ARTICLE

5 Films You Didn't Realise Are Christmas Movies

By Freddy / 21 Dec 2016 (Wednesday)

Christmas is coming and every year, your TV screens are filled with Christmas staples like Home Alone, Love Actually, and A Christmas Carol. Compared to those, these 5 films might not seem like Christmas films. But let us convince you they are.

Die Hard (1988)

You might wonder what this action classic is doing here. Let’s not forget that this whole film is about John McClane (Bruce Willis) trying to reach out to his estranged wife at a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. The twist is that instead of Santa Claus and his elves bringing gifts, we get the charismatic Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his group of German terrorists bringing explosives.

Batman Returns (1992)

A snowy Gotham City provides a great backdrop for Tim Burton’s gothic sequel. The film starts with the flashback of Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin (Danny DeVito) abandoned by his parents on a Christmas night. It was immediately followed by an attack at Gotham City’s Christmas celebration. A superhero film does not get more Christmas-y than Batman Returns.

Gremlins (1984)

What if your Christmas present is a murderous creature? This comedy horror full of malevolent little monsters starts with a father buying a pet as a Christmas present for his son. All this plus its Christmastime setting should qualify this as a Christmas film. It’s probably not a family-friendly one, but a Christmas film nonetheless.

About A Boy (2002)

This comedy-drama about an unlikely friendship between a rich womanizer, Will (Hugh Grant), and his date’s suicidal friend’s son, Marcus (a very young Nicholas Hoult). Besides starting and ending with Christmas, the film has a classic Christmas message that wealth is meaningless without fulfilling relationships in your life. Plus, Will enjoys his lavish lifestyle due to the royalties from a Christmas song his father composed, ‘Santa’s Super Sleigh’.

Why Him? (2016)

This new rom-com may not look like a Christmas film, but it is. Ned (Bryan Cranston) and his family visits his daughter Steph (Zoey Deutch) and her boyfriend Laird (James Franco) over the Christmas holidays. Whoever has brought their partner during Chinese New Year would understand how important this is for Steph and Laird, right? Despite Ned’s disapproval, Laird attempts to win over the Steph’s family before he proposes to Steph on Christmas day.

Why Him? opens in theatres 29 December 2016.

What is your favourite Christmas movie? Sound off in the comments!

Christmas Why Him Die Hard Batman Returns Gremlins About A Boy

Get Showtimes

5 Films You Didn't Realise Are Christmas Movies