By: Andi Hubbell
Watching holiday movies has evolved into a crucial part of the holiday experience. For many Americans, gathering to watch classic films like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” during the holidays is as much a family tradition as exchanging gifts under the tree or lighting a menorah.
Photo by Krista Stuchhio
However, many recent holiday movies have failed to make it into the canon of revered holiday films, due to what some students identify as a shift away from classic values and toward the trite and the trivial.
“[Classic holiday movies] have such a powerful yet simplistic message. Back then, they didn’t really need all of the flash and bang or the drama to really make a really great movie that has stood the test of time,” said senior kinesiology major Kristina Dutcher. “Nowadays it’s more about marketing strategies, the demographics, and what’s going to hold their attention.”
In general, students seem to prefer modern holiday films that embody the magical holiday ambiance prevalent in classic holiday movies but also include a modern comedic spin. Dutcher cited the 1994 film “The Santa Clause,” which outlines the transformation of a cynical man (Tim Allen) into a jolly Santa Claus after he inadvertently kills the original St. Nick , as one of her favorite modern holiday flicks.
“It really just keeps the childhood magic of Christmas alive and that whole spirit within the movie,” Dutcher said.
Leonard Klady, a critic of the entertainment website Variety, praised “The Santa Clause” as a “hip, likable spin on the seasonal icon told with a deft mixture of comedy and sentimentality.”
The 2003 film “Elf” tells the story of a man named Buddy (Will Ferrell) who must struggle against his upbringing as an elf in the North Pole to function in the real world in the same fantasy-dramedy tradition. Mike LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle describes the film as “funny and intelligently made, a film for kids and adults that’s both sweet and sardonic.”
While students are captivated by movies like “The Santa Clause” and “Elf”, which provide a modern twist to classical tales of the holiday spirit, they rue films that omit the conventions of traditional holiday movies.
Freshman biology major Chloe Goldfarb said she disliked the 2008 movie “Four Christmases” and the 2004 film “Christmas with the Kranks.”
“They deal with relationships and not so much about family and Christmastime,” Goldfarb said. “They just made Christmas seem like a hassle and had unrealistic family drama.”
Critics seem to share Goldfarb’s contempt for holiday movies of this brand: “Four Christmases” received a 26 percent on “Rotten Tomatoes” and “Christmas with the Kranks” received a dismal 4 percent.
Although many students and critics seem to share a common love for sentimental, funny holiday films and a collective disdain for morally-dry Christmas flicks, there are also those who go against the apparent norm. Freshman kinesiology major Evan Singleton appreciated “Four Christmases” because “it’s a little different from usual Christmas movies.”
“Christmas is so uptight and people are always stressed out, and I guess that kind of mirrors it, but at the same time it’s really funny too,” Singleton said.
Tastes in movies may vary, but ultimately the most important characteristic of holiday films is their ability to bring families and friends together for quality time during the holidays—a priceless attribute that no film rating site or critic can adequately measure.
