A Holiday Celebration: Uncovering Underrated Holiday Pictures

One thing that irks concerning many contemporary Christmas movies is their insistent meta-commentary – the ostentatious decorations, the predictable music tunes, and the stilted conversations about the true meaning of the festive period. It could be because the genre was not yet solidified into tradition, films from the 1940s often explore Yuletide from increasingly inventive and far less neurotic angles.

The Fifth Avenue Happening

A delightful discovery from sifting through 1940s seasonal fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 romantic comedy with a great concept: a cheerful hobo takes up residence in a vacant posh townhouse each year. That season, he welcomes fellow down-on-their-luck individuals to reside with him, including a former GI and a runaway who turns out to be the daughter of the home's wealthy proprietor. Director Roy Del Ruth gives the picture with a surrogate family warmth that many contemporary seasonal stories struggle to attain. This story beautifully walks the line between a class-conscious narrative on housing and a delightful urban fantasy.

Godfathers in Tokyo

Satoshi Kon's 2003 feature Tokyo Godfathers is a fun, poignant, and deeply moving take on the Christmas tale. Inspired by a western movie, it follows a triumvirate of down-and-out souls – an drinker, a trans character, and a young throwaway – who come across an left-behind newborn on the night before Christmas. Their mission to reunite the child's parents sets off a series of misadventures involving crime lords, foreigners, and apparently fateful coincidences. The film embraces the wonder of chance often found in seasonal stories, delivering it with a stylish visual style that steers clear of cloying emotion.

The John Doe Story

Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly earns plenty of acclaim, his lesser-known work Meet John Doe is a notable holiday film in its own right. Featuring Gary Cooper as a handsome drifter and Barbara Stanwyck as a clever journalist, the story starts with a fake note from a man vowing to jump from a rooftop on the holiday in despair. The people's embrace forces the reporter to hire a man to play the mythical "John Doe," who then becomes a national figure for kindness. The movie serves as both an uplifting tale and a brutal indictment of ultra-rich businessmen attempting to exploit grassroots feeling for their own gain.

Silent Partner

While seasonal horror films are now plentiful, the Christmas thriller remains a strangely underpopulated style. This makes the 1978 feature The Silent Partner a novel delight. Starring a delightfully sinister Christopher Plummer as a thieving Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank teller, the story pits two varieties of opportunistic oddballs against each other in a stylish and surprising tale. Largely unseen upon its original release, it is worthy of new attention for those who prefer their Christmas stories with a chilling atmosphere.

Christmas Almost

For those who like their family get-togethers dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a hoot. Featuring a impressive cast that features Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the story explores the dynamics of a household gathered to share five days under one roof during the festive period. Private dramas rise to the surface, resulting in scenes of extreme humor, including a confrontation where a firearm is produced. Of course, the narrative finds a satisfying conclusion, providing all the enjoyment of a holiday disaster without any of the real-life cleanup.

The Film Go

The director's 1999 feature Go is a Christmas-adjacent caper that is a teen-oriented interpretation on interconnected stories. While some of its edginess may feel dated upon a modern viewing, the picture nevertheless contains many aspects to enjoy. These range from a cool role from Sarah Polley to a captivating performance by Timothy Olyphant as a laid-back drug dealer who amusingly sports a Santa hat. It captures a particular brand of fin-de-siècle film vibe set against a festive setting.

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

The satirist's 1940s farce The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects typical seasonal sentimentality in favor for cheeky comedy. The movie is about Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who discovers she is pregnant after a drunken night but cannot recall the father responsible. The bulk of the humor stems from her predicament and the devotion of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to help her. Although not immediately a Christmas movie at the beginning, the narrative winds up on the festive day, making clear that Sturges has created a clever version of the birth narrative, loaded with his trademark witty style.

Better Off Dead Movie

This 1985 adolescent film with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a textbook example of its decade. Cusack's