🔗 Share this article A Festive Showcase: Discovering Underrated Christmas Films Something that irks concerning many contemporary holiday movies is their overly self-consciousness – the over-the-top decor, the predictable soundtrack tunes, and the stilted speeches about the real spirit of the holidays. It could be because the genre was not yet hardened into routine, films from the 1940s often tackle the holidays from far more inventive and less obsessive viewpoints. It Happened on Fifth Avenue One cherished gem from exploring 1940s Christmas fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic comedy with a great concept: a jovial vagrant winters in a unoccupied Fifth Avenue townhouse each year. During one cold spell, he invites new acquaintances to live with him, among them a former GI and a young woman who is secretly the heiress of the mansion's affluent proprietor. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth infuses the picture with a found-family warmth that numerous newer holiday stories have to labor to achieve. This story beautifully balances a thoughtful narrative on housing and a charming metropolitan fantasy. Tokyo Godfathers Satoshi Kon's 2003 tragicomedy Tokyo Godfathers is a engaging, heartbreaking, and profound interpretation on the festive narrative. Inspired by a John Wayne picture, it follows a group of down-and-out people – an alcoholic, a trans woman, and a young throwaway – who discover an left-behind baby on the night before Christmas. Their mission to find the child's family sets off a sequence of hijinks involving crime lords, newcomers, and ostensibly magical connections. The film celebrates the wonder of fate typically found in seasonal stories, delivering it with a stylish aesthetic that steers clear of cloying sentiment. Meet John Doe Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly gets much praise, his lesser-known work Meet John Doe is a notable Christmas film in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a charismatic everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a clever journalist, the film kicks off with a fictional letter from a man vowing to leap from a rooftop on December 24th in despair. The nation's response leads the journalist to hire a man to impersonate the mythical "John Doe," who then becomes a popular symbol for community. The narrative acts as both an inspiring tale and a pointed skewering of wealthy media magnates attempting to use popular sentiment for political ends. The Silent Partner While holiday horror movies are now commonplace, the holiday crime caper remains a strangely niche style. This makes the 1978 gem The Silent Partner a fresh discovery. Starring a wonderfully vile Christopher Plummer as a bank-robbing Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a clever bank employee, the film pits two kinds of opportunistic characters against each other in a well-crafted and twisty yarn. Largely unseen upon its original debut, it deserves a fresh look for those who prefer their holiday films with a chilling atmosphere. Almost Christmas For those who prefer their family gatherings messy, Almost Christmas is a riot. Featuring a star-studded group that has Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie examines the dynamics of a family forced to spend five days under one home during the Christmas season. Private problems come to the forefront, culminating in scenes of high farce, including a confrontation where a firearm is brandished. Of course, the film finds a satisfying conclusion, offering all the enjoyment of a seasonal disaster without any of the real-life aftermath. Go The director's 1999 movie Go is a Christmas-adjacent caper that is a young-adult interpretation on interconnected plots. While some of its comedy may feel dated upon revisiting, the film still offers plenty aspects to appreciate. These are a cool turn from Sarah Polley to a captivating scene by Timothy Olyphant as a dangerous drug dealer who appropriately sports a Santa hat. It embodies a particular style of 1990s cinematic attitude set against a Christmas setting. Morgan's Creek Miracle The famed director's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects conventional seasonal cheer in exchange for bawdy humor. The movie follows Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who discovers she is pregnant after a hazy night but cannot recall the man responsible. The bulk of the humor arises from her condition and the devotion of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to rescue her. Although not obviously a holiday movie at the outset, the narrative climaxes on the festive day, making clear that Sturges has crafted a playful take of the Christmas story, loaded with his trademark satirical style. Better Off Dead This 1985 teen film with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential artifact of its era. Cusack's
Something that irks concerning many contemporary holiday movies is their overly self-consciousness – the over-the-top decor, the predictable soundtrack tunes, and the stilted speeches about the real spirit of the holidays. It could be because the genre was not yet hardened into routine, films from the 1940s often tackle the holidays from far more inventive and less obsessive viewpoints. It Happened on Fifth Avenue One cherished gem from exploring 1940s Christmas fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic comedy with a great concept: a jovial vagrant winters in a unoccupied Fifth Avenue townhouse each year. During one cold spell, he invites new acquaintances to live with him, among them a former GI and a young woman who is secretly the heiress of the mansion's affluent proprietor. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth infuses the picture with a found-family warmth that numerous newer holiday stories have to labor to achieve. This story beautifully balances a thoughtful narrative on housing and a charming metropolitan fantasy. Tokyo Godfathers Satoshi Kon's 2003 tragicomedy Tokyo Godfathers is a engaging, heartbreaking, and profound interpretation on the festive narrative. Inspired by a John Wayne picture, it follows a group of down-and-out people – an alcoholic, a trans woman, and a young throwaway – who discover an left-behind baby on the night before Christmas. Their mission to find the child's family sets off a sequence of hijinks involving crime lords, newcomers, and ostensibly magical connections. The film celebrates the wonder of fate typically found in seasonal stories, delivering it with a stylish aesthetic that steers clear of cloying sentiment. Meet John Doe Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly gets much praise, his lesser-known work Meet John Doe is a notable Christmas film in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a charismatic everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a clever journalist, the film kicks off with a fictional letter from a man vowing to leap from a rooftop on December 24th in despair. The nation's response leads the journalist to hire a man to impersonate the mythical "John Doe," who then becomes a popular symbol for community. The narrative acts as both an inspiring tale and a pointed skewering of wealthy media magnates attempting to use popular sentiment for political ends. The Silent Partner While holiday horror movies are now commonplace, the holiday crime caper remains a strangely niche style. This makes the 1978 gem The Silent Partner a fresh discovery. Starring a wonderfully vile Christopher Plummer as a bank-robbing Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a clever bank employee, the film pits two kinds of opportunistic characters against each other in a well-crafted and twisty yarn. Largely unseen upon its original debut, it deserves a fresh look for those who prefer their holiday films with a chilling atmosphere. Almost Christmas For those who prefer their family gatherings messy, Almost Christmas is a riot. Featuring a star-studded group that has Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie examines the dynamics of a family forced to spend five days under one home during the Christmas season. Private problems come to the forefront, culminating in scenes of high farce, including a confrontation where a firearm is brandished. Of course, the film finds a satisfying conclusion, offering all the enjoyment of a seasonal disaster without any of the real-life aftermath. Go The director's 1999 movie Go is a Christmas-adjacent caper that is a young-adult interpretation on interconnected plots. While some of its comedy may feel dated upon revisiting, the film still offers plenty aspects to appreciate. These are a cool turn from Sarah Polley to a captivating scene by Timothy Olyphant as a dangerous drug dealer who appropriately sports a Santa hat. It embodies a particular style of 1990s cinematic attitude set against a Christmas setting. Morgan's Creek Miracle The famed director's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects conventional seasonal cheer in exchange for bawdy humor. The movie follows Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who discovers she is pregnant after a hazy night but cannot recall the man responsible. The bulk of the humor arises from her condition and the devotion of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to rescue her. Although not obviously a holiday movie at the outset, the narrative climaxes on the festive day, making clear that Sturges has crafted a playful take of the Christmas story, loaded with his trademark satirical style. Better Off Dead This 1985 teen film with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential artifact of its era. Cusack's