The 10 Best Christmas Films That Aren"t Even About Christmas
Each holiday season, Christmas movies fill the airwaves with storylines about bad Santas, boys fighting burglars in lonely homes, and reindeer with blinking red noses.
Intermingled with these holiday-themed films are movies that simply use Christmas as a background setting or as a momentary plot prompt.
There are 10 movies that use this technique to create a film that seems to be about Christmas, but the plot is really about something else.
"Die Hard" 1988 The most memorable scene in "Die Hard" is when the seemingly defeated hero John McClane (Bruce Willis) is tied to a chair, dressed in a Santa hat and sweatshirt.
The entire film takes place on Christmas Eve.
Outside of the bound Santa scene, it is easy to forget about the holiday backdrop.
The popularity of the action film and the many distractions provided by the explosions, combat, and snarky lines make a great film that takes full advantage of the Christmas theme.
"Gremlins" 1984 The trappings of the holiday are not a good reason to slack on the important Gizmo-care duties.
However, that is exactly what happens in this very popular 1984 horror film set at Christmastime.
Phoebe Cates plays Cate Beringer, the girlfriend of Gizmo's owner Billy (Zach Galligan).
The most memorable parts of the movie are Cate's monologue about her personal holiday tragedy, the Gremlins singing along to a "Snow White" cartoon and Gizmo in a cute little Santa hat.
Despite the holiday setting, "Gremlins" is a horror film with some comedic portions that do not resemble your traditional Christmas film.
"Eyes Wide Shut" 1999 Take a moment during the movie to ignore the twisted plot and sexual scenes to look around.
That is probably the only way that audiences will see that Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" takes place at Christmas! The intricate plot, oozing sexuality and great acting by Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise and Leelee Sobieski are enough of a distraction from this fact that most people miss it.
"Trading Places" 1983 Two filthy rich brothers choose Christmastime to pull a costly prank on one of their employees.
Dan Aykroyd plays the pranked employee, while Eddie Murphy plays the con artist plucked from the street to complete the joke.
Jamie Lee Curtis comes to the rescue as a prostitute with dreams and a warm heart.
Aykroyd's short stint in a Santa suit is easy to overlook in this wildly funny comedy.
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" 2005 Although all of the movies in the Harry Potter series have a Christmas scene, none of them place as much emphasis on Christmas as "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
" The movie is not about Christmas, but the Yule Ball is an extravagant and important part of the film.
That is why the movie finds its way onto many holiday playlists.
"American Psycho" 2000 Reese Witherspoon, Christian Bale, and Willem Dafoe are the stars of this 2000 psychological thriller.
The movie follows a Wall Street businessman, Paul Bateman (Bale), as he metamorphoses into a serial killer.
One of the first kills takes place after a Christmas party where Bateman plies his victim with alcohol before luring the man to his death.
The entire movie takes place around the holiday, making "American Psycho" a thrill of a Christmas movie "Batman Returns" 1992 Tim Burton twists Christmas to his own liking, using Batman and Catwoman as he pleases in "Batman Returns.
" The entire film takes place during the holiday, making it a Christmas movie; however, the action scenes based in Gotham City take away the holiday finish.
"The Long Kiss Goodnight" 1996 One can't ignore the holiday theme in this action film starring Gina Davis as an assassin with amnesia.
Her memory returns along with her jilted ex-lover and employers at Christmastime, although no-one is bringing a gift.
They all want Davis dead.
"Love Actually" 2003 Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly and several other notable actors round out the cast of this multi-layer love story that happens to take place at Christmas.
The hook-ups and break-ups are more important than the holiday in this romantic comedy.
"Babes in Toyland" 1934 Of all the movies on the list, none are farther from the typical Christmas movie than "Babes in Toyland.
" This classic film takes place in a magical land where the toys come to life; no holiday here.
However, the toys, joyful music, and overall good feeling of the film make it a perfect Christmas movie that isn't even about the holiday.
Whether the movie is about Christmas or merely using it as a backdrop, it still can be considered a holiday film.
Keeping these movies on the list of Christmas classics will provide a bit of variety in the midst of the season, especially for anyone looking for action and thrills.
Intermingled with these holiday-themed films are movies that simply use Christmas as a background setting or as a momentary plot prompt.
There are 10 movies that use this technique to create a film that seems to be about Christmas, but the plot is really about something else.
"Die Hard" 1988 The most memorable scene in "Die Hard" is when the seemingly defeated hero John McClane (Bruce Willis) is tied to a chair, dressed in a Santa hat and sweatshirt.
The entire film takes place on Christmas Eve.
Outside of the bound Santa scene, it is easy to forget about the holiday backdrop.
The popularity of the action film and the many distractions provided by the explosions, combat, and snarky lines make a great film that takes full advantage of the Christmas theme.
"Gremlins" 1984 The trappings of the holiday are not a good reason to slack on the important Gizmo-care duties.
However, that is exactly what happens in this very popular 1984 horror film set at Christmastime.
Phoebe Cates plays Cate Beringer, the girlfriend of Gizmo's owner Billy (Zach Galligan).
The most memorable parts of the movie are Cate's monologue about her personal holiday tragedy, the Gremlins singing along to a "Snow White" cartoon and Gizmo in a cute little Santa hat.
Despite the holiday setting, "Gremlins" is a horror film with some comedic portions that do not resemble your traditional Christmas film.
"Eyes Wide Shut" 1999 Take a moment during the movie to ignore the twisted plot and sexual scenes to look around.
That is probably the only way that audiences will see that Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" takes place at Christmas! The intricate plot, oozing sexuality and great acting by Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise and Leelee Sobieski are enough of a distraction from this fact that most people miss it.
"Trading Places" 1983 Two filthy rich brothers choose Christmastime to pull a costly prank on one of their employees.
Dan Aykroyd plays the pranked employee, while Eddie Murphy plays the con artist plucked from the street to complete the joke.
Jamie Lee Curtis comes to the rescue as a prostitute with dreams and a warm heart.
Aykroyd's short stint in a Santa suit is easy to overlook in this wildly funny comedy.
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" 2005 Although all of the movies in the Harry Potter series have a Christmas scene, none of them place as much emphasis on Christmas as "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
" The movie is not about Christmas, but the Yule Ball is an extravagant and important part of the film.
That is why the movie finds its way onto many holiday playlists.
"American Psycho" 2000 Reese Witherspoon, Christian Bale, and Willem Dafoe are the stars of this 2000 psychological thriller.
The movie follows a Wall Street businessman, Paul Bateman (Bale), as he metamorphoses into a serial killer.
One of the first kills takes place after a Christmas party where Bateman plies his victim with alcohol before luring the man to his death.
The entire movie takes place around the holiday, making "American Psycho" a thrill of a Christmas movie "Batman Returns" 1992 Tim Burton twists Christmas to his own liking, using Batman and Catwoman as he pleases in "Batman Returns.
" The entire film takes place during the holiday, making it a Christmas movie; however, the action scenes based in Gotham City take away the holiday finish.
"The Long Kiss Goodnight" 1996 One can't ignore the holiday theme in this action film starring Gina Davis as an assassin with amnesia.
Her memory returns along with her jilted ex-lover and employers at Christmastime, although no-one is bringing a gift.
They all want Davis dead.
"Love Actually" 2003 Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly and several other notable actors round out the cast of this multi-layer love story that happens to take place at Christmas.
The hook-ups and break-ups are more important than the holiday in this romantic comedy.
"Babes in Toyland" 1934 Of all the movies on the list, none are farther from the typical Christmas movie than "Babes in Toyland.
" This classic film takes place in a magical land where the toys come to life; no holiday here.
However, the toys, joyful music, and overall good feeling of the film make it a perfect Christmas movie that isn't even about the holiday.
Whether the movie is about Christmas or merely using it as a backdrop, it still can be considered a holiday film.
Keeping these movies on the list of Christmas classics will provide a bit of variety in the midst of the season, especially for anyone looking for action and thrills.
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