A Festive Tour de Force: Exploring Overlooked Christmas Movies

One thing that bothers me about a lot of modern seasonal movies is their insistent self-awareness – the gaudy decorations, the checklist soundtrack selections, and the clichéd speeches about the true meaning of the holidays. Perhaps because the genre was not yet hardened into formula, movies from the 1940s often tackle Yuletide from increasingly inventive and less neurotic perspectives.

The Fifth Avenue Happening

A delightful gem from sifting through 1940s holiday fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic comedy with a brilliant premise: a cheerful hobo takes up residence in a vacant posh estate each year. During one cold spell, he welcomes new acquaintances to stay with him, among them a veteran and a teenager who happens to be the offspring of the home's rich landlord. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth imbues the film with a found-family coziness that most newer seasonal films have to labor to achieve. The film perfectly walks the line between a class-conscious commentary on housing and a delightful metropolitan fairytale.

The Tokyo Godfathers

Satoshi Kon's 2003 tragicomedy Tokyo Godfathers is a fun, heartbreaking, and profound interpretation on the Christmas tale. Loosely based on a classic Hollywood movie, it tells the story of a triumvirate of displaced souls – an drinker, a trans woman, and a young throwaway – who come across an abandoned newborn on a snowy December night. Their quest to reunite the child's family sets off a series of unexpected events involving gangsters, foreigners, and ostensibly serendipitous connections. The film doubles down on the wonder of chance frequently found in seasonal flicks, offering it with a cinematic animation that avoids cloying feeling.

Introducing John Doe

Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly earns plenty of praise, his earlier picture Meet John Doe is a compelling Christmas story in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a charismatic drifter and Barbara Stanwyck as a plucky journalist, the movie starts with a fake letter from a man vowing to fall from a rooftop on December 24th in protest. The public's embrace compels the journalist to recruit a man to impersonate the mythical "John Doe," who subsequently becomes a national figure for neighborliness. The film functions as both an inspiring tale and a pointed critique of wealthy media magnates seeking to use popular goodwill for personal ends.

Silent Partner

While Christmas horror movies are now commonplace, the Christmas thriller remains a somewhat niche subgenre. This makes the 1978 gem The Silent Partner a novel delight. With a wonderfully sinister Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank employee, the movie sets two kinds of opportunistic individuals against each other in a well-crafted and twisty narrative. Largely overlooked upon its first release, it deserves a fresh look for those who prefer their Christmas entertainment with a chilling tone.

The Almost Christmas

For those who like their Christmas get-togethers chaotic, Almost Christmas is a hoot. Featuring a impressive ensemble that has Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie delves into the dynamics of a household gathered to spend five days under one house during the holidays. Private dramas come to the surface, resulting in scenes of extreme farce, such as a confrontation where a shotgun is produced. Ultimately, the narrative reaches a touching conclusion, providing all the fun of a holiday disaster without any of the real-life cleanup.

The Film Go

Doug Liman's 1999 feature Go is a Christmas-themed story that is a youthful take on crisscrossing narratives. While some of its comedy may feel of its time upon rewatch, the movie nonetheless offers several elements to enjoy. These range from a cool turn from Sarah Polley to a captivating performance by Timothy Olyphant as a laid-back supplier who appropriately wears a Santa hat. It represents a specific kind of late-90s movie attitude set against a holiday scene.

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Preston Sturges's wartime farce The Miracle of Morgan's Creek forgoes conventional holiday sentimentality in return for bawdy comedy. The story centers on Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who finds herself with child after a drunken night but cannot recall the father responsible. A lot of the comedy comes from her predicament and the attempts of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to marry her. Although not immediately a Christmas movie at the start, the plot climaxes on the holiday, making clear that Sturges has refashioned a clever take of the Christmas story, packed with his signature satirical humor.

Better Off Dead

This 1985 youth comedy featuring John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential example of its era. Cusack's