When Is A Christmas Movie ........ Not A Christmas Movie?

MadDog76

Following on from the "Favourite Christmas Movie" poll and not wanting to drag that poll/thread off topic .......... how do you define an actual Christmas movie?

Some people believe that a movie qualifies as a Christmas movie if it was released at Christmas time, if it's on television every year at Christmas or if the movie itself is set during Christmas ............ but that's not enough for me.

I think Christmas has got to be a key part of the plot of the movie in order for it to qualify as a Christmas movie .......... in other words, if the movie plot can/will still work even if the movie is set at any other time of the year then it's not, in my opinion, essentially a Christmas movie.

The Polar Express, Elf, Bad Santa etc. have a plot in which Christmas itself plays a huge role ......... they wouldn't work if set in July, for example.

Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Iron Man 3 etc. were all set at Christmas ......... but could just as easily have been set at any time of the year without affecting the central plot of the movies whatsoever.

Eyes Wide Shut, Crash, Enemy Of The State, Go, High Crimes, Arthur, Cobra and First Blood, along with countless other movies, were all set in or around Christmas yet they are rarely counted as Christmas movies ......... why not?
If Lethal Weapon can be counted as a Christmas movie because it is set at Christmas then why isn't Crash also considered a Christmas movie?

Dr.Robotnik

Frozen, never watched it but has nothing to do with Christmas atall apparently.

kneemos

Willy





Wonka.

Fleawuss

TL;DR OP wandered in from Films forum

darkpagandeath

I can think of Quite a few special interest movies where a Santa is unloading a huge sack on Miss clause.

Mint Sauce

Well in Die Hard, all he wants to do is get home, and try and make up with the misses, and see his kids in time for Xmas, so it qualifies as an Xmas movie, even if he is dealing with German terrorists, and an inept police cheif along the way.

Lights On

I don't think throwing on Eyes Wide Shut when the grandparents are sitting down after the dinner would be the best idea.

C.K Dexter Haven

Trading Places! now there's a Christmas movie.:cool:

C.K Dexter Haven

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Well in Die Hard, all he wants to do is get home, and try and make up with the misses, and see his kids in time for Xmas, so it qualifies as an Xmas movie, even if he is dealing with German terrorists, and an inept police cheif along the way.

Song at the end gets me every time..everybody now...oh the weather outside is frightful...

...And Justice

A Christmas movie isn't a Christmas movie when sky buy the rights to all of them and we're just left with the scutter under the lid of the jacks.

kneemos

Wizard of Oz.

Hammer89

MadDog76 wrote: »

Following on from the "Favourite Christmas Movie" poll and not wanting to drag that poll/thread off topic .......... how do you define an actual Christmas movie?

Some people believe that a movie qualifies as a Christmas movie if it was released at Christmas time, if it's on television every year at Christmas or if the movie itself is set during Christmas ............ but that's not enough for me.

I think Christmas has got to be a key part of the plot of the movie in order for it to qualify as a Christmas movie .......... in other words, if the movie plot can/will still work even if the movie is set at any other time of the year then it's not, in my opinion, essentially a Christmas movie.

The Polar Express, Elf, Bad Santa etc. have a plot in which Christmas itself plays a huge role ......... they wouldn't work if set in July, for example.

Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Iron Man 3 etc. were all set at Christmas ......... but could just as easily have been set at any time of the year without affecting the central plot of the movies whatsoever.

Eyes Wide Shut, Crash, Enemy Of The State, Go, High Crimes, Arthur, Cobra and First Blood, along with countless other movies, were all set in or around Christmas yet they are rarely counted as Christmas movies ......... why not?
If Lethal Weapon can be counted as a Christmas movie because it is set at Christmas then why isn't Crash also considered a Christmas movie?

Good point, but if I had to guess, you won't get far in discovering why. To me, it just seems like one of those things that don't make a lick of sense.

kneemos

Oliver.

MilesMorales1

Die hard isn't a christmas movie, so that.

darkpagandeath

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

Die hard isn't a christmas movie, so that.

it's set at Christmas eve....

...And Justice

Home alone

Bulbous Salutation

I watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels every Christmas. It's on every Christmas despite it being set in the sunny French Riviera. It's great.

kneemos

Wurthering Heights.

The_Valeyard

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

Die hard isn't a christmas movie, so that.

Pretty sure, there's a Christmas party, Christmas tree exploding, Christmas songs in the police car and seasonal cheer from Hans Gruber. It's a Christmas movie!

darkpagandeath

...And Justice wrote: »

Home alone

it's set at Christmas eve.... mostly

...And Justice

And gremlins 2.....ya ya ya yaya, ya ya ya yaaa ya ya ya yahhhh

BoJack Horseman

Dr.Robotnik wrote: »

Frozen, never watched it but has nothing to do with Christmas atall apparently.

It never suggests its a christmas movie though.

NiallBoo

I think anything that you have a reason for linking strongly with Christmas counts.

I my head, Polar Express is less of a Christmas movie than Back to the Future, Indiana Jones or Lawrence of Arabia. Just because they were always on at Christmas when I was a kid and its what I think about when I see them. Blame RTE.

cml387

Those of my generation associate Christmas with "The Great Escape".

Or as the Germans call it, "The Great Recapture".

MadDog76

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Well in Die Hard, all he wants to do is get home, and try and make up with the misses, and see his kids in time for Xmas, so it qualifies as an Xmas movie, even if he is dealing with German terrorists, and an inept police cheif along the way.

darkpagandeath wrote: »

it's set at Christmas eve....

But he could just have easily wanted to get home for his son's Bar Mitzvah in October and it wouldn't have effected the plot at all .........

Christy42

MadDog76 wrote: »

But he could just have easily wanted to get home for his son's Bar Mitzvah in October and it wouldn't have effected the plot at all .........

And Bad Santa could be the bad easter bunny. You can change anything to make it not a Christmas movie. Christmas is a traditional time for people to want to get home to see their family. Die Hard is a Christmas movie as it is using this theme. Sure you could change it but then you have a different movie. Any other opinion is simply wrong on every level.

Dr.Robotnik

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

It never suggests its a christmas movie though.

I know, but it kind of gets flogged as one

Hammer89

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Pretty sure, there's a Christmas party, Christmas tree exploding, Christmas songs in the police car and seasonal cheer from Hans Gruber. It's a Christmas movie!

Not to mention the fact that Bruce Willis writes 'ho ho ho' the bloke's jumper.

wendell borton

Always end up watching lord of the rings trilogy over Xmas.

Dr.Robotnik

wendell borton wrote: »

Always end up watching lord of the rings trilogy over Xmas.

All the Harry Potters too!

Rented Mule

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

It never suggests its a christmas movie though.

Were you looking for an invitation ?

zanador

cml387 wrote:

Those of my generation associate Christmas with "The Great Escape".

I watch it every year

MadDog76

Christy42 wrote: »

And Bad Santa could be the bad easter bunny. You can change anything to make it not a Christmas movie. Christmas is a traditional time for people to want to get home to see their family. Die Hard is a Christmas movie as it is using this theme. Sure you could change it but then you have a different movie. Any other opinion is simply wrong on every level.

That wouldn't work, the movie is actually called Bad Santa for a start .......... Die Hard would ........ still be Die Hard!

Me thinks you likes to clutch at some straws.

MadDog76

wendell borton wrote: »

Always end up watching lord of the rings trilogy over Xmas.

Me too and I love them ......... they were all released in the cinema around Christmas and so were the DVD's so I'll always associate them with Christmas ........... but I wouldn't actually call them Christmas movies simply because they are not Christmas movies.

NotYourYear20

MadDog76 wrote: »

When Is A Christmas Movie ........ Not A Christmas Movie?

When it's not on at Christmas.

Eugene Norman

MadDog76 wrote: »

Following on from the "Favourite Christmas Movie" poll and not wanting to drag that poll/thread off topic .......... how do you define an actual Christmas movie?

Some people believe that a movie qualifies as a Christmas movie if it was released at Christmas time, if it's on television every year at Christmas or if the movie itself is set during Christmas ............ but that's not enough for me.

I think Christmas has got to be a key part of the plot of the movie in order for it to qualify as a Christmas movie .......... in other words, if the movie plot can/will still work even if the movie is set at any other time of the year then it's not, in my opinion, essentially a Christmas movie.

The Polar Express, Elf, Bad Santa etc. have a plot in which Christmas itself plays a huge role ......... they wouldn't work if set in July, for example.

Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Iron Man 3 etc. were all set at Christmas ......... but could just as easily have been set at any time of the year without affecting the central plot of the movies whatsoever.

Eyes Wide Shut, Crash, Enemy Of The State, Go, High Crimes, Arthur, Cobra and First Blood, along with countless other movies, were all set in or around Christmas yet they are rarely counted as Christmas movies ......... why not?
If Lethal Weapon can be counted as a Christmas movie because it is set at Christmas then why isn't Crash also considered a Christmas movie?

You are right. However what with fluoride in the water, lots of people being born to over-related parents (possibly even siblings), and the fact that a good percentage of the population has fallen off bikes, prams, segways and other forms of locomotion causing brain damage you will get people saying that a movie about a man fighting a terrorist in a skyscraper is a Christmas movie.

KungPao

MadDog76 wrote: »

But he could just have easily wanted to get home for his son's Bar Mitzvah in October and it wouldn't have effected the plot at all .........

John McClane ain't no jew.

DrGreenthumb

it's always a white christmas when this comes on

http://tinyurl.com/zh3k6ar

Theboinkmaster

MadDog76 wrote: »

Following on from the "Favourite Christmas Movie" poll and not wanting to drag that poll/thread off topic .......... how do you define an actual Christmas movie?

Some people believe that a movie qualifies as a Christmas movie if it was released at Christmas time, if it's on television every year at Christmas or if the movie itself is set during Christmas ............ but that's not enough for me.

I think Christmas has got to be a key part of the plot of the movie in order for it to qualify as a Christmas movie .......... in other words, if the movie plot can/will still work even if the movie is set at any other time of the year then it's not, in my opinion, essentially a Christmas movie.

The Polar Express, Elf, Bad Santa etc. have a plot in which Christmas itself plays a huge role ......... they wouldn't work if set in July, for example.

Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Iron Man 3 etc. were all set at Christmas ......... but could just as easily have been set at any time of the year without affecting the central plot of the movies whatsoever.

Eyes Wide Shut, Crash, Enemy Of The State, Go, High Crimes, Arthur, Cobra and First Blood, along with countless other movies, were all set in or around Christmas yet they are rarely counted as Christmas movies ......... why not?
If Lethal Weapon can be counted as a Christmas movie because it is set at Christmas then why isn't Crash also considered a Christmas movie?

If you don't think Die Hard is a Christmas movie you're retarded:

http://www.moviefone.com/2013/12/23/die-hard-greatest-christmas-movie-ever/

http://fogsmoviereviews.com/2012/12/21/the-great-debates-is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/

Christmas theme is 12% of the film.

Bio Mech

The first half an hour of so of The Empire Strikes Back is very Christmassy. Snow, altruism, Wampas. Its what Christmas should be.

Jamaican Me Crazy

There are Christmas movies where Christmas, Santa or some other seasonal message is central to the plot (Santa Claus The Movie, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf) etc and then there are movies that Christmas is kind of a secondary theme but we all associate with Christmas (Home Alone, Die Hard etc).

What about The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - they are on every year at Christmas, we have all probably watched them every year of our lives and we strongly associate them with Christmas but they are nothing got to do with it.

Mr. CooL ICE

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

If you don't think Die Hard is a Christmas movie you're retarded:

http://www.moviefone.com/2013/12/23/die-hard-greatest-christmas-movie-ever/

http://fogsmoviereviews.com/2012/12/21/the-great-debates-is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/

Christmas theme is 12% of the film.

Mod:

Cool the jets

SEPT 23 1989

The Great Escape and Escape to Victory are Christmas movies as far as im concerned

MadDog76

Christmas must be an integral part of the plot of a Christmas movie. This is like defining porn, you know it when you see it. But some movies use the setting of Christmas as a prop.
Die Hard is a great action movie and it definitely uses the music and imagery of Christmas ...... but, like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard would have worked without the Christmas prop. John McClane could have just as easily have headed out to Los Angeles for Easter or Halloween. Of course Christmas makes a nice setting but it isn't a vital part of the story.

In fact, Die Hard was never even marketed as a Christmas movie ....... Die Hard was actually released in the US on July 14th 1988 ...... right in the middle of a very hot summer!!! There was never any attempt to label it a Christmas movie upon it's original release ......... because it's not a Christmas movie, simple fact.

Is it really asking too much that a Christmas movie must really be a Christmas movie before it can be called a Christmas movie???

Die Hard is a great movie ...... but it's not a Christmas movie.

Whitewinged

MadDog76 wrote: »

Is it really asking too much that a Christmas movie must really be a Christmas movie before it can be called a Christmas movie???

Die Hard is a great movie ...... but it's not a Christmas movie.

I suppose it's just something that gives you a feeling of Christmas even if it has nothing to do with Christmas. Also if something has nothing to do with Christmas but is aired nearly every Christmas then even though the actual movie is not about it, the movie is a Christmas movie because you nearly always watch it at Christmas.

It happens with music too. I always associate The Flighing Pickets version of Only You as a Christmas song and it's played over Christmas time. If I hear the Yazoo version, I don't think of Christmas at all.

MadDog76

Whitewinged wrote: »

I suppose it's just something that gives you a feeling of Christmas even if it has nothing to do with Christmas. Also if something has nothing to do with Christmas but is aired nearly every Christmas then even though the actual movie is not about it, the movie is a Christmas movie because you nearly always watch it at Christmas.

It happens with music too. I always associate The Flighing Pickets version of Only You as a Christmas song and it's played over Christmas time. If I hear the Yazoo version, I don't think of Christmas at all.

I get that ........ I always associate Oliver! (1968) with Christmas because I always watched it on television as a kid at Christmas.

The Lord Of The Ring trilogy reminds me of Christmas because that's when they were released and I usually stick them on over Christmas .......... the same with The Hobbit trilogy because I brought my son to see them in the cinema when they released each Christmas.

But I wouldn't call any of these films actual Christmas movies ........ because they aren't.

Whitewinged

MadDog76 wrote: »

I get that ........ I always associate Oliver! (1968) with Christmas because I always watched it on television as a kid at Christmas.

The Lord Of The Ring trilogy reminds me of Christmas because that's when they were released and I usually stick them on over Christmas .......... the same with The Hobbit trilogy because I brought my soon to see them in the cinema when they released each Christmas.

But I wouldn't call any of these films actual Christmas movies ........ because they aren't.

Year I suppose if that's the case then I'm not really a big fan of actual Christmas Movies.

Maddog stop ruining Christmas for me

MadDog76

Whitewinged wrote: »

Year I suppose if that's the case then I'm not really a big fan of actual Christmas Movies.

Maddog stop ruining Christmas for me

Stick on Elf or Bad Santa ......... and smile .......... Happy Christmas!!!

MadDog76

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

If you don't think Die Hard is a Christmas movie you're retarded:

http://www.moviefone.com/2013/12/23/die-hard-greatest-christmas-movie-ever/

http://fogsmoviereviews.com/2012/12/21/the-great-debates-is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/

Christmas theme is 12% of the film.

"Die Hard" doesn't have a whole lot to do with Christmas. From your first link.

Though “Die Hard” is set at Christmas, it is not about Christmas. From your second link.

What have we learned? :rolleyes:

1. Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

2. Theboinkmaster does not read his links before posting them. :P

Class dismissed. :cool: