I’m sure we’ve all got our favourite films which we like to watch over the Christmas period. There are hundreds of Christmas movies around, so I thought today I’d tell you about my favourite Christmas movies.
Well there are three standout Christmas films in my opinion, so here they are, starting with the oldest film first…
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
- Elf (2003)
So there’s my favourites, are any of them your favourites too?
For those of you who haven’t seen any of these films, here’s a bit more info about each of them…
It’s A Wonderful Life
This film is about George Bailey who attempts to commit suicide on Christmas Eve but is prevented from doing so by his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. Clarence shows George what his hometown would be like had he never lived and shows him all the lives he has touched and the contributions he has made to his community.
Yes, it’s a bit of a cheesy film, as it’ll not surprise you that they all live happily ever after. However the deeply moving and believable performance by the main character, played by James Stewart, would move a grown man to tears…it certainly makes me cry every time I watch the film.
Although there are some very sad and thought-provoking scenes in the film, it is a wonderfully uplifting film which reminds us all that sometimes we get so caught up in what we don’t have and what we want, that we forget just how much we actually have, and how wonderful our life actually already is.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The National Lampoon films staring Chevy Chase, have all been firm favourites of mine, so it shouldn’t surprise you that the Christmas offering in this series.
This film is all about the Griswold family. Clark Wilhelm Griswold Jr. (played by Chevy Chase) has really got the Christmas spirit , and his wife Ellen (played by Beverly D’Angelo), son Rusty (played by Johnny Galecki), and daughter Audrey (played by Juliette Lewis) have noticed this. Clark has organised what he considers a perfect Christmas, with all his parents and in-laws all coming to stay with the Griswalds.
Needless to say, things don’t quite go to plan for the Giswalds as Clark has various mishaps, annoys his snobby neighbours, copes with some uninvited guests while continuing to hope that the bonus he’s banking on from work will finally arrive…
It’s a bit of a madcap film, following th mishaps and problems encountered by Clark until he finally has one too many things go wrong for him…
It’s a typical Chevy Chase film, it’s a typical National Lampoon film, so as far as I’m concerned each of those things by themself is enough for me to rate this a good film, but Chevy Chase in a National Lampoon film, means for me it’s an excellent film where another joke, or funny situation is never more than a few seconds away. What more could you ask for from a Christmas film?!
Elf
The is the most recent of the films I’d rate as my favourites, though over the last few years we’ve seen this film so many times, it’s definitely become a firm favourite with us.
Elf is all about Buddy (played by Will Ferrell) who, when a baby boy, crawled into Santa’s sack of toys and ended up being taken back to the North Pole. Buddy is then raised by Papa Elf (played by Bob Newhart) as an elf, and is therefore unaware he actually a human. That is until he hears some of the elves talking about him not being a real elf.
Buddy forces his “father” Papa Elf to reveal who his real parents are and that although his mother has died, his father (played by James Caan) lives in New York and works at a children’s book company. Buddy decides to go to New York and find his dad…even although Santa tells Buddy that his dad is on “the naughty list”.
The film then follows Buddy’s adventures in New York, where having been brought up as an elf, he shows his ignorance in basic things. e.g. He takes a coffee shop’s claim to sell the best coffee in the world as a fact!
Will Ferrell is so funny as Buddy, playing it just right, funny but not too unbelievable to the point of silliness. However it’s still another cracking, and very funny Christmas movie, and is a great watch for all the family.
So there’s a bit about my favourite Christmas movies, what are your favourites?
The Distinct Dot 
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