Other (other) Christmas movies

It’s that time of year, the time of year when half the people you know start debating whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. The debate was maybe fun five years ago, but now it’s pretty passé. It’s time to consider whether or not some other movies should make it into your Christmas viewing rotation.

Up first: Diner directed by Barry Levinson (1982). This film is part of Levinson’s trilogy of stories centered around Baltimore. It takes place in 1959. A handful of college-aged guys are back together during Christmas break. All of them are struggling with adjusting to adulthood and trying to figure out their relationships, and it’s actually really funny. What helps it fall under the Christmas category: the season features prominently in the setting and there’s even a manger scene.

Will you enjoy Diner? There’s a really good chance. If you liked Seinfeld, this is one of the first feature films that has a lot of scenes kind of about nothing, with everyday conversation and humor. Some of the way the audio is done will also remind you of Robert Altman’s films. Because it’s set in 1959, everyone is always wearing a tie and looking nice and it has that nostalgia element we so often associate with holiday films. And, to top it off, you might recognize quite a few members of this young cast, including Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg, Tim Daly, and Kevin Bacon. Daniel Stern, one of the villains in Home Alone, is in this one, too. It’s a film about a group of guys with a lot of observational humor and coming of age drama. It’s a nice break when you don’t want something entirely silly or entirely serious.

Up next: Metropolitan directed by Whit Stillman (1989). This film is also set in the Christmas season, but mainly in Manhattan among some of the self-identified “urban haute bourgeoisie” (UHB). The film also centers around a college-aged friend group, this time with an outsider who is becoming an insider—Tom Townsend, a young man who generally disapproves of debutante parties but finds himself pulled into a circle of preppy upper-class friends. What makes it Christmas appropriate? It takes place in the Christmas season and you get plenty of visuals of well-dressed young people sitting near Christmas trees, etc. (The late 80s/early 90s dresses are worth watching for, too.)

If you already know Whit Stillman films, you’ll appreciate this one. If you like Gilmore Girls, it’s also a chance to see a very young Jason Stiles (Chris Eigeman). If you like Gilmore Girls, you’ll probably like it anyway, because it has some of the same kind of dialogue. For example, Tom Townsend is a committed socialist in the mode of Fourier, which comes up. It’s also a bit of a Jane Austen-ish piece, with social norms and interactions substituting for dramatic plot twists. Jane Austen gets referenced, as well. If you’re still a little lost, I personally think Whit Stillman lays the groundwork for the mumblecore films of the early 2000s. No matter what, it’s an opportunity to bask in some nostalgia for the small films of the 1990s, which were different and interesting and able to be made. There doesn’t seem to have been any IP involved.

Another film, which is not obscure, but is still underappreciated: Meet Me In St. Louis directed by Vincent Minnelli (1944). Now, technically, this musical starring Judy Garland takes place across an entire calendar year. Each season is well-displayed and you get lovely visuals of the family’s charming turn-of-the-century St. Louis home. (It’s exactly the kind in peril today.) But some of the most important moments of the film take place at Christmas time and you get to hear Judy Garland sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The film launched the song.

What is to love about Meet Me in St. Louis? Quite a lot. This story involves an entire family: parents, children of all ages, a grandfather, and the family cook. Not only does it include some classic songs like the “Trolley Song,” it’s pretty funny. It has a snappy script and still has tender moments among the family. And the family speaks and operates much like a real family, too. Plus, it’s an opportunity for you to get excited about the 1904 World’s Fair.

Interestingly, even if these aren’t Christmas films exactly, they are consistent with some of what we associate with the holiday season. All these films are ensemble pieces. It makes sense. During the holiday season (roughly Thanksgiving through New Year’s), people often do go home and meet up with old friends and gather with their family. This time of year is when you are most likely, as an adult, to consciously feel part of a group and for that group to be filled with people who have known you for a long time. All of these movies hit that spot.

All these films offer something else that we love so much around the holidays: nostalgia. Nothing says Christmas like talking about/dredging up the past. The whole event is built around commemorating a birth over 2000 years ago. These films let you look back on earlier eras. Metropolitan was set in the era it came out, but the other two were intentionally set in the past, so the nostalgia there was intentional.

So, if you want a little break from your sibling’s Harry Potter marathon or The Holiday on repeat, you can find something less serious than The Holdovers but more serious than Elf. Take advantage of the seasonal setting in these films to mix up the playlist a bit. Are all these actually Christmas movies? Probably not. But it’s definitely not worth arguing about in any case.