If you are looking for movies offering meaning beyond laughs and drama, this is your season.
Often lost amid the amusement inherent in many comedy films are the serious messages embedded in them. For example, the iconic movie Groundhog Day is utterly hilarious, but beneath the laughs lies a profound message about the Herculean effort required for an egotistical, self-absorbed TV weatherman to reach the pinnacle of self-improvement. He must live the same day over until he evolves into a selfless person welcomed into the warm embrace of the woman he loves. Likewise, in the classic comedy Trains, Planes and Automobiles, Steve Martin’s contempt for John Candy transforms into compassion for a lonely soul devastated by the death of his wife. For those seeking more than just laughs or plot twists during this yuletide season, you can do no better than watch the many Christmas movies centering around a similar arc of redemption and transformation, whether they be comedic or dramatic.
Christmas Movies That Never Get Old
In the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, the heartless Ebenezer Scrooge is drawn into a journey of self-discovery by the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley, and is transformed into a warm, generous spirit. The modern adaptation of that movie, Scrooged, concludes with “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
In A Wonderful Life, a deeply troubled George Bailey, played by the great Jimmy Stewart, contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve, believing no one will miss him. But he is then visited by his guardian angel, Clarence, who shows him what life in his town would have been like if he had never existed, revealing the profound positive impact he’d had on everyone around him and ultimately restoring George’s hope and appreciation for his own “wonderful life.” The enduring message is that a seemingly ordinary life holds immense value in the eyes of God and community.
The Polar Express, a modern Christmas fantasy, centers on a doubting young boy who boards a magical, steam-powered train on Christmas Eve, journeying with other children to visit Santa at the North Pole. Along the way, he learns profound lessons about belief, friendship, and the enduring wonder of Christmas. He ultimately receives a special silver bell from Santa that only true believers can hear. It brings forth the message that “Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”
One of the most celebrated Christmas classics, Miracle on 34th Street, tells the tale of a kind old man, Kris Kringle, who takes over as Santa at Macy’s department store and claims to be the real Santa Claus, challenging the cynical, career-focused world of New York City. His insistence on being Santa leads to a court case to determine his sanity. His lawyer and a young girl’s belief, along with a post office technicality involving mail addressed to Santa, ultimately prove his authenticity, restoring faith to the city. The movie’s ultimate message is that “Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind.” Likewise, A Charlie Brown Christmas, another timeless classic, delivers the message that “Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more” (than just things from a store).
The now-iconic 21st century film Elf centers on Buddy, played by Will Ferrell, a naive human raised as an oversized elf at the North Pole. He travels to New York City to find his biological father, a cynical children’s book publisher who is on Santa’s naughty list. He ultimately wins over his stepmother and half-brother, salvaging the Christmas spirit.
Then there is a hidden gem, Christmas with the Kranks, in which a couple decides to boycott Christmas and instead head out on a lavish cruise, infuriating their neighbors and co-workers. But with their daughter unexpectedly coming home from overseas, they are forced to stay home. In the end, Luther Krank, played by Tim Allen, gives away his cruise tickets to a hostile neighbor whose wife is stricken with cancer, experiencing the joy of giving to those in need.
The Die Hard Debate
Finally, it is with fear and trembling that we enter into the perpetual debate about the Bruce Willis classic Die Hard. Is it a Christmas movie or not? People on both sides of the question tend to be almost militant in their beliefs. But perhaps the answer lies in the film’s ultimate message about what and who matters most, as Willis cheats death and in the process rediscovers how much he actually loves and cherishes his estranged wife. That sure seems like a yuletide message, even for those who insist that the fact that the story takes place around Christmas is merely incidental to the plot.
In the end, if you seek profound meaning beyond laughs and drama, there is a wide array of Christmas movies that deliver just that. IMDb, the film rating service, lists over 1,200 holiday films, and more are added each year. What most of them have in common are messages worth remembering the whole year round. Merry Christmas!
Liberty Nation does not endorse candidates, campaigns, or legislation, and this presentation is no endorsement.
