With the holidays rolling around it only feels right to look at some of the best Christmas movies. Not only have we looked at the best Christmas movies, but we have listed whether a they are overrated, underrated, or fairly rated.
Brody’s Christmas Movies
Photo by: Walt Disney Television Animation
Underrated
“Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” is an absolute work of art from Disney. This is a movie that is entertaining from start to finish, and can be used to teach life lessons. This movie has 3 different stories that follow different characters from Mickey’s infamous friend group. The first story follows Donald Duck and his kids. They wake up on Christmas and make some bad choices which result in Donald becoming increasingly upset. Donald’s kids wish Christmas would be every day before going to bed that night, and when their wish is granted they must decide if that was a good idea. Next You hear about Goofy and his son Max. Max loses his belief in Santa, and while Goofy tries to restore Max’s faith in Santa Goofy loses his own faith in Santa. Max tries to cheer Goofy up, but as always a Christmas miracle happens to make them both become believers. The final story is about Minnie and Mickey’s spin off of the gift of the magi story. Mickey and Minnie both want to buy Christmas gifts for each other, but neither of them can afford the gifts they want to buy. Both of them have to make sacrifices to get the other what they want, before a big twist at the end. All of these display good lessons like selflessness, and being grateful for what you have. This movie flies under the radar but is arguably my favorite movie of the holiday season.
Photo by: Gordon Company Silver Pictures
Overrated
”Die Hard” is a phenomenal movie that I dont think is overrated to be honest, but this movie has no business being called a Christmas movie. Aside from the soundtrack there is nothing that screams Christmas. This movie just so happens to take place during Christmas, but the story has nothing to actually do with Christmas. When you think of a Christmas movie you want to feel the magic of Christmas when watching and this movie seems more like an action movie. That is why this is the most overrated Christmas movie.
Photo by: New Line Cinema
Fairly Rated
”Elf” is one of those movies it kind of feels like everyone knows, and loves. Will Ferrel puts on a stellar performance as Buddy that is sure to have you crying laughing. Will Ferrel brings a joyful innocence to the movie. There is both slapstick humor mixed with heartwarming funny moments. Not only is the movie funny, but the story is also engaging with a great ending that warms your heart. I feel like this movie is perfectly rated because everyone knows it and loves it. If it's a consensus top movie it seems pretty fairly rated.
Jack’s Christmas Movies
Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures
Underrated
There’s a sad amount of people that claim The Polar Express is overrated, some saying it’s not a good film whatsoever. I strongly disagree which is why I consider the film to be underrated. The Polar Express used motion capture animation to produce a realistic looking image. The movie starts with a kid on Christmas Eve excited for the holiday the next day. He starts to become skeptical until he hears the rumbling of a train outside. He goes outside and is greeted with a massive train with the title “Polar Express”. The conductor convinces him to jump on the train and join them on their journey to the North Pole. He ends up making new friends on the train and he receives Santa’s first gift. This movie is nothing short of perfection in my eyes.
Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Overrated
A Christmas Story is simply an overrated film. For a movie that plays on repeat all day on Christmas on TBS, I really don’t understand the hype surrounding it. A Christmas Story is an 80s film about a kid who wants a BB gun for Christmas, but his parents don’t like it and think he’ll hurt himself. He spends the duration of the movie convincing his parents to get him this BB gun for christmas. The morning comes and he does end up getting the BB gun, and as everyone expected, he ends up hurting himself. I feel like this movie receives a lot of love for being pretty boring for the most part and I consider it to be overrated for that reason.
Photo by 20th Century Studios
Fairly-Rated
Home Alone is a consensus top 3 Christmas film. This movie is nothing short of perfection and it’s a centerpiece of so many kids’ childhoods. This movie tells the story of a large family accidentally leaving their kid behind when going on a trip to Paris during Christmas. The young kid, Kevin, has to become the man of the house while he’s all by his lonesome. When he finds out two robbers are targeting his house, he has to step up and rig the place with traps. Kevin’s master plan works to perfection and the viewers get comedy gold. You can’t talk about Christmas movies without mentioning Home Alone.
Josh’s Christmas Movies
Photo by Nickelodeon Studio
Underrated
“It’s A Spongebob Christmas!” is a stop motion animated Christmas special and is the epitome of a perfect holiday short story. The animation style is really interesting and it makes the vibe of the 30 minute movie very appealing. The story revolves around Plankton giving bad fruitcake to the jolly citizens of Bikini Bottom, causing everyone to be grouchy and grumpy. SpongeBob, with his good heart, isn’t affected by this poison and is served with the duty of saving Christmas in Bikini Bottom. Plankton devises a plan to get his name off the naughty list, which involves a giant robotic SpongeBob who reeks havoc in the town. Santa arrives to Bikini Bottom and the robot-SpongeBob tries to destroy Santa, until the real SpongeBob intercedes and saves Santa Claus and Christmas. This short-movie is a good, lighthearted comedy to put on with the family and very enjoyable for any age range.
Overrated
I honestly don’t think the Polar Express is overrated, however I think people really overrated it because of its overall feel and vibe it brings. This movie brings a lot of nostalgia to almost every person in our age group, which I think plays a big factor in why it’s overrated. However, the motion captured animation and the amount of work Tom Hanks did for this movie is very impressive and respectable. This movie is a great example of a good film that has been shoved into a category that it shouldn’t be in. While I do enjoy this movie and the story, the idea that it is one of the best Christmas movies just does not sit right with me.
Fairly Rated
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is an absolute Christmas Classic. This movie has so many quotable scenes. Watching this movie is like a fever dream, it feels like a big skit on SNL. Which makes sense because Chevy Chase was very involved in the process of making this film. The movie revolves around Clark and his family. Clark is at a job he hates and is hoping for a bonus at the end of the yearly calendar. Clark and his family spend the movie performing crazy antics. For example, they cut down a ginormous Christmas Tree that had no way of fitting in their home, Clark set up an extravagant Christmas light display that shut down the power in the city, and many more funny moments. All the characters in this movie are hilarious, most notably Uncle Eddie, who is a fan favorite. This movie is a very enjoyable watch and a go-to for a lot of families looking for a light hearted Christmas film to watch with friends and family. It is known as one of the best Christmas movies of all time, and rightfully so.
