Christmas Movies

Well, December is here and it's time to pick our Christmas movies. No, I'm talking about It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol. I'm talking about either off-beat movies or those that have a Christmas backdrop that you just have to watch every December.

For my husband and me, there are two staples. His is Love Actually. Mine is The Ref. (Can you tell who the romantic in our relationship is?) I suppose my choice says more about my dysfunctional childhood than anything else. I mean being held hostage on Christmas? Fighting with your family? Being insulted by relatives? It's the embodiment of my childhood Christmases. And even if you had a more normal family life, holiday stress is something to which everyone can relate. The movie takes it to the nth degree and adds that touch of humor you need in order to laugh at it and move on with the day! At any rate, it's an incredibly funny and enjoyable movie with some great lines ('Your husband ain't dead, lady, he's hiding' is one of my favorites). Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are awesome, as is the rest of the supporting cast. This is a movie that reminds us all that families suck (just kidding) - reminds us all that the holidays can be stressful even if there isn't an armed robber holding you hostage in your own home. But beyond that storyline, it also serves as a reminder that the holidays can herald the end of arguments and new beginnings.

Unlike my choice, hubby chooses a movie about romance and pursuing love. What can I say - I got lucky, he got stuck with me! Love Actually follows several different story lines which intersect in some way - sometimes only because the characters know those in the other storylines, not because they actually interact. It examines the relationships of single people, married people, cheaters, widowers, young people, dreamers and those who put duty to family before their own desires. There's pretty much something for everyone in it. Hugh Grant is excellent as the prime minister (loved seeing him dance behind closed doors) and Bill Nighy as the aging rocker whose behavior is predictably inappropriate is simply awesome (favorite line: 'Don't buy drugs, kids, become a pop star and they'll give them to you free'). I also enjoyed the Colin Firth and Lúcia Moniz storyline about two people who fall in love without speaking the other's language. Their subtitled similar-yet different conversations were very well-written. I don't mean to leave any of the other plot lines out, there are just too many stars to name in this one to name them all in a short blog post.

Now, we need two more movies to round out the month's selections. My other choice was Elf. I am not generally a fan of this type of SNL style humor, but I do like this movie - not for its standard 'Christmas spirit conquers all' message, but for its portrayal of a simplistic man whose unshakable faith in Santa and Christmas lead to all sorts of merriment (the Angry elf scene being one of my favorites in this one).

As for a fourth movie the jury is still out. If I had a third choice, it might be Friday After Next (for some reason it really makes me laugh), but it's hubby's choice because I've already selected my two. If there was a movie about an Alien cowboy Santa that had been deputized and was hunting down crooks who steal Christmas gifts and included lots of sleigh-chasing-car scenes he might pick that, but I suspect his second choice will be The Last Holiday. We absolutely love Queen Latifah and this movie has everything a holiday movie could ask for: romance, character redemption, happy endings and so much more.