The decorations are up, the carols are playing and the presents are wrapped and ready: Christmas time is here again! The fun and festivities of Christmas have not gone unnoticed in Hollywood; rather, many movies have been made with the silly season a main feature. Most Christmas films are made not with the intention of winning Academy Awards, but to put a smile on your face, make you feel good and get you into the Christmas spirit. Being a Christmas nut, I have watched many a Christmas movie over the years, and so have put together a list of some of the most enjoyable Christmas films.
The Santa Clause (1994)
Directed by John Pasquin, this film puts a different spin on the classic story of Father Christmas. When Scott Calvin (played by Tim Allen) unintentionally causes Santa to fall to his death on Christmas Eve, Calvin must step into Santa’s shoes. He is taken to the North Pole where the elves try to convince him he is the new Santa Claus, and after an amusing series of events and magical transformations, Calvin eventually accepts his role. A nice, heart-warming movie that is one of my Christmas favourites (but forget about the sequels!!).
There have been many film adaptations of the classic story by Charles Dickens, about the selfish, Christmas-loathing Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits from the three ghosts of Christmas who try to change his ways. One of the most popular versions is the 1951 film titled ‘Scrooge’, directed by Brian Hurst and starring Alastair Sim. Brian Henson directed the very entertaining ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ (1992) starring Michael Caine and all of your favourite Muppets. A Disney remake, directed by Robert Zemeckis, is currently in post-production and is scheduled for release in late 2009.
Another Christmas story that has had a number of film adaptations, the most well-known versions of this movie are the classic 1947 version and the more recent 1994 version, starring Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle and Mara Wilson as Susan Walker. Susan is a six-year-old who does not believe in Santa Claus, until she meets Kris Kringle, a department store Santa, who tells her that he is the real Santa. She begins to believe him, as all those who meet Kris can sense something special about him. A great conflict follows the release of this news, eventuating in a court case to determine whether Santa Claus even exists. This is a lovely Christmas story that spreads a message of love and hope throughout a society where commercialism is rampant.
Love Actually (2003)
Love Actually is an uplifting romantic comedy, directed by Richard Curtis, that explores the many facets of love against the backdrop of the Christmas season. With an all-star British cast including Hugh Grant and Keira Knightley, the film is actually many smaller love stories between pairs or small groups of the main characters. As Christmas gets closer, each story is developed and some of the stories intertwine, concluding in an epilogue showing how each story ends. Every story explores a slightly different side of love, with moments that will make you smile, sigh, laugh and cry (if you’re a hopeless romantic!). Love Actually is witty and touching film that will certainly warm your heart.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
A cult classic directed by the masterful Tim Burton, this film uses stop-motion animation techniques to tell the story of Jack Skellington, one of the kooky residents of Halloween Town. After growing tired of running the Halloween celebrations every year, Jack accidently finds himself in Christmas Town and becomes so enamoured with Christmas he decides to take it over. The ensuing events are sure to make you smile, with delightful songs and creepily cute characters to fall in love with! A unique and delightful film that all ages will adore and I guarantee you will want to watch again!
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
A Christmas movie that I watch with my family every year, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation follows the Griswold family and their Christmas from hell. Chevy Chase, as Clark Griswold, is trying to create the perfect Christmas for his wife, children and all of the relatives coming to stay. However, as Murphy’s Law states, everything that can go wrong will go wrong, from the lights not working to the Christmas tree burning down to the cat meeting an untimely end. Slapstick? Yes. Corny? Yes. Over the top? Yes. But you will certainly get a good laugh and the movie might make you think that your relatives and Christmas ‘disasters’ aren’t so bad after all!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Based on the popular Dr Seuss story and often simply referred to as ‘The Grinch’, this 2000 movie starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch is one for the youngsters, but will also be enjoyed by the young at heart. The Grinch lives alone in a mountain cave, despising the citizens of the town of Whoville at the base of the mountain and their love of Christmas. Cindy Lou is a young Who girl that thinks the town is forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. She tries to reach out to the Grinch, but things do not quite go according to plan. This is a great story for children to show that Christmas is not all about presents and is altogether a sweet and pleasant film.
The Polar Express (2004)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, The Polar Express was one of the first movies to be filmed using 3D motion capture techniques. The film tells the story of a young boy who is starting to have doubts about whether Santa is real, and is lying awake on Christmas Eve to wait for Santa. Instead, he hears the roar of a train outside, and is invited by the conductor to come on a journey to the North Pole. A magical adventure follows, not without its obstacles, but eventuating at the North Pole and encouraging the boy to believe again. As well as being a beautiful tale, this was a breakthrough film in terms of the techniques used.
Elf (2003)
One of the more recent releases, Elf is a fabulously quirky story directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell. Buddy (Ferrell) had been raised as an elf at Santa’s Workshop, until he grew to be twice the size of the other elves, accidentally causing chaos throughout the North Pole. On Santa’s advice, he sets out to find his father in the United States, and at the same time, tries to bring back the Christmas spirit to the American people. Although slightly corny in parts, this is a movie to be watched for its fun and charm.
I hope that gives you a guide to some joy-filled movies to watch this Christmas season. Remember, the point of these movies is to entertain, to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and to instil that festive spirit within you! So grab some fruit mince tarts, Christmas cake and a few good friends, and enjoy!
