Christmas will be here in a few days. It’s time for the holiday spirit to kick in, trim the tree, eat tons of chocolate and finish your holiday shopping. But if the stress isn’t for you, create a festive vibe with a Christmas movie and snacks.
A quick glance at the seasonal schedule, whether on regular TV programing, Prime, Disney or elsewhere, there’s a glut of movies for every taste from classics such as White Christmas and Christmas Carol to popular must-sees such as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Elf. There are even charming, animated gems such as Charlie Brown Christmas and The Polar Express.
The Gazette contacted Tico Romao, University of Alberta’s assistant director of English and Film Studies, to discuss Christmas movie mania. He specializes in teaching genre films.
“There are some spectacularly good Christmas films, some medium and some bad. A Wonderful Life is very good whereas Saving Christmas is very poor in terms of execution. It’s a faith-based film about trying to make Christmas less secular. It centres on Jesus, but it’s done in such a heavy-handed way with hardly any film making skills. While some watch Christian films, others will watch Star Wars or Star Trek. Some families like to get into that orbit and there’s a ritual value,” said Romao.
One film Romao refuses to take seriously is Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. In the 1964 film, Martians kidnap Santa Claus because there is nobody on Mars to deliver presents.
“You just can’t take it seriously. It’s so outlandish, so funny. It’s intentionally so bad it’s good,” he said.
Although not a fan of romantic Hallmark movies, Romao and his partner made a ritual of watching Love Actually before they had children. Love Actually delves into the different aspects of love shown through nine separate stories involving a variety of interlinked individuals.
“It’s one of the better ones. Even though it’s a romantic comedy, even guys like it. The story is funny, filled with romantic sentiments and the story lines are quite strong. When the Colin Firth character Jamie goes to Portugal to learn Portuguese so he can propose to the woman he loves, it’s a moving moment. The movie is a modern Christmas classic – just not in the Santa Claus realm.”
In the classic musical category, the 1944 Meet Me in St. Louis starring Judy Garland and the 1942 Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire are part of American Christmas catalogue that continue to make the rounds.
“Holiday Inn is a classic, but because Fred Astair wears black face, it mars the production in terms of contemporary standards. Fred Astaire is a wonderful dancer, but it’s a cringe-worthy moment.”
Romao is a big fan of The Grinch Stole Christmas, the Boris Karloff voiced animation released in the 1960s. In the animation, the irritated Grinch steals the Who’s presents on Christmas Eve to stop their joy. Despite the loss, the Christmas spirit is alive and as the Who sing, the Grinch’s heart grows three sizes.
“The Grinch plays the villain, the inverted version and steals all the presents. He has a change of heart at the end, like Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ classic. The music is great and the animation is fabulous.”
One film Romao steers clear of is Tim Allen’s three-movie comedy, The Santa Claus franchise.
“Tim Allen is not funny. It’s been done. He replaces Santa Claus and takes his place. It’s meant to rekindle the spirit of Christmas, but it’s hackneyed.”
Another film Romao dubs as poorly constructed is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1996 Jingle All the Way. In it a father forgets to buy his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. He leaves it until the last minute and must race all over town competing with other parents.
“It’s a comment on consumerism, but it’s not funny. It’s meant to be comedic, but it’s not. It’s biggest failure is that it’s not funny. It probably has to do with Arnie’s range. He plays outside his wheelhouse. And the script is not particularly strong.”
On the other hand, Romao gives high marks to the 2003 Bad Santa starring Billy Bob Thornton. For viewers looking for something a bit more extreme, it is comedic bliss.
The movie is centred around a miserable conman and his partner who pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.
“Billy Bob plays the part so well and again, it’s an inversion of what constitutes Santa.”
Diehard movies are extremely popular at Christmas, but there is a lingering debate whether the franchise is a holiday film. Yes, two Diehard films take place on Christmas Eve. But are they action-adventure or Christmas movies?
“It doesn't matter what other people watch. The main reason to watch Christmas films as a family is that it revitalizes the nostalgia from childhood. If you watch it as a family, there is this sense of sharing and being together."