As the holiday season quickly approaches, we find ourselves in an awkward situation. The world of cinema is so vast, and a hefty portion of it belongs to Hallmark cash-grabs and holiday classics. Today, especially as we enter a new age of adolescence, our perspective on the world changes. Yes, watching Home Alone or Elf can be the comforting level of nostalgia that we need from time to time, but what about cinema that challenges us? Movies that ask all the right questions at the right time? I will admit that while not all of them are holiday-themed, there are a handful that challenge the very idea of Christmas festivities with a heavier approach to the season. Instead of focusing on the holiday bliss, these films choose to use those aforementioned elements to either challenge or propel their storytelling. Here are four prime examples of films that do just this that YOU can watch this holiday season.
The Hudsucker Proxy 1994 (Dir. Ethan and Joel Coen):
If you are not familiar with the Coen brothers, you are extremely lucky. That is because I wish I could relive watching each of their films for the first time. Every single one of them–from Fargo to No Country for Old Men to O Brother, Where Art Thou–has received praise from critics and audiences alike. As you watch each one, you gain more of a grip on their style in writing characters, unique dialogue, and captivating scenes. The Hudsucker Proxy is no exception. It was the second endeavor by the Coens and was a follow-up on their immensely popular debut film, Blood Simple. However, it lost millions at the box office and was a commercial and critical flop. Today, it is considered a cult classic and an underrated gem within the Coens’ filmography. The Hudsucker Proxy follows Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), a nobody in an entry-level position who suddenly becomes a company executive when Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman) wants to devalue the company’s stock to become the majority shareholder. The film takes place over the course of the holiday season and into the New Year. Additionally, the film uses the holiday season to contrast the bleakness of the city and the heavy topics of meaninglessness and even suicide. Nevertheless, The Hudsucker Proxy is wildly hilarious for its spontaneity and wit, and its variety in theme and setting makes it a magnum opus for this year’s holiday season watchlist.
Catch Me If You Can 2002 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
Steven Spielberg is an Academy Award-winning director who has become almost a household name at this point. The range in his filmography shows that he has done it all, and each of his films would go on to become highly praised by critics and audiences alike. Some may even say that the majority of them are family-oriented, and the ones that are not entirely “family-friendly” still have the same curious and imaginative tone. His approach to filmmaking has earned him the accolades that have made him one of the most praised directors of all time. Catch Me If You Can, however, remains one of his more unique films. Besides the recently released The Fabelmans, this is most likely one of Spielberg’s more personal films, as it follows the real-life story of Frank William Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a 16-year-old master con artist going through the rough divorce of his parents, similar to Spielberg’s personal experiences. In the film, Frank displays his intuitive and clever nature from the moment we lay eyes on him. After witnessing his parents getting divorced, he relies on this intuition to fabricate a career, personality, and life for himself all on his own. Still, as the holiday season approached, Frank found himself feeling lonely, and it was this loneliness that again contrasted with the celebration we so commonly associate with Christmas. Catch Me If You Can retells the story of success and desolation with a twist that makes it a prime film to watch this winter.
The Apartment 1960 (Dir. Billy Wilder)
Billy Wilder was one of the greatest screenwriters and directors during the golden age of Hollywood. His films exhibit themes that are almost cynical of human nature, yet they always tend to have that jolly Hollywood ending. The Apartment, a product of Hollywood’s golden era and Wilder’s innovative writing style, does not disappoint–even winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1961. The film follows C.C. “Bud” Baxter (Jack Lemmon), an insurance worker making his way to the top at his 9-5 job. While he is a hard worker, he mainly gains the attention of the executives of his company by lending his apartment to them so that they can carry out their infidelities. When Bud falls in love with Ms. Kubelik, he discovers that she has also been used by the very executive to whom he was loaning his apartment. This idea of being “strung along, whether it is in Bud’s work life or with Ms. Kubelik’s relationship with the company executive, is a prevalent and recurring motif that has been attributed to the film’s ingenious storytelling. It is this atmosphere of hopelessness juxtaposed against the celebratory backdrop of the holiday season that makes The Apartment an interesting watch for this winter.
American Psycho 2000 (Dir. Mary Harron)
Over the past few years, this film has become prevalent in internet memes and on TikTok, but it nonetheless uses the holiday festivities to create a peculiar undertone that is irreplicable. It follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), the construct of physical and social perfection. He appears to be what everyone wants, yet he despises the very society that he has seemingly mastered. He desperately tries to assimilate but also questions the value of such superficial relationships. As the holidays approach in the film, we dive deeper into his psyche and his various serial murders. The cosmetic celebrations clash with Bateman’s psychological delusions, making for a compelling environment. Despite the memes, American Psycho remains one of our most absorbing films, and its themes remain prevalent today. What better time to watch it than during the break? Of course, don’t watch it with your family.
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Hopefully, by now, your holiday movie dilemma is resolved. These four films are vastly unique, yet they have only one thing in common: their use of Christmas as a setting rather than a central plot element. In doing so, they create a conflicting climate that makes for a more mature approach to the chilly holiday. On a final note, I hope I provided you with a different approach to what to watch this Christmas. Maybe it’ll be an interesting twist on your typical holiday watchlist.
