Down with the Grinch spirit! Bring on the Christmas spirit! We know that these dates are complex and generate contradictory and often opposite emotions. The five hundred parties and dinners, the constant Christmas carols, the hordes of people buying gifts and other commitments make the holidays one of the most overloaded stages of the year, but also one of the most beautiful (let’s not forget that they usually include vacation periods and getting together with dear people). Although all that glitters is not gold, they can be very harsh; for the memory of those who are no longer there –physically–, for not being able to spend time with those closest to them or not being able to afford a banquet worthy of it.
Although childhood is called to be the age in which to live Christmas with the most enthusiasm, waiting to know if the Three Wise Men and Santa Claus will have heeded the requests of our corresponding letters; This does not mean that they cannot be enjoyed no matter how many years appear on the identity card. And beyond putting up the tree and decorating the houses, going to see the lights, stopping by a market and buying gifts, Christmas is an ideal time to watch – alone or in company – the films that have best managed to portray, collect and spread the best Christmas spirit.
These titles that touch the heart due to their delicacy, the love they exude and whose viewing becomes an annual tradition for many. The classic par excellence is How beautiful it is to live which Frank Capra directed in 1946, and possibly Love Actually by Richard Curtis the most repeated in homes – along with The Holiday–; But here are five other feature films – and a gift series episode – to liven up Christmas afternoons and evenings, with a big smile on your face.
For those of you who are left wanting more, other titles that you can leave clearly on your radar are the wonderful adaptation of Little Women by Greta Gerwig, carol by Todd Haynes and, of course, the Harry Potter saga, which although not especially set at Christmas, is completely in line with its spirit (and long live the fantasy!). Sign up too That Christmasyes, an animated film that has just arrived on Netflix, very cute, accommodating and diverse. And for the most jovial and daring, you can take a look at Lindsay Lohan’s proposals – perfect for hangover afternoons -, Christmas suddenly (2023) and Our little secret (2024).
One last note for those of you who have to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas, this list does not expire, you can save the recommendations for when it suits you best, you can and you feel like it.
‘Gremlins’ (Joe Dante, 1984)
My most favorite. It’s hard to think that a furry creature could turn into one of the most adorable Christmas critters. The mogwai Gizmo (that’s the name of the animal) arrives from Chinatown to Kingston Falls, a small city in the United States, as a gift. And with three basic rules for its care: do not feed it after midnight, do not wet it with water and avoid sunlight. Once they begin to be violated, a whole wave of fun misdeeds is unleashed with the potential to ruin the celebrations.
At the height of eighties nostalgia, this title somewhere between black comedy and horror, the story of this atypical mascot stands as one of the most emblematic. It’s impossible for Gizmo not to end up stealing your heart, and also the film’s soundtrack, which Jerry Goldsmith composed.
- Where can I see it? Movistar Plus+
‘Klaus’ (Sergio Pablos, 2019)
The Spanish Sergio Pablos tells the origin of Santa Claus in this film, winner of the Bafta and seven Annie awards, the most important awards in the cartoon industry. She was also nominated for an Oscar, which she finally took from her. toy story 4. The film takes a different view of the legend of the character who will distribute gifts this Christmas Eve to all the homes on the planet, through the eyes of Jesper; a postman who is sent against his will to the town of Smeerenburg, located on an island in the polar circle. His mission: deliver 6,000 letters a year to prevent being disinherited. There, he unexpectedly befriends a mysterious carpenter, named Klaus, who lives in a cabin full of handmade toys.
The bond that strengthens between them ends up turning it into an endearing film, with shades of classic and fairy tale. Ideal to see with the family.
- Where can I see it? Netflix
‘Tangerine’ (Sean Baker, 2015)
Surely the most alternative proposal, but Tangerine It’s a gem. If you have seen the magnificent Anora –and if you haven’t done it, you should–, Tangerine It is the debut feature of its director, the American Sean Baker. This transgressive film, shot with an iPhone, is set on Christmas Eve, and follows the story of trans prostitute Sin-Dee Rella and her friend Alexandra. The first has just been released from prison and, in her meeting with the second, she reveals that her boyfriend has been cheating on her. From this moment, a journey begins to discover the truth through some not particularly welcoming streets of Hollywood.
The underworld of the United States and its contrasts form the backbone of this powerful exponent of the best social cinema, showing the reality of sex workers with realism, respect and far from any condescension.
- Where can I see it? Filmin
‘Plácido’ (Luis García Berlanga, 1961)
A film to break the heart, guilty of the fact that the phrase “sit a poor person at your table” has remained implanted in the history of Spanish cinema. This is the motto that a group of idle bourgeois women, residents of a small provincial town, invented as a Christmas campaign. The objective is for wealthy families to welcome those most in need to enjoy, for an evening, the warmth, affection and food they do not have. And meanwhile there is Plácido, a man who is hired to participate in the parade with his motorcar, but a problem appears that truncates his mission: this same day the first letter of the vehicle, which is his only means of living, expires.
The feature film, a classic in capital letters, was presented at the Cannes Festival and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This is Luis García Berlanga’s great masterpiece, thanks to its heartbreaking social portrait, full of sarcasm about charity exercises.
- Where can I see it? Movistar Plus+ and FlixOlé
‘A Father in Trouble’ (Brian Levant, 1996)
Although it may seem like a somewhat simpler proposal, A father in trouble It is another of those films that you end up growing fond of and, if we share a relative generation – born between the eighties and nineties –, surely more so because of all the times it was rerun when we were little. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Howard Langston, a man who, after arriving late to his son Jamie’s karate class, makes him a promise to forgive him: to give him whatever he asks for for Christmas.
The little one asks for a Turboman, which turns out to be the most coveted toy of the holidays and is sold out in all stores. From here begins the impossible mission of locating a specimen to please its offspring. The best thing is that it manages to turn the film into a satire of frenetic consumerism and cannibalistic capitalism.
- Where can I see it? Disney+ and Movistar Plus+
‘Those who remain’ (Alexander Payne, 2023)
It is likely that this title sounds familiar to you at this time of lists of the best of the year because, without a doubt, Those who stay It is one of the best movies of 2024 that is about to end. And nothing better than updating this type of lists with new releases that have the potential to become classics and that manage to steal your heart from the first viewing. Alexander Payne’s film brings together three very tender characters who, due to different circumstances, are forced to spend the Christmas holidays of 1970 at a boarding school in New England. Curmudgeon professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), one of his students, Angus (Dominic Sessa), and head chef Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
For none of them, staying there is the best news, but from their coexistence a bond is born, soaked in their traumas, their joys, their little by little openings in a journey that is moving and that will make you hug, very tightly, whoever you have sitting next to you. side when you see her.
- Where can I see it? SkyShowtime
‘Friends: The One with the Christmas Armadillo’ (2000)
It is always a good time to claim that Friends is – if not the best – one of the best series in history, and that just The one with the Christmas armadillois one of its funniest and most endearing chapters. Ross (David Schwimmer) arrives especially happy for Christmas because he will be able to spend it with his son Ben and, since he is Jewish, he wants to explain the story of Hanukkah to him.
The little boy is upset at first, since what he wants is to see Santa Claus, like every year. The last-minute search for a costume, with practically all supplies sold out, ends up causing a surreal encounter between a giant armadillo/”strange turtle man”, a last-minute Santa Claus and… Even Superman!
- Where can I see it? HBO Max and Movistar Plus+
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