A Holiday Celebration: Discovering Overlooked Christmas Movies

One thing that bothers concerning numerous contemporary Christmas films is their overly meta-commentary – the ostentatious ornaments, the predictable soundtrack tunes, and the stilted conversations about the real spirit of the festive period. Maybe because the category was not ossified into formula, pictures from the 1940s often tackle Yuletide from increasingly imaginative and not as obsessive angles.

The Fifth Avenue Happening

A cherished discovery from exploring 1940s Christmas fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic tale with a clever hook: a cheerful hobo winters in a vacant Fifth Avenue estate each year. One winter, he invites fellow down-on-their-luck individuals to live with him, among them a ex-soldier and a runaway who happens to be the offspring of the mansion's rich landlord. Director Roy Del Ruth gives the film with a makeshift family heart that most modern Christmas films struggle to earn. The film beautifully occupies the space between a class-conscious story on housing and a charming urban romance.

Godfathers in Tokyo

The late filmmaker's 2003 tragicomedy Tokyo Godfathers is a engaging, poignant, and deeply moving take on the Christmas story. Loosely based on a classic Hollywood movie, it centers on a trio of displaced souls – an drinker, a trans woman, and a young throwaway – who discover an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. Their journey to locate the infant's family triggers a series of misadventures involving crime lords, newcomers, and seemingly fateful connections. The animation embraces the wonder of coincidence frequently found in seasonal flicks, delivering it with a cinematic aesthetic that steers clear of overly sweet feeling.

Meet John Doe

While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life rightly gets plenty of attention, his other work Meet John Doe is a notable Christmas story in its own right. With Gary Cooper as a charismatic everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a plucky writer, the movie starts with a fictional missive from a man promising to jump from a rooftop on December 24th in protest. The people's response forces the journalist to hire a man to portray the invented "John Doe," who subsequently becomes a national symbol for community. The movie acts as both an uplifting tale and a brutal skewering of ultra-rich publishers attempting to use popular feeling for personal gain.

The Silent Partner

Whereas holiday horror movies are now a dime a dozen, the festive suspense film remains a strangely rare subgenre. This makes the 1978 film The Silent Partner a unique delight. With a wonderfully vile Christopher Plummer as a thieving Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a mild-mannered bank teller, the movie pits two kinds of morally ambiguous oddballs against each other in a stylish and twisty yarn. Mainly unseen upon its first release, it is worthy of a fresh look for those who enjoy their holiday entertainment with a cold edge.

The Almost Christmas

For those who prefer their holiday get-togethers messy, Almost Christmas is a blast. Boasting a impressive cast that includes Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the film examines the dynamics of a family gathered to spend five days under one home during the Christmas season. Private dramas rise to the forefront, resulting in scenes of high comedy, such as a showdown where a shotgun is produced. Ultimately, the film reaches a touching resolution, offering all the entertainment of a seasonal mess without any of the personal consequences.

Go Movie

Doug Liman's 1999 movie Go is a Christmas-set story that is a youthful interpretation on crisscrossing plots. Although some of its edginess may feel dated upon a modern viewing, the movie still boasts several elements to savor. These include a composed performance from Sarah Polley to a captivating scene by Timothy Olyphant as a charming pusher who amusingly dons a Santa hat. It embodies a very brand of late-90s cinematic attitude set against a Christmas setting.

Morgan's Creek Miracle

The famed director's wartime comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects conventional holiday cheer in favor for bawdy humor. The story follows Betty Hutton's character, who ends up pregnant after a hazy night but cannot identify the soldier responsible. Much of the fun stems from her predicament and the devotion of Eddie Bracken's hapless Norval Jones to rescue her. Although not immediately a holiday movie at the start, the story climaxes on the festive day, showing that Sturges has refashioned a satirical interpretation of the Christmas story, packed with his characteristic sharp edge.

Better Off Dead

This 1985 adolescent comedy with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a textbook artifact of its time. Cusack's