Yippee Kay Yay… (The only movie that doesn’t depresses me in Xmas)
This is such an exhausting topic. Anyone saying it isn’t a Christmas movie either hasn’t seen it recently enough to remember it or they’re being contraian. It takes place during Christmas, a Christmas party even. It has Christmas music woven into the soundtrack. The b plot is the main character fixing his marriage (a common theme of Christmas movies is fixing families).
To be honest, I sort of would view people arguing that it isn’t a Christmas movie like people arguing Red One isn’t a Christmas movie because it is primarily an action movie. Red One is more obvious due to the marketing and the fact it’s literally about saving Santa after he is kidnapped, but it’s still very moreso an action movie than other similar titles (The Santa Clause also has a kidnapped Santa subplot and a team of elite elves rescue him, but it is much more minor).
I thought this was a closed deal? Of course it is a Christmas movie.
In as much as home alone and Batman is a Christmas movie.
I don’t wanna be the party pooper here, but Die Hard is a specifically American Christmas Movie. I’m not saying that other people can’t or shouldn’t enjoy it as a Christmas Movie if so inclined.
But as a German what we “traditionally” watch as Christmas Movies/Shows is something completely different (though also varying greatly from region to region and family to family. I for one still enjoy “Weihnachten bei den Hoppenstedts” a lot my father mostly insists on seeing “Familie Heinz Becker feiert Weihnachten”. A movie a lot of people consider to be a Christmas Movie as far as I can tell is “Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel”.
Again I’m not saying that people can’t consider “American” Christmas Movies as their own or make them their traditions a friend of mine insists that “In Bruges” is the ultimate Christmas Movie. I just think saying “We all agree” is making it to simple
Edit: Read some more comments and maybe I misunderstood the premise. I’m not saying “Die Hard is not a Christmas Movie” what I’m trying to say is “Christmas Movies are what people make their Christmas Movie regardless of if they are Christmas-y” if I started watching Shrek at every Christmas it would be my Christmas Movie. But I feel what OP wanted to say was “There are Movies that are considered Christmas Movies because of the content and Die Hard should be considered one of them”.
I think the joke is that Die Hard obviously isn’t a traditional Christmas movie. But the story is literally set at Christmas. Many people like Die Hard more than traditional Christmas movies, so when their family members start voting om which Christmas movie to watch this year, they steadfastly nominate Die Hard with the argument that “it really is a Christmas movie, the internet agrees”
what I’m trying to say is “Christmas Movies are what people make their Christmas Movie regardless of if they are Christmas-y”
It’s more Christmasey than you may remember, when is the last time you watched it?
Do we really have to do this every year?
I find the topic exhausting because Did Hard is obviously a Christmas themed action movie (and I believe that qualifies as a Christmas movie), but everyone really making a stand about it is sort of being cringe. I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s like they’re acting like it’s so wild and crazy to say, like they’ve found some weird loop hole. I think it’s this weird tone of the discussion that leads to the pushback. Because, while it’s definitely a Christmas movie, it’s not like super Christmas-y. The Christmas aspects could easily be edited out and the movie would still make sense.
Yes, that’s what Christmas is for.
Die Hard is not a Christmas movie!
Die Hard is a Christmas Eve movie.
/s
There is definitely a demand for such movies on Christmas, otherwise a movie like Fatman wouldn’t have been produced. It’s a Christmas movie with Die Hard elements.
Yes - but more importantly, I am so happy reading the rest of the comments here: I’ve truly found my people.
Duh. It’s the best Christmas movie too.
I mean… Christmas Vacation?
Hell yeah!
My dad was arguing that it wasn’t because being set at Christmas isn’t enough, and said a bunch of things typical of a Christmas movie to have; while I countered with a list of things that happen in Die Hard that met his criteria.
“Someone needs to receive a gift.”
“McClane was gifted a machine gun.”
“There needs to be a miracle.”
“It’s a miracle John survived.”
“It needs to capture the feeling of Christmas.”
“Have you never spent time with your relatives at Christmas? It feels just like being held hostage at Nakatomi Plaza.”
Plus, he gets his wife (and kids, by extension) back at the end.
Haha this is very funny.
Even Plex agrees:
What We Left Behind made me feel idk. I loved seeing everyone again and some of the background info, but part of me wants to forget i ever saw it.
I don’t know why, i love DS9. My next rewatch would be the 9th.
I was hyped for the documentary and couldn’t wait to get to see it.
Missed Sisko.
Edit: on topic, i think Die Hard is Santa’s favorite christmas movie - but really only the first one.
I’m kinda in the same boat. I think Ira is a really talented creator and producer but he’s got that tried to hard theatre kid vibe at times. Like, love him and don’t doubt his sincerity in the slightest but yeah, bit navel gazey.
I think Die Hard 1 & 2 both qualify for Christmas films but the first one is obviously superior for sure.
I mean if a movie like It’s A Wonderful Life can be a Christmas movie, despite most of it not having anything to do with Christmas, then so can Die Hard.
subtract chrismas from the plot: you have no chrismas party filling a finished floor of the office tower with future hostages; you have no cross-county traveling hero to save-the-day. becomes a six page script and an easy in-and-out for snape and co.
