my favorite Christmas movies before D-day I thought it might be fun to do a little post about them! These are movies that I more or less watch every year around the holidays, a lot of which are family favorites and therefore very close to my heart.
Is there a man among us who does not start screeching CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE AGAIN as soon as it becomes December? Well, probably, but I definitely have spent the last month screeching it. I’ve loved Charlie Brown since I was a little girl. That stressed out little kid! Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, he’s the Charlie Browniest! I wonder if Peanuts was the model for something like Hey Arnold, because there is a similarity in the genuine sweetness and hope combined with a realistic feeling of melancholy. I think it’s easy to dismiss the sort of twee nostalgia of Peanuts but part of what I find enduring about it is the weight it gives to the emotions of the kids, to Charlie’s angst and uncertainty.
I feel like I forget that this movie is delightful until I watch it again and I am delighted anew. There is something about 90s romcoms (I know this movie came out in 2001, but as far as I’m concerned that’s still under the umbrella) that is very soothing. Perhaps it is the soundtrack of soul and Motown hits? The lovingly hideous fashion? The men who under no circumstances stand up as attractive to the modern eye (to my modern eye)? The charmingly disgruntled heroines? I don’t know, but they are surefire for me. The older I get, the more I appreciate that Bridget is a straight-up disaster. And let’s be real, Colin Firth’s ~just as you are~ speech is a classic of the genre. I defy you to not get a little bit of the warm tinglies in your heart region when that shit goes down. P.S. I am actually watching this as I put this post together, I am notably delighted. P.P.S. Is there a romantic comedy made between 1990 and 2005 that does not feature the song “Someone Like You”? P.P.P.S When they all toast to Bridget “just as she is” during the dinner at the end, I started crying, because I am A SAP TO END ALL SAPS.
I love love love love this movie. Barbara Stanwyck is one of those actresses that is just constantly, eternally perfect no matter what she’s doing. In Christmas in Connecticut, she’s a writer with a Martha Stewart-level homemaking column only the whole thing is bullshit – she can’t cook, she’s not married, she doesn’t have a lovely little farmhouse. But a recovering soldier adores her column and as a big Christmas publicity stunt, the magazine she writes for (which is ignorant of the fact that she’s made everything up) wants her to put up the soldier over the holiday. Luckily her boyfriend does have a farmhouse and he wants to marry her, so the whole farce can presumably be pulled off with ease. Obviously that is not the case!
Barbara is truly hilarious the whole movie, shooting all of these horrified looks at whatever domestic task she is expected to perform at any given time: changing a baby, looking after a cow, flipping a pancake. There are shenanigans galore (a neighbor’s baby stands in for the one she supposedly has, and halfway through is switched with a different neighbor’s baby), and Barbara of course ends up falling for the soldier. I like that it doesn’t really ~teach her a lesson about domestic tasks the way 40s movies sometimes do just to stick to the status quo; even though they have to cover up for Babs’ lack of skills, it never really becomes about her getting good at any of it or even wanting to. It’s just fun and farcical and ties up on a cheerful note.
Animated one, obviously. Love Jim Carey and all, but I have no patience for those creepy skinsuit comedies. I’m pretty sure this is my sister’s favorite Christmas movie. I find myself struggling a little to write in-depth about these animated childhood classics, not because they're not good or I don't love them, but just because...what is there to say, really? These thing become so much a part of our consciousness that it's almost a matter of rote. Or if not that, then – shorthand. The Grinch's curling grin; Cindy Lou Who; hearts growing three sizes – they all just become a part of our DNA.
Little Women!!!! I have said this a few times around the internet lately (I went on something of a tumblr reblog spree…) but pretty much every year I set aside a day for this movie, and the reason I have to set aside a DAY is because I sob my butt off and am rendered useless afterwards. I didn't watch it last year, and my Christmas suffered for it. I am a noted & dedicated fan of Winona and Kirsten Dunst, and also period pieces, and also sisters. This movie has entered a stratosphere for me where I literally refuse to hear less than glowing things about it. It just tugs directly on my heartstrings. I cry from the first minute (with the singing) through the whole film (why is growing up the absolute worst) to the final minute (okay that kiss under the umbrella is pretty gr8). Maybe I should read the book? I feel like it’s too late for that?
Also I miss when Christian Bale was just a fruity British guy and not a Serious Actor.
Another Mom fave, and of course I mean the original and not the egregious remake starring whatshisface. Is it weird if I say that the 40s and 90s are kind of comparable in having churned out an endless amount of solid, competent films? Unlike, say, the 50s and 70s which are kind of noted for being revolutionary for American cinema. I don’t know if that’s an odd comparison to draw, but I do feel like a lot of movies from those decades are just good in a very efficient way – professional, in a manner of speaking. ANYWAY, this movie is just like a shot of pure joy and optimism. Who doesn’t finish this movie not only believing that Santa is real but also that Edmund Gwenn is obviously Santa? Also teeny tiny Natalie Wood, one of the most adorable children ever put on film.
I would say my absolute favorite favorite Christmas movies are this, Little Women, and Christmas in Connecticut. Those are my top of the top. I am admittedly in love with Jimmy Stewart, and both he and Margaret Sullavan are at PRIME SASS in this movie. They both work together at a shop and neither like each other one bit, but unbeknownst to either of them, they are also anonymous pen pals who are totally in L O V E. You may notice the similarities between this and another movie that appears later on the list. Both are wonderful in their own ways, and favorites of mine, but there is something about The Shop Around the Corner that feels especially special to me.
This movie is like an exercise in unrelenting charm neutralizing potential creepiness. Like, okay, yes: Sandra creeps on Sandy Cohen and pretends to be his fiancée and infiltrates his family and falls for his brother. I see that – but I raise you Sandy and Bill Pullman falling all over the ice, and also how genuine and warm the family is, and also the engagement ring in the token tray with everyone looking on. ALSO THE STAMP IN THE PASSPORT. And also Sandra Bullock’s entire self.
This post took me so long that I finished Bridget Jones and am now watching this.
I sort of don’t actually think White Christmas is that good? Like many similar put-on-a-show type movies, it is rather thin on everything except spectacle, and even that is hit or miss despite the gorgeous costumery. (That “Mr. Bones” song is the fuckin WORST.) But it is mostly pretty to look at and to listen to and I love Rosemary Clooney. It’s a good background Christmas movie; you don’t really need to give it your full attention. My personal favorite number is “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me” which is both beautifully sung and wonderful to watch, because Rosemary does it in an INCREDIBLE sexy black gown with a gaggle of gay men posing dramatically all around her. A perfect fuck-you twist on what is a pretty sad breakup song if you ask me.
A remake of The Shop Around the Corner that manages to use the framework of the original to create something new enough to not feel like a ripoff or a copy but still carries through the cleverness and charm of the first film. You’ve Got Mail is something of a cultural punchline, as are all Meg Ryan movies – thanks to their former ubiquitousness and with little attention paid to the actual quality of most of the films – but it really is a wonderful and watchable movie. I like to watch it any time of year but it is especially lovely during Christmas, when you can loudly sing along while everyone else is singing along at the piano.
Honorable mentions: Holiday, which is a great movie starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn that just isn’t a movie I watch yearly. Also The Ref, which is a pretty funny comedy wherein Denis Leary is a thief who holds up a family on Christmas (Kevin Spacey & Judy Davis) and sort of ends up unintentionally saving their marriage (A my Dad favorite).
Is there a man among us who does not start screeching CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE AGAIN as soon as it becomes December? Well, probably, but I definitely have spent the last month screeching it. I’ve loved Charlie Brown since I was a little girl. That stressed out little kid! Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, he’s the Charlie Browniest! I wonder if Peanuts was the model for something like Hey Arnold, because there is a similarity in the genuine sweetness and hope combined with a realistic feeling of melancholy. I think it’s easy to dismiss the sort of twee nostalgia of Peanuts but part of what I find enduring about it is the weight it gives to the emotions of the kids, to Charlie’s angst and uncertainty.
The Bishop’s Wife
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This is my mom’s favorite Christmas movie. It is a very lovely little movie about a bishop (David Niven) and his wife (Loretta Young) who are having some marital problems because of the bishop’s singlemindedness when it comes to trying to build this cathedral that he can’t raise the funds for. The bishop prays for guidance and is sent an angelic helper in the form of Cary Grant – we should all be so lucky. The summary reads kind of boring (bishops? churches? angels? who cares?) but the movie is basically a surfeit of charm, with that very clever writing of apparently all movies from the 1940s. Cary spends the film charming the pants off everyone he meets, including the titular wife, and causing David Niven a great deal of huffy irritation, which is something Niven does very well.
I feel like I forget that this movie is delightful until I watch it again and I am delighted anew. There is something about 90s romcoms (I know this movie came out in 2001, but as far as I’m concerned that’s still under the umbrella) that is very soothing. Perhaps it is the soundtrack of soul and Motown hits? The lovingly hideous fashion? The men who under no circumstances stand up as attractive to the modern eye (to my modern eye)? The charmingly disgruntled heroines? I don’t know, but they are surefire for me. The older I get, the more I appreciate that Bridget is a straight-up disaster. And let’s be real, Colin Firth’s ~just as you are~ speech is a classic of the genre. I defy you to not get a little bit of the warm tinglies in your heart region when that shit goes down. P.S. I am actually watching this as I put this post together, I am notably delighted. P.P.S. Is there a romantic comedy made between 1990 and 2005 that does not feature the song “Someone Like You”? P.P.P.S When they all toast to Bridget “just as she is” during the dinner at the end, I started crying, because I am A SAP TO END ALL SAPS.
I love love love love this movie. Barbara Stanwyck is one of those actresses that is just constantly, eternally perfect no matter what she’s doing. In Christmas in Connecticut, she’s a writer with a Martha Stewart-level homemaking column only the whole thing is bullshit – she can’t cook, she’s not married, she doesn’t have a lovely little farmhouse. But a recovering soldier adores her column and as a big Christmas publicity stunt, the magazine she writes for (which is ignorant of the fact that she’s made everything up) wants her to put up the soldier over the holiday. Luckily her boyfriend does have a farmhouse and he wants to marry her, so the whole farce can presumably be pulled off with ease. Obviously that is not the case!
Barbara is truly hilarious the whole movie, shooting all of these horrified looks at whatever domestic task she is expected to perform at any given time: changing a baby, looking after a cow, flipping a pancake. There are shenanigans galore (a neighbor’s baby stands in for the one she supposedly has, and halfway through is switched with a different neighbor’s baby), and Barbara of course ends up falling for the soldier. I like that it doesn’t really ~teach her a lesson about domestic tasks the way 40s movies sometimes do just to stick to the status quo; even though they have to cover up for Babs’ lack of skills, it never really becomes about her getting good at any of it or even wanting to. It’s just fun and farcical and ties up on a cheerful note.
Animated one, obviously. Love Jim Carey and all, but I have no patience for those creepy skinsuit comedies. I’m pretty sure this is my sister’s favorite Christmas movie. I find myself struggling a little to write in-depth about these animated childhood classics, not because they're not good or I don't love them, but just because...what is there to say, really? These thing become so much a part of our consciousness that it's almost a matter of rote. Or if not that, then – shorthand. The Grinch's curling grin; Cindy Lou Who; hearts growing three sizes – they all just become a part of our DNA.
Little Women!!!! I have said this a few times around the internet lately (I went on something of a tumblr reblog spree…) but pretty much every year I set aside a day for this movie, and the reason I have to set aside a DAY is because I sob my butt off and am rendered useless afterwards. I didn't watch it last year, and my Christmas suffered for it. I am a noted & dedicated fan of Winona and Kirsten Dunst, and also period pieces, and also sisters. This movie has entered a stratosphere for me where I literally refuse to hear less than glowing things about it. It just tugs directly on my heartstrings. I cry from the first minute (with the singing) through the whole film (why is growing up the absolute worst) to the final minute (okay that kiss under the umbrella is pretty gr8). Maybe I should read the book? I feel like it’s too late for that?
Also I miss when Christian Bale was just a fruity British guy and not a Serious Actor.
Another Mom fave, and of course I mean the original and not the egregious remake starring whatshisface. Is it weird if I say that the 40s and 90s are kind of comparable in having churned out an endless amount of solid, competent films? Unlike, say, the 50s and 70s which are kind of noted for being revolutionary for American cinema. I don’t know if that’s an odd comparison to draw, but I do feel like a lot of movies from those decades are just good in a very efficient way – professional, in a manner of speaking. ANYWAY, this movie is just like a shot of pure joy and optimism. Who doesn’t finish this movie not only believing that Santa is real but also that Edmund Gwenn is obviously Santa? Also teeny tiny Natalie Wood, one of the most adorable children ever put on film.
I would say my absolute favorite favorite Christmas movies are this, Little Women, and Christmas in Connecticut. Those are my top of the top. I am admittedly in love with Jimmy Stewart, and both he and Margaret Sullavan are at PRIME SASS in this movie. They both work together at a shop and neither like each other one bit, but unbeknownst to either of them, they are also anonymous pen pals who are totally in L O V E. You may notice the similarities between this and another movie that appears later on the list. Both are wonderful in their own ways, and favorites of mine, but there is something about The Shop Around the Corner that feels especially special to me.
This movie is like an exercise in unrelenting charm neutralizing potential creepiness. Like, okay, yes: Sandra creeps on Sandy Cohen and pretends to be his fiancée and infiltrates his family and falls for his brother. I see that – but I raise you Sandy and Bill Pullman falling all over the ice, and also how genuine and warm the family is, and also the engagement ring in the token tray with everyone looking on. ALSO THE STAMP IN THE PASSPORT. And also Sandra Bullock’s entire self.
This post took me so long that I finished Bridget Jones and am now watching this.
I sort of don’t actually think White Christmas is that good? Like many similar put-on-a-show type movies, it is rather thin on everything except spectacle, and even that is hit or miss despite the gorgeous costumery. (That “Mr. Bones” song is the fuckin WORST.) But it is mostly pretty to look at and to listen to and I love Rosemary Clooney. It’s a good background Christmas movie; you don’t really need to give it your full attention. My personal favorite number is “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me” which is both beautifully sung and wonderful to watch, because Rosemary does it in an INCREDIBLE sexy black gown with a gaggle of gay men posing dramatically all around her. A perfect fuck-you twist on what is a pretty sad breakup song if you ask me.
A remake of The Shop Around the Corner that manages to use the framework of the original to create something new enough to not feel like a ripoff or a copy but still carries through the cleverness and charm of the first film. You’ve Got Mail is something of a cultural punchline, as are all Meg Ryan movies – thanks to their former ubiquitousness and with little attention paid to the actual quality of most of the films – but it really is a wonderful and watchable movie. I like to watch it any time of year but it is especially lovely during Christmas, when you can loudly sing along while everyone else is singing along at the piano.
Honorable mentions: Holiday, which is a great movie starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn that just isn’t a movie I watch yearly. Also The Ref, which is a pretty funny comedy wherein Denis Leary is a thief who holds up a family on Christmas (Kevin Spacey & Judy Davis) and sort of ends up unintentionally saving their marriage (A my Dad favorite).