The Moore, the Merrier: A Holiday Movie Guide
The latest episode of One Moore Hollywood Podcast has our hosts, Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile, discussing all things related to holiday movies. What makes a movie a holiday movie? Does Die Hard count? What are some of our hosts' favorite films of the season? Do holiday movies even make money anymore?
Our esteemed hosts dive into it all. Let’s go.
What Determines a Holiday Movie?
According to De Nobile, a holiday movie is determined by props or costumes used in a significant context or if the holiday acts as a plot point within the story. For him, a movie simply taking place during the holiday season doesn’t necessarily make it a holiday film if it lacks the former conditions.
“The story of Die Hard couldn’t be told the way it was without it being set during the holidays.”
–Chris Moore
Moore has a similar perspective to De Nobile, adamantly insisting that Die Hard is, in fact, a holiday movie because of its use of music, holiday references, and dialogue during central plot points. Much of the movie's narrative momentum concerns the timing of the holidays.
Marpe agrees, albeit reluctantly, since she prefers holiday movies to be cozy and warm, offering an entertaining escape from reality that leaves you in a good mood. But, as she says, there should be something for everyone, and Die Hard is the holiday movie for those who want an intense and action-packed story.
Holiday Recs
One of Marpe's all-time favorite holiday movies is none other than The Holiday, a feel-good rom-com starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law. While it is set during Christmas, Marpe argues it's a movie for any time of year since its title refers to a holiday in the way of a vacation rather than a specific time of year.
Another couple of suggestions from Marpe include When You Were Sleeping and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Moore names Scrooged, Bad Santa, and the classic 1946 movie It’s A Wonderful Life. De Nobile mentions the Harry Potter series and Krampus.
As Marpe and Moore point out, many holiday films use the familiar concept of Christmas to build off generally understood ideas and stereotypes, whether using them in expected or unexpected ways–Bad Santa being an example of the latter.
Historically, De Nobile points out, holiday movies have done very well at the box office. However, that has not been true recently. Only two of the top 10 highest-grossing Christmas movies were made within the last 15 years, and those two were Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018) and A Christmas Carol (2009), both animated films primarily geared towards kids.
Does this mean holiday films are becoming less popular? Or are the right kinds of holiday-themed films just not getting made these days?
For now, only time will tell. All we can do is keep watching our favorite holiday flicks on the couch with a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
Listen to the entire episode here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio.
