A Seasonal Celebration: Discovering Underrated Yuletide Films

One thing that irks me about numerous present-day seasonal features is their excessive self-awareness – the ostentatious ornaments, the predictable score selections, and the stilted dialogue about the essence of the season. Maybe because the style was not yet ossified into formula, films from the 1940s often explore Yuletide from far more inventive and less neurotic angles.

The Fifth Avenue Happening

A favorite gem from sifting through 1940s Christmas comedies is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 romantic comedy with a brilliant hook: a cheerful vagrant winters in a empty luxurious townhouse each year. That season, he brings in new acquaintances to stay with him, including a ex-soldier and a teenager who happens to be the daughter of the mansion's rich proprietor. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth imbues the picture with a makeshift family heart that numerous modern seasonal films have to labor to attain. The film perfectly walks the line between a class-conscious story on affordable living and a whimsical city fairytale.

The Tokyo Godfathers

The late filmmaker's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers is a entertaining, sad, and thoughtful take on the holiday story. Loosely based on a western picture, it centers on a group of down-and-out individuals – an alcoholic, a trans character, and a young runaway – who find an left-behind infant on a snowy December night. Their mission to locate the infant's mother triggers a chain of hijinks involving crime lords, newcomers, and seemingly fateful coincidences. The animation celebrates the magic of chance frequently found in holiday tales, delivering it with a cinematic animation that avoids overly sweet emotion.

Introducing John Doe

Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life justifiably earns much acclaim, his other picture Meet John Doe is a notable holiday story in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a handsome everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a plucky reporter, the story starts with a fictional note from a man threatening to jump from a building on Christmas Eve in frustration. The public's reaction forces the journalist to find a man to portray the fictional "John Doe," who subsequently becomes a national symbol for kindness. The movie serves as both an inspiring fable and a brutal critique of powerful publishers trying to exploit public sentiment for their own ambitions.

Silent Partner

While seasonal slasher pictures are now commonplace, the festive suspense film remains a somewhat niche subgenre. This makes the 1978 film The Silent Partner a novel surprise. With a delightfully vile Christopher Plummer as a thieving Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank teller, the movie sets two kinds of opportunistic oddballs against each other in a well-crafted and surprising tale. Largely unseen upon its original debut, it is worthy of new attention for those who enjoy their holiday stories with a chilling edge.

Almost Christmas

For those who like their Christmas gatherings messy, Almost Christmas is a blast. Boasting a impressive cast that includes Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie examines the strain of a household compelled to spend five days under one home during the Christmas season. Hidden dramas come to the surface, resulting in moments of high humor, such as a confrontation where a shotgun is produced. Naturally, the narrative arrives at a heartwarming conclusion, giving all the entertainment of a holiday mess without any of the actual aftermath.

Go

The director's 1999 feature Go is a holiday-adjacent story that functions as a youthful interpretation on woven plots. While some of its comedy may feel dated upon revisiting, the movie still boasts several things to appreciate. These include a engaging performance from Sarah Polley to a captivating scene by Timothy Olyphant as a dangerous pusher who appropriately dons a Santa hat. It captures a specific style of late-90s film attitude set against a Christmas scene.

Morgan's Creek Miracle

The famed director's wartime comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek forgoes typical seasonal cheer in exchange for cheeky fun. The story centers on Betty Hutton's character, who ends up with child after a drunken night but cannot recall the soldier involved. A lot of the fun stems from her condition and the attempts of Eddie Bracken's lovestruck Norval Jones to help her. While not explicitly a Christmas movie at the outset, the plot climaxes on the Christmas, making clear that Sturges has created a satirical take of the Christmas story, filled with his signature satirical humor.

Better Off Dead Movie

This 1985 adolescent movie starring John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a quintessential artifact of its decade. Cusack's