Tis the season for love and romance, and Hollywood has no shortage of films to enjoy with that special someone. Be it straight up drama, romantic comedy, or even the offbeat love story, there's something for every couple this holiday season.
Here are my personal top ten favorite romantic Christmas films.
There will be no spoilers.
#10
Surviving Christmas
Proving you can find love no matter how big of a jerk you are, "Surviving Christmas" features Ben Affleck playing a wealthy, lonely advertising executive with no one to spend Christmas with, so he pays the family of his former childhood home to spend the holidays with them and do whatever he wants. When their daughter (played by Christina Applegate) arrives, she refuses to go along with the arrangement and finds Drew obnoxious, but as the holidays progress they find common ground and possibly even love.
Streaming on Paramount+
#9
The Holiday
In a little spin of The Prince and the Pauper, "The Holiday" centers on two women - one, a wealthy Los Angeles woman (played by Cameron Diaz) and the other, a idyllic English woman (played by Kate Winslet) - who decide to swap homes at Christmas after both suffered disastrous breakups. In their new homes they meet new loves (played by Jude Law and Jack Black respectively) but their love is tested when they realize they'll have to cross the ocean again to return to their ordinary lives.
Available to rent on Apple TV & Amazon
#8
Four Christmases
"Four Christmases" centers on unmarried couple Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) who take exciting Christmas vacations every year to avoid spending time with their families, but when a fog cancels their flight and their families see them on television, they're forced to attend their family Christmas functions - four of them, since both sets of parents are divorced. Hilarity, calamity, and secrets are exposed as the couple's relationship is tested with a great supporting cast including Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight.
Available to stream on Hulu
#7
The Family Stone
Typically ensemble films with a lot of A-list celebrities fail, but sometimes they work out really well. "The Family Stone" is one such film, boasting a cast including Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton (RIP), Craig T. Nelson, Rachel McAdams and Claire Danes and centers on a couple attending the boyfriend's family's house for Christmas where he plans to propose to her using the family ring that has been in the family for as long as they could remember. Problems arise when the girlfriend - an uptight, career focused woman named Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) - comes to conflict with the family's free-spirited, care-free attitude. Opposites truly attract, but there's also some poignant, heartfelt moments in this romantic comedy as well that are all the more meaningful after the sudden passing of Diane Keaton earlier this year.
Available to stream on Hulu
#6
Elf Looking for something a bit less conventional and something the entire family can enjoy? "Elf" has it all - humor, romance, and one of Will Ferrell's best performances. When Ferrell's Buddy the Elf heads to New York City, his naive nature comes into conflict with the real world, threatening to shatter his rose-colored vision. Then he meets his co-worker Jovie (delightfully played by Zooey Deschanel), and she gives him hope that there's still good in the world. A great comedy that the entire family can enjoy, "Elf" is also a heartfelt romantic comedy even if it's a bit unconventional.
Available to stream on HBO Max
#5
Edward Scissorhands
Now for a Christmas romantic comedy through the lens of Tim Burton, "Edward Scissorhands" might not be considered a Christmas movie to all ("Die Hard" fans can relate), but there's a significant portion of the film that takes place around Christmas, with Edward making ice sculptures and the iconic scene where snow originates. In Burton's take on Frankenstein's Creature, Johnny Depp plays Edward, an artificial man created by an inventor (the late, great Vincent Price) unfinished, with sharp metal shears in place of hands. Discovered alone by an Avon saleswoman, he's brought to her home where he falls in love with her daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder, in her wheelhouse), but tensions arise in the town as this budding romance leads to misunderstandings and the traditional mob rule.
Available to stream on HBO Max
#4
The Family Man
In the more modern take of "It's a Wonderful Life," "The Family Man" stars Nicolas Cage as Jack Campbell, a wealthy single Wall Street executive who encounters a mysterious man and the next day wakes up in a humble, middle-class home in New Jersey where he's married to his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni) whom he left years prior to pursue his career. Now a low-level tire salesman, Jack at first hates this alternate world, but begins to appreciate the love and family over wealth and success, as he tries to find a way to make this alternate reality his ultimate reality.
Available to stream on Peacock
#3
When Harry Met Sally
Although technically not a Christmas movie, "When Harry Met Sally" is perfect for the Thankmas Eve season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's) as it takes place throughout the fall and early winter months. When Harry (Billy Crystal) first meets Sally (Meg Ryan), he says that there can't be platonic opposite-sex friendships because sex gets in the way, and over the next decade they keep running into one another and a friendship ensues, leading, ultimately, to romance. One of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time, "When Harry Met Sally" is also great to watch during the holidays.
Available to stream on Paramount+ and Hulu
#2
Love, Actually Just as "Halloween" is synonymous with...well...Halloween, "Love, Actually" is easily associated with Christmas due to its longevity and impeccable ensemble cast including Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The movie centers on ten separate stories that proves "love, actually is all around" and focuses on romantic, familial, platonic, and unrequited love in all the wonderful, messed up ways.
Available to stream on Hulu, Disney+ and Peacock
#1
It's a Wonderful Life
THE iconic Christmas movie is also a fantastic romantic film, as we see the love between James Stewart's George Bailey and Donna Reed's Mary as George encounters an angel who shows him what life would be like without him in it. Filled with heart, compassion and hope, "It's a Wonderful Life" is the
movie that demands to be seen every December 25th, because it tells us
what the true meaning of Christmas - and love - is all about.
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Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare Starring Martin Portlock, Megan Placito, Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney Directed by Scott Jeffrey Two years ago Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain, and the horror community took note and immediately put out a movie called "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey." I went in not expecting to see anything stellar or noteworthy, but to have a bloody good time with Winnie and Piglet killing people, but what I got was a snoozefest of a movie where neither Winnie nor Piglet talked, and their costumes looked like rubber masks the director found in a Halloween store. It was lazy, dull, and stupid, and I was very disappointed. Then, last year, they put out the sequel, and my expectations were lowered even more. But then before the movie began we got a video of the director and the star talking about their passion for horror movies and ones that've inspired them, as they plan to create their own horror cinematic universe with the Winnie-the...
Better Man Starring Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Kate Mulvany Directed by Michael Gracey To be honest, I've heard of Robbie Williams but never was into his music or honestly cared to know anything about him in any capacity, but of course he would get the musical biopic treatment which meant I had to see it to find out what the buzz was about. The main driving force behind this biopic that makes it different from the others is the gimmick that Williams would be played by a CGI monkey, while everyone else would be playing humans, and it's kind of like that game where you would replace everyone in a movie with Muppets but one, which one would you keep human? Only in this case its reversed. Essentially, that's the only thing that makes this different from every other generic musical biopic out there, and while it's got some decent musical numbers, in the end, it's as formulaic as you'd expect. When he was a child (or a young monkey?), Robert Willi...
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