It’s Holiday Movie Season…
If “We Need a Little Christmas,” from the 1966 Broadway musical Mame hasn’t been playing in your head for the past few months, it is time to get on board… I know it is still November, and there are those die hard (no pun intended) anti-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving-people out there, but for those of us who need it, we, The Team at The Film Rewind, have dubbed it perfectly acceptable to start watching holiday movies, NOW! Seriously, it’s 2020, and anything goes at this point… Check out our suggestions below for feel-good holiday movies to view and get you in the holiday spirit, feel free to “haul out the holly” and “put up the tree before my spirit falls again,” because we all “need a little Christmas now!”
Thanksgiving Staples
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987, dir. John Hughes)
I hope you are not thinking about traveling for the holidays this year… But if you are even close to considering it, just watch this movie, and think about all of the ways it could possibly go wrong. The comedy and on-screen chemistry between Steve Martin, as marketing executive Neal Page, and John Candy, as Del Griffith the super annoying but well-intending shower curtain salesman, is delightful as the two play off each other so well in this John Hughes comedy classic. Basically, any travel plans that could go wrong, do go wrong; so why not save yourself the trouble, skip going anywhere, and stay home and watch this hilarious comedy film instead? – Sarah ✈🚂🚗
Home for the Holidays (1995, dir. Jodie Foster)
I enjoyed our rather divisive November 2019 Film Club pick so much that it has become part of my regular Thanksgiving rotation. In the film Claudia (Holly Hunter) returns to her parents' home, reuniting with them and a handful of other family members. The tedium, spurts of drama, and reversion to the days of yore all marvelously capture the bizarre elements of holiday traditions. I love the familiarity of this dysfunctional family during the holidays, I love the cross-talk, and I especially love the ideas of the construction and keeping of memories that the film explores. – Bailey 🎥
Now Streaming
Dash & Lily (2020, Netflix)
This Netflix series, based on “Dash & Lily's Book of Dares” by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (the first book in the young adult series), is exactly the type of escapist TV that I needed right now. Dash’s (Austin Abrams) adventure starts when he discovers a mysterious red notebook hidden amongst the stacks of The Strand bookstore in New York City, which quickly sends him on a quest to learn more about (and eventually meet) Lily (Midori Francis), the author of said notebook. Filled with teen angst, holiday cheer, and plenty of awkward first-love comedy moments, what’s not to like? – Sarah 📕
The Christmas Star (1986, dir. Alan Shapiro)
You can easily see this movie on Disney+, but back in my day, it was part of those wonderful collections of TV recordings on VHS that I recently began discussing in The Bailey Tapes, which I eagerly dug out at the start of every holiday season growing up. In the film, Ed Asner stars as a convict who escapes from prison in a Santa suit, convincing a pair of children that he’s Santa Claus, and recruiting them to find some hidden cash from a decades-old heist. Even now, knowing that this movie is almost certainly a ripoff of Whistle Down the Wind (1961, dir. Bryan Forbes), I can't help but adore the film, and Ed Asner as a grumpy crime Santa. It's a simple little TV movie that will always have a nostalgic place in my heart. – Bailey 💰
Seasonal Favorites
The Holiday (2006, dir. Nancy Meyers)
After seeing this movie in the theaters upon its release, way back in December of 2006, this film quickly climbed to the top of my holiday viewing list. The Holiday has become my go-to feel-good film that I will gladly start watching in November to right through the New Year (with the occasional ‘Christmas in July’ themed viewing… from time to time… regardless of the sloppy editing errors). There is just something about this film, particularly it being such a throwback to early cinema, that absolutely captured my attention. Perhaps it is the emphasis placed on meet cutes and classic romantic comedy and screwball tropes, or the overarching theme of not wanting to be alone for the holidays, or even the stellar ensemble cast, including Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black, Rufus Sewell, and Eli Wallach, but whatever the reason, The Holiday is always at the top of my holiday ‘must-watch’ list, often watched on repeat... – Sarah 🎄🕎🍜🎉💕
It's a Wonderful Life (1946, dir. Frank Capra)
This Christmas classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed is one of my all-time favorite films, and quite probably my favorite Christmas film (though, so much of the film takes place outside of Christmastime, that I sometimes hesitate to call it a 'Christmas film'). While all of George Bailey's disappointments and struggles are gradual, eating at him year after year until he is left with nothing but bitterness, however, the film's ending allows us to see, overwhelmingly, and all at once, his immense success as a support to his community. As the years go by and the world seems to get colder and harder, this story of kindness and support toward others, as an innate quality of human good, never fails to move me. – Bailey 🔔
What do you think of our suggestions? How soon is too soon to start watching Christmas movies? What are your favorite holiday films? Share your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to also watch our November Film Club Pick, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)!
Copyright © 2020 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte
