One thing that irks concerning many present-day seasonal movies is their insistent self-awareness – the over-the-top decor, the checklist score tunes, and the stilted speeches about the essence of the holidays. Maybe because the style was not yet ossified into routine, movies from the 1940s often tackle Yuletide from increasingly inventive and far less anxious viewpoints.
The Fifth Avenue Happening
A favorite gem from delving into 1940s seasonal fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 lighthearted farce with a great concept: a happy-go-lucky hobo winters in a vacant posh townhouse each year. During one cold spell, he invites fellow down-on-their-luck individuals to reside with him, among them a former GI and a young woman who turns out to be the offspring of the property's wealthy proprietor. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth imbues the movie with a found-family warmth that many newer Christmas stories struggle to achieve. The film perfectly balances a socially aware commentary on shelter and a whimsical urban fairytale.
Tokyo Godfathers
The late filmmaker's 2003 feature Tokyo Godfathers is a entertaining, poignant, and thoughtful take on the Christmas tale. Drawing from a western film, it follows a group of homeless people – an alcoholic, a transgender woman, and a teenage runaway – who find an abandoned newborn on the night before Christmas. Their quest to reunite the child's mother sets off a series of hijinks involving gangsters, foreigners, and seemingly serendipitous coincidences. The animation celebrates the wonder of chance frequently found in holiday stories, presenting it with a cool-toned aesthetic that sidesteps overly sweet feeling.
The John Doe Story
While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life rightly receives plenty of praise, his earlier work Meet John Doe is a notable holiday tale in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a charismatic "forgotten man" and Barbara Stanwyck as a plucky reporter, the movie starts with a fabricated note from a man vowing to fall from a ledge on December 24th in protest. The public's reaction leads the journalist to recruit a man to impersonate the mythical "John Doe," who later becomes a national symbol for community. The narrative serves as both an inspiring tale and a sharp skewering of ultra-rich publishers attempting to use popular goodwill for their own ends.
The Silent Partner
Whereas Christmas slasher pictures are now plentiful, the holiday crime caper remains a strangely underpopulated category. This makes the 1978 film The Silent Partner a fresh surprise. With a wonderfully sinister Christopher Plummer as a bank-robbing Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a mild-mannered bank teller, the story pits two kinds of opportunistic characters against each other in a well-crafted and surprising tale. Mainly unseen upon its first debut, it deserves a fresh look for those who prefer their Christmas entertainment with a chilling edge.
The Almost Christmas
For those who like their family gatherings dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a blast. Featuring a star-studded cast that features Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie delves into the dynamics of a household gathered to share five days under one house during the Christmas season. Hidden dramas come to the forefront, resulting in scenes of over-the-top comedy, such as a dinner where a firearm is pulled out. Naturally, the film finds a touching ending, providing all the fun of a seasonal mess without any of the actual aftermath.
The Film Go
The director's 1999 feature Go is a Yuletide-themed caper that serves as a young-adult riff on woven narratives. While some of its humor may feel dated upon a modern viewing, the movie nonetheless offers plenty things to enjoy. These include a cool performance from Sarah Polley to a captivating performance by Timothy Olyphant as a laid-back drug dealer who appropriately sports a Santa hat. It captures a specific brand of fin-de-siècle movie energy set against a holiday backdrop.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
The satirist's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects typical seasonal warmth in return for bawdy fun. The movie follows Betty Hutton's character, who discovers she is expecting after a wild night but cannot identify the man involved. The bulk of the comedy comes from her predicament and the efforts of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to rescue her. Although not immediately a holiday film at the outset, the narrative winds up on the festive day, showing that Sturges has refashioned a clever version of the nativity, loaded with his trademark satirical humor.
Better Off Dead Movie
This 1985 youth comedy starring John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a textbook artifact of its decade. Cusack's
