11 movies that would be stone-cold holiday classics if you set them during Christmastime
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Die Hard. Eyes Wide Shut. Home Alone. These movies didn’t have to be set during Christmas, but by doing so became eternally and ritually rewatchable.
Here are 11 movies that could have easily joined their ranks as holiday classics if they’d only made a few holly jolly adjustments.
Philadelphia
Standing up to injustice, Denzel’s redemption arc, Hanks’ warm and loving family—these are all benchmarks of a great holiday movie. If only Jonathan Demme had decked the (city) halls in Philadelphia, it would be among the season’s best films.
Magnolia
Frank Mackey’s speech to his Dad, Officer Kurring and Claudia’s budding romance, Jimmy Gator’s comeuppance, Stanley standing up to his Dad. These storylines would be infinitely more heart-wrenching and satisfying if they also carried the emotional weight of Christmas. Hail Saint Nick!
Labyrinth
OK, this movie is perfect, but imagine how magical it would be if Sarah set off into a winter wonderlabyrinth to conquer the Goblin King and save baby Toby only to make it home in the nick of time for Christmas morning.
1917
Lance Corporal Blake arriving at a majestic forest to the sound of singing, only make it snowy and swap out “I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger” for a classic Christmas hymn and you’ve got a new holiday classic for generations of Dads to come.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
I mean, it’s already a picture-perfect winter, just give us some decadent Andersonian Christmas decorations sprinkled around the hotel and it’s an automatic addition to my holiday watchlist every December.
M
A town coming together to catch a serial killer who preys on children is uniquely satisfying as it is, but DAMN. Just imagine how emotional this Fritz Lang film would be if all these people from varying backgrounds and identities came together to serve up justice during the holidays.
Notting Hill
Who doesn’t want to see a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her...on Christmas Eve? Nobody, that’s who.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
This movie rocks as it is, but hear me out: The emotional stakes would be that much higher if the hostages and law enforcement on the case were just trying to get home for Christmas.
Clue
A beautiful New England mansion, a lavishing dinner party, a twisty whodunit. All the clues are there that this could have been a holiday classic if they’d only added a little blood-spattered tinsel and garland.
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is essentially the “good will toward men” of the 1980s. Just give us a snowy Midwest landscape and some festive paper chains and snowflakes hung around the library and it’s a perfect match with all that overcoming prejudices and stereotypes.
Soul
Disney/Pixar’s Soul gives us the single most effective “life is worth living” epiphany since George Bailey. Just replace those falling seed pods with snowflakes and drop in a scene in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree, and it’s a whole ‘nother reason to cry during the holidays.