Holiday Movie Recommendations
It's the holiday season, which means you either have hours and hours to relax, eat cookies and enjoy movie after movie or you're frantically running around doing some sort of errand or cooking something incredible. My perfect scenario is a healthy mix of both. I've recommended a lot of my holiday favorites through the years... White Christmas, The Holiday, While You Were Sleeping, Mrs. Santa Claus, The Christmas Chronicles, Dash & Lily and any Hallmark or Lifetime movie featuring a former One Tree Hill cast member. You can't go wrong with those, and I'll never judge you for putting on an old favorite for the hundredth time. I have White Christmas on while I write this very newsletter! But I have watched some new releases and old classics this season that I'm excited to recommend! Wishing you a restful, happy and healthy holiday season!
If you're looking for a hijinks-filled trip to Connecticut | Christmas in Connecticut (on HBO Max): Released in 1945, this holiday classic starring Barbara Stanwyck is full of goofs, from mixing up babies to flipping pancakes. Stanwyck plays the author of the famous Diary of a Housewife magazine articles, where she writes about her life on a farm with her husband and baby. But she actually lives in the city, can't cook and isn't even married. When a war hero wants an old-fashioned Christmas at her farmhouse in Connecticut, she's forced to play along. Hilarity ensues!
If you're looking for a musical twist on A Christmas Carol that stars Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer | Spirited on Apple TV: I'm not sure why this 2022 release isn't getting more attention, because it's a very fun and creative take on a holiday classic. It's hard to find a really good, original holiday movie. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are delightful to watch on screen together. Even though this movie features far too many forced musical numbers, there are a few really good ones that make up for the clunkiness of others. Without giving away too many twists, Ferrell stars as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Reynolds is a seemingly irredeemable businessman on Earth who has a few lessons to learn this Christmas. The premise sounds basic, but the script is full of twists and turns all the way through the final musical number on the streets of New York.
If you're looking for a classic holiday romcom with better acting than most Hallmark/Lifetime movies | Something from Tiffany's (on Amazon Prime): The modern day queen of romcoms, Zoey Deutch, takes the lead in this New York City based holiday romcom. Despite an aggressive amount of Tiffany's product placement, I really enjoyed this NYC-based movie. Deutch stars as Rachel, a baker trying to make the best of her relationship with her absent-minded boyfriend. She meets Ethan (played by the very charming Kendrick Sampson), who plans to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas morning. Through a series of mishaps, the proposal doesn't happen and Ethan and Rachel begin to spend more time together...
If you're looking for a emotional holiday drama featuring leads who have actual chemistry | The Noel Diary (on Netflix): If you like your holiday movies mixed with sad backstories and emotional turmoil, The Noel Diary is for you. The Netflix original, released earlier this year, stars Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss. The problem with a lot of holiday romances (and romances in general) is that the leads don't have any chemistry. Fortunately that's not the case here. From the second these two are together on screen, they instantly click. They both help each other along on their respective emotional journeys (she's trying to track down her birth mother; he's cleaning out his mother's apartment after she passes away and is then forced to reunite with his estranged father). I told you it was heavy. Directed and co-written by CHARLES SHYER (previous credits include Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap), the writing and acting in this movie feels a cut above the typical Netflix movie standard.
If you're looking for a very quirky romance about stealing and the law that's also set at Christmas | Remember the Night (Available for free a random streaming service with a million commercials): Another Barbara Stanwyck holiday movie! This strange little film is a far cry from the hijinks of Christmas in Connecticut. Instead it's filled with discussions about morality, right and wrong and difficult parent/child relationships. Jack Sargeant is a lawyer prosecuting Lee Leander for shoplifting. When Sargeant has the case postponed until after the holidays, he helps get Lee out of jail on bail so she can celebrate the season. When Lee and Sargeant realize they're both from Indiana, they road trip back to the Midwest for Christmas and bond along the way.
