Obviously inherent in the notion of an “eight favorites” list is the requirement that the selections be at least somewhat subjective. I’m not trying to make grand pronouncements about the best movies of all time. I’m just picking some pictures that fit the mood I happen to be in for certain occasions.
While that principle applies throughout all these lists, it’s especially true at Christmastime. I can almost hear some of you out there shouting, “Hey, why isn’t It’s a Wonderful Life on the list?” And I’m sure we could go around and around about exactly which version of A Christmas Carol is superior to all the others. But that’s the whole point of holiday media fare. It isn’t about what’s good. It’s about what’s good for you, what evokes a cherished childhood memory, whatever rings your Christmas bells.
These are the eight movies that ring mine.
A Christmas Story – Like Halloween topping the Halloween list, this is a “well, duh” moment. It’s easily the most popular Christmas movie ever made, and not just because one of the Teds shows it all day every Christmas. Although Gene Sheppard’s childhood predated the formative years of most current audience members, his experiences span differences in time, place, even class. If I had to pick just one part that strongly evokes my own early years, it would have to be the tire-changing sequence. But it all rings true in a funny yet gentle and charming way.
Scrooge – A Christmas Carol had to make it on here somewhere, and the Alistair Sim version endures as my favorite. It could be that it’s just the one I remember most clearly from my childhood. But more than that, it offers the best overall package. All the important parts are there. Sim does a good job in the title role. And it isn’t burdened with a lot of silliness like being a musical or an animation starring Mickey Mouse and/or Mr. Magoo, nor is it set in the old West or outer space. The Dickens story is a classic, and this production doesn’t mess with that.
Scrooged – No sooner do I get done singing the praises of straight Dickens with no embroidery than I have to admit that I like this embroidered version. The tale’s been moved to contemporary New York, where “Scrooge” is a broadcast network executive. Bill Murray is normally something I could live without, but here his goofy, obnoxious approach sort of works. The romance between Murray and Karen Allen even comes out okay, which is nothing short of a Christmas miracle. Overall this does a solid job of walking the line between too SNL and too schmaltzy.
The Nightmare Before Christmas – One of the responses I got to the “8 favorite Halloween movies” list was that this picture should have been included. Personally, I think it’s a better fit here. It’s a blend of the two high points of the kid year, and for my money I think Christmas needs a little Halloween more than Halloween needs a little Christmas. So though it could easily go either way, around the 8sails household it screens in December rather than October.
White Christmas – The list had to include at least one of the classic Hollywood holiday moments, and this is the one I have the easiest time choking down. Sure, it gets bogged down in extraneous musical numbers. But it’s just so much fun to watch Danny Kaye prancing around Bing Crosby and getting in at least some of his usual act. Like Scrooged, it’s a nice blend of silly and sappy.
Miracle on 34th Street – Like A Christmas Carol, at least one version of this tale had to be here somewhere. Though the remakes may be more technically sophisticated, the Natalie Wood original is still likely to be the most familiar and comfortable for most folks. Certainly it is for me.
Gremlins – I’m wrapping the list up with a couple of somewhat odd choices. Aside from being set during the holidays, Gremlins isn’t really much of a Christmas picture. Or is it? Something cute, cuddly and apparently powerless vanquishes the most destructive evil the world has to offer. Then he’s gathered up and taken away by his “father” because the world isn’t ready for him yet. That’s actually closer to the true meaning of Christmas than most traditional holiday pictures. Plus it’s a fun movie to watch.
Elf – This actually sort of makes it “seven and two-thirds” rather than an even eight. Will Ferrell’s unique brand of obnoxious humor usually sets my teeth on edge, but when it’s brought to bear against yuletide sappiness, it kinda works for me. So as long as we’re getting jokes about Buddy the “Elf” trying to make it in the big city, this is an amusing picture. However, toward the end it descends into the very sappiness that it lampoons so well. Eject the movie before it turns to treacle (sometime around the scene where Ferrell jumps into the Christmas tree), and it’s a good way to finish up the holiday movie parade.
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