A Holiday Tour de Force: Uncovering Underrated Yuletide Movies
Something that annoys me about many modern seasonal films is their overly meta-commentary – the over-the-top decor, the predictable score choices, and the canned speeches about the true meaning of the festive period. Maybe because the genre was not ossified into tradition, pictures from the 1940s often explore Christmas from increasingly imaginative and not as obsessive angles.
The Fifth Avenue Happening
A delightful find from sifting through 1940s seasonal films is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 romantic comedy with a brilliant hook: a jovial vagrant winters in a unoccupied Fifth Avenue estate each year. One winter, he invites new acquaintances to reside with him, among them a ex-soldier and a teenager who happens to be the heiress of the home's affluent owner. Helmer Roy Del Ruth imbues the film with a makeshift family heart that many modern holiday stories struggle to attain. The film beautifully walks the line between a class-conscious story on shelter and a delightful city romance.
Tokyo Godfathers
The acclaimed director's 2003 tragicomedy Tokyo Godfathers is a engaging, sad, and deeply moving version on the Christmas story. Loosely based on a western picture, it centers on a group of down-and-out souls – an alcoholic, a trans character, and a adolescent runaway – who come across an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. Their quest to locate the child's parents unleashes a sequence of hijinks involving gangsters, foreigners, and seemingly fateful connections. The animation doubles down on the wonder of chance often found in seasonal tales, presenting it with a cool-toned animation that sidesteps cloying sentiment.
The John Doe Story
Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life justifiably earns a lot of acclaim, his earlier work Meet John Doe is a notable Christmas film in its own right. With Gary Cooper as a charismatic drifter and Barbara Stanwyck as a resourceful journalist, the story kicks off with a fake note from a man promising to leap from a ledge on the holiday in frustration. The people's reaction leads the reporter to recruit a man to impersonate the mythical "John Doe," who subsequently becomes a national icon for community. The movie functions as both an inspiring fable and a sharp indictment of powerful publishers seeking to use popular goodwill for personal ends.
Silent Partner
Whereas holiday slasher movies are now commonplace, the holiday crime caper remains a somewhat rare subgenre. This makes the 1978 gem The Silent Partner a fresh discovery. With a delightfully vile Christopher Plummer as a bank-robbing Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank employee, the film pits two varieties of opportunistic individuals against each other in a stylish and twisty tale. Largely overlooked upon its first release, it merits a fresh look for those who enjoy their festive stories with a chilling atmosphere.
The Almost Christmas
For those who like their Christmas gatherings chaotic, Almost Christmas is a riot. Featuring a impressive cast that includes Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie explores the tensions of a family gathered to share five days under one roof during the holidays. Secret dramas bubble to the surface, leading to situations of over-the-top farce, such as a dinner where a shotgun is pulled out. Ultimately, the narrative finds a satisfying resolution, offering all the fun of a holiday disaster without any of the actual consequences.
Go Movie
The director's 1999 movie Go is a Yuletide-set tale that functions as a youthful riff on woven narratives. While some of its comedy may feel of its time upon revisiting, the picture nevertheless boasts many elements to appreciate. These include a cool performance from Sarah Polley to a standout performance by Timothy Olyphant as a laid-back pusher who fittingly sports a Santa hat. It represents a very kind of fin-de-siècle cinematic vibe set against a holiday setting.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
The famed director's wartime farce The Miracle of Morgan's Creek skips conventional holiday warmth in exchange for irreverent fun. The movie is about Betty Hutton's character, who discovers she is expecting after a hazy night but cannot remember the man involved. Much of the humor comes from her condition and the attempts of Eddie Bracken's simping Norval Jones to rescue her. While not immediately a holiday movie at the start, the narrative winds up on the festive day, revealing that Sturges has created a clever interpretation of the birth narrative, filled with his characteristic satirical edge.
Better Off Dead Movie
This 1985 teen movie with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential artifact of its decade. Cusack's
