Options for Yuletide viewings are vast. Whether you’re a self-professed film buff or a lover of Hallmark-style flicks, watching with the whole family or looking for something a little more grown up, there are films to suit every preference. And with all that choice, it can be hard to narrow them down – which is why we’ve collated a list of the best and brightest films to watch this festive season, either cosied up for a night in or at one of the fabulous venues around town. And don’t just take our word for it – we’ve asked some of Bristol’s film experts for their recommendations, too…
What makes a good Christmas movie? Well, because this is a season steeped in tradition, let’s start with the classics. The golden oldies are wonderfully rewatchable year upon year, and in some cases they’ve been remade countless times, too.
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, for instance, has been reproduced for the silver screen over 100 times since the book was published in 1843. The remakes range from the 1913 silent film Scrooge, starring Seymour Hicks, to The Muppet Christmas Carol (1994), which features Michael Caine playing Ebeneezer Scrooge like he’s “working with the Royal Shakespeare Company”, and not forgetting the animated A Christmas Carol (2009) with a star-studded cast including Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. Even the heart-warming, supernatural comedy drama It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), starring James Stewart and directed by Frank Capra, is loosely inspired by the classic tale.
Other classics include Miracle on 34th Street (1947), a musical comedy so loved that it was remade with Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson in 1994, and White Christmas (1950), with an instantly-recognisable titular tune emanating Christmas nostalgia.
Film buff Mark Kermode has said that a dark, anti-good cheer character is also a winning element: “A Christmas Carol has a dark secret, and it’s one that Dr Seuss understood when he created The Grinch; it’s that there’s something about Scrooge’s sheer refusal to ‘play nice’ at Christmas that makes him a refreshing character who is easy to relate to.”
This format can be seen again and again, from Frosty the Snowman (1969) and Gremlins (1984) to the gothic stop motion animated musical fantasy film, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). There are plenty of horror movies with a ‘festive’ theme, including Black Christmas (1974), Christmas Bloody Christmas (1992) and Red Snow (2021). Perhaps the appetite for festive horror is a development of the malign character brings drama format, but it’s more likely because so many of us just love a good fright.
Gamba Cole, actor
“My favourite Christmas films always bring a mix of laughter, heart, family and holiday cheer. Home Alone is a classic, absolutely timeless film, even though the concept might be a little far fetched (who would forget their child?!). Nevertheless, this film is an absolute must- watch. Friday After Next is a hilarious addition to the holiday season, the third instalment to the Friday films, this one is my favourite. It’s not a traditional Christmas film, but it is so funny I had to include it. This Christmas has the perfect mix of family drama and heartwarming moments; it reminds me of the joy that I have when I am with my family over Christmas. The Grinch – Jim Carrey’s performance in this film is underrated. The Grinch is missunderstood in my opinion. Honourable shout out to Jingle All the Way – I used to love watching that film when I was younger. Lastly, I would choose Boxing Day as I want to include a new, fresh, feel-good Christmas film that I really enjoyed, It’s a heartfelt film reflecting the culture that I come from. One day, I hope to star in a Christmas film myself, creating some of the same magic, humour, and joy that these classics have given me.”
Image: Dave Hogan
A common trope comes in the form of a big challenge to achieve in the countdown to the big day. For example, in All I Want for Christmas (1991) Santa’s directive is to get a child’s divorced parents back together, and in Nativity (2009) Martin Freeman plays a teacher in a rag-tag school putting together a nativity play.
Naturally romantic alliances are a dominating factor in a good festive film experience. Take the multi-romantic strands of the star-studded Love Actually (2003), Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001), The Holiday with Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black, and While You Were Sleeping (1995) with Sandra Bullock. These deal with universal emotions, give us a comforting warm, fuzzy feeling, known in the trade as ‘experiential control’, where knowing that a happy ending is coming makes the watch restorative.
While children’s Christmas films are notably enjoyable at all ages, they’re perfect for popping on the TV and keeping the little ones occupied while you do some much-needed prep for the big day. Arthur Christmas (2011), Frozen (2013), and Dr Seuss’ The Grinch (2018) all feature captivating animations and joyous humour, and, in the case of Frozen, songs that will become the soundtrack to your holiday season.
At the time of its release the visuals of The Polar Express (2004) were undeniably groundbreaking, and its enchanting magic means that it still features regularly on Christmas cinema schedules; and the 2019 traditionally animated and multi award-winning Klaus’ retelling of Santa’s origin story similarly makes it a new favourite for kids and parents alike.
Owen Franklin, Director of Bristol Film Festival
“My top three Christmas films haven’t changed in years (but don’t ask me to rank them, they’re joint favourites!). The Muppet Christmas Carol is perfect both to start the month off and also to enjoy on Christmas Eve; it’s one of Michael Caine’s finest performances, made all the better by the fact that he plays it so straight opposite his Muppet co-stars. The controversy over Die Hard’s ‘Christmassy’ status is mainly the realm of clickbait these days – it’s a holiday staple for me! Ultimately, it’s an uplifting story of a man battling to get home to his family and save Christmas from greedy bullies. With a body count. But arguably the biggest hero of the Christmas film canon is George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life (and his guardian angel Clarence, of course!). It’s a classic for a reason – it’s still funny, poignant, deeply moving and as heartwarming as it gets. It’s not Christmas without at least one viewing.”
Steph Read, Cinema Programmer at Watershed
“Top of the list for me is alternative festive staple Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick’s final film starring then-couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. It’s a sinisterly surreal meander through a maze of intrigue, jealousy and suspicion (and back on our screens just in time for Christmas). I’m looking forward to revisiting The Holdovers, which only came out back in January but already bears all the signs of a future Christmas classic – authentically heartfelt while also piercingly witty. We’re bringing it back for some shows here this December, and I have a feeling this might become a bit of a tradition. I also recommend catching American indie director Tyler Taormina’s enjoyably hazy Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, which counts Marty’s daughter Francesca Scorsese among its sprawling Altman-like ensemble cast. A new, idiosyncratic reinvention of the cosy Christmas family reunion movie, it’s a quintessentially Italian-American affair (with all that implies!)”
New film releases in 2024
Bringing things up to date, there are some brand-new blockbusters hitting our screens this Christmas season. Red One, starring JK Simmons, Dwayne Johnson and Lucy Liu, is an action-comedy about the search for a kidnapped Santa Claus, and is now showing at The Odeon. Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point is a comedy drama starring Michael Cera about a rambunctious extended family reuniting in their Long Island hometown for the holidays, and is showing at Watershed from 6-12 December. Or for a slightly different embrace of Christmas spirit, try Terrifier 3 at Showcase. Though be warned, it’s not for the faint hearted…
If you fancy a trip to the cinema but want a break from the festivities, there are a number of other highly anticipated films with an end-of-year release date: Gladiator II, Wicked and Paddington in Peru are all screening at various Bristol cinemas, as are Disney’s Mufasa and Moana 2.
And you can make an event even out of the more established festive favourites. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life with the Bristol Film Festival at Averys Wine Cellars on 19 and 20 December, and Die Hard at the same venue on 18, 21 and 23 December.
Also on the Bristol Film Festival lineup are films for the whole family to enjoy, including The Muppet Christmas Carol at The Mount Without on 1 December; the first and second Harry Potter movies at Clifton College Chapel on 13 and 14 December; and Elf, The Snowman, The Polar Express, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas at Armada House on 22 December, followed by the Love Actually later in the evening – though that last one may be slightly less appropriate for kids…
For a unique cinema experience head out to Wonder Cinema’s Drive In in Keynsham and watch Elf and The Greatest Showman on 13 December or Home Alone and The Polar Express on 14 December, all preceeded by a mysteriously festive Christmas act.
Bristol Film Festival and The Cube Microplex are both screening The Holdovers on 1 and 8 December respectively, a comedy drama released earlier this year about a 1970s New England boarding school, a begrudging teacher and a group of students remaining on campus over the Christmas break.
The Cube is also showing the 2015 critically acclaimed comedy-drama Tangerine on 11 December. Set on Christmas Eve, the story follows a transgender sex worker who discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. While definitely not a traditional holiday watch, the film has been lauded as a ‘stylistic tour de force’ (it was entirely shot on three iPhone 5S smartphones) and is a must-watch, regardless of the time of year; it’s also available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Be Kind Rewind Bristol Cinema Club is screening the ultimate cult holiday horror classic Christmas Evil (1980) on 12 December downstairs at the Ill Repute Pub in Old Market. The darkly festive thriller follows a troubled toymaker with a deep love for Christmas embarking on a yuletide rampage, delivering terror instead of toys.
Joe Sims, actor and broadcaster
“Hands down, Elf is my favourite Christmas film, as it’s a victory for innocence and kindness over sneery, world-weary cynicism. Christmas is always a timely reminder of that I think and Elf epitomises that in my view. I’ll always watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation too, as it harks back to my childhood and always puts a big smile on my face.”
Amelia Bassett, University of Bristol film society
“When choosing a Christmas film, I usually look for something cosy and comforting, fitting for the most nostalgic time of the year… The Holdovers (2023) is a new release that I can’t wait to return to this festive season, and one I think will be a future Christmas classic. It’s Dead Poets Society meets It’s A Wonderful Life, using its 70s look and vintage soundtrack to perfectly evoke that nostalgic, Christmassy feeling. And it’s a tear-jerker! Another pick, while not technically a Christmas film, has to be Powell and Pressburger’s classic ballet drama, The Red Shoes (1948). Complete with gorgeous dance numbers, colours and costumes, this feels like an indulgent, festive feast for the eyes! A more obvious alternative is, of course, White Christmas (1954).
Finally, for a more anti-Christmas option, I’d recommend Black Christmas (1974), a Canadian slasher film set during the holiday season. It’s full of suspense and at times outrageously macabre, but it might be a welcome antidote to the usual festive line-up!”
Bailey Wood, UWE Film Society
“For a slightly more iconoclastic and unconventional Christmas film I cannot speak highly enough about Sean Baker’s Tangerine (2015). It follows two transgender sex workers called Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor) from the streets of Hollywood; on Christmas Eve, Sin-Dee finds out that her boyfriend/pimp has been cheating on her and this sets the stage for the truly unbelievable, incandescent, kaleidoscopic night that they have ahead of them. Sean Baker has a deft touch when it comes to intersectional representation and his empathetic sensibilities as a filmmaker can be truly understood with Tangerine, and, recently, with Anora (2024) that released last month. His oeuvre is all about centring stories of characters which are, more often than not, relegated to the societal periphery. I would recommend Tangerine to anyone and everyone looking for a heart-warming, horizon-broadening film this Christmas.”
Streaming from home
If you’d rather a cosy night in, here are some films being released on streaming services this Christmas. Bristol’s very own Aardman brings Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on BBC iPlayer this Christmas Day, and thereafter will be available to watch on Netflix; read more about this eagerly-anticipated new Christmas classic on page 20, where we chat to its creators Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Also on Netflix arrives the animated That Christmas directed by Richard Curtis, Our Little Secret starring Lindsay Lohan, and Hot Frosty about a woman who falls in love with a snowman.
Disney+ will premier a beautifully animated short film entitled An Almost Christmas Story, following Moon, a young owl who befriends a lost young girl named Luna as they try to escape New York.
Amazon Prime is doubling down on the classics, offering Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Scrooged (1988) Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and Dolly Parton’s Unlikely Angel (1996).
On ITVX is 1984 Scottish comedy Comfort and Joy. Starring Bill Paterson as a radio disc jockey, the film follows his life as his girlfriend leaves him a few days before Christmas, resulting in a series of events in which he is led into the struggle between two Italian families over the ice cream market of Glasgow.
Making your choice
There is often heated debate around the festive relevance of films such as Edward Scissorhands, Lethal Weapon, Eyes Wide Shut and Die Hard. So why should these be included in the Christmas viewing mix? The best person to ask is Steven E. de Souza, Die Hard’s writer, who compares Die Hard to White Christmas.
He notes that while White Christmas is only bookended by the holiday season, it is set entirely during a Christmas party; in fact, Die Hard also features double the Christmas songs as White Christmas. That’s that debate sorted then.
The real answer is that any viewing preference can be justified. Whether your go-to is Violent Night, A Muppet Family Christmas, Holiday in Handcuffs, Edward Scissorhands, The Grinch or Serendipity, it’s the watching at Christmas time, and on your own terms, that brings the magic.
