I want to thank Marin McGinnis for inviting to participate in her blog hop. Stop by her site and see what other great authors are visiting by between now and Christmas! You won’t be disappointed.
Everyone has their favorite holiday movies. Most include titles like It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story or A Charlie Brown Christmas. And I love all of them. I watch Charlie Brown every year. It’s a Wonderful Life is always playing in the background while we put up the tree. And after the presents are opened and we lounge in the stupor of “did we really get up that early?” you can guaranty we’re watching poor Ralphie get forced into that awful pink bunny suit.
But what other movies make my list? And why?
Scrooged – while this one is the typical story we’ve come to know in A Christmas Carol, Bill Murray puts a spin on the Ebeneezer Scrooge character as a NYC TV big wig. I like these writers/directors for the same reason I like dystopian fiction: the ability to take something we know and twist it enough that it’s new.
Die Hard – who doesn’t love seeing Hans Grueber meeting his justified demise? Die Hard is the usual David vs Goliath story only instead of a sling shot our David has a gun. The under dog story meets the fish out of water.
The Ref – the bait and switch in this movie is both hilarious and poignant (though mostly hilarious). But how many writers can make you root for the bad guy?
Trading Places – the Prince and the Pauper aspect is really only enhanced by the hooker with a heart and Dan Akroyd in a Santa suit gnawing on a chicken leg.
The Long Kiss Goodnight – there’s a Cinderella-esque story hiding in this violent story of amnesia chick trying to find her true identity. Frumpy, boring school-teacher morphs into sophisticated, skilled trained assassin.
Lethal Weapon – the first scene of this movie tells you everything you need to know about Martin Riggs. His entire story is revealed is mere minutes. Pain. But also a desperate hope.
With the exception of Scrooged, I know these aren’t true Christmas movies but rather just movies set around Christmastime. But the holiday adds a character to the plot. It is the motivation or conflict behind the story. It’s the cheek-pinching aunt we try to avoid or the rich relative we put at the head of the dining room table. If you set these movies at a different time of the year, would they hold the same zing? I think some would survive the change. Others, not so much.