Something that annoys concerning numerous contemporary seasonal films is their overly self-consciousness – the over-the-top decorations, the checklist soundtrack tunes, and the clichéd conversations about the real spirit of the festive period. Maybe because the style was not hardened into formula, pictures from the 1940s often explore Yuletide from far more inventive and not as obsessive perspectives.
The Fifth Avenue Happening
An cherished discovery from delving into 1940s Christmas comedies is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic farce with a brilliant hook: a happy-go-lucky hobo takes up residence in a unoccupied luxurious mansion each year. That season, he brings in strangers to stay with him, among them a ex-soldier and a teenager who turns out to be the heiress of the home's wealthy owner. Filmmaker Roy Del Ruth gives the movie with a found-family heart that many modern holiday films struggle to achieve. The film expertly walks the line between a thoughtful commentary on affordable living and a charming metropolitan fantasy.
Godfathers in Tokyo
Satoshi Kon's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers is a entertaining, heartbreaking, and thoughtful interpretation on the festive narrative. Inspired by a western film, it follows a triumvirate of displaced souls – an drinker, a trans character, and a teenage runaway – who discover an left-behind infant on the night before Christmas. Their mission to reunite the infant's parents unleashes a chain of misadventures involving crime lords, immigrants, and apparently serendipitous connections. The movie embraces the wonder of coincidence typically found in seasonal flicks, presenting it with a cool-toned animation that avoids cloying feeling.
Meet John Doe
While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly receives a lot of praise, his earlier picture Meet John Doe is a powerful holiday tale in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a down-on-his-luck "forgotten man" and Barbara Stanwyck as a plucky writer, the movie kicks off with a fictional note from a man promising to leap from a building on the holiday in frustration. The nation's response forces the reporter to recruit a man to impersonate the fictional "John Doe," who subsequently becomes a popular icon for community. The narrative functions as both an uplifting fable and a brutal critique of powerful publishers seeking to manipulate grassroots sentiment for their own gain.
A Silent Partner
Whereas seasonal horror films are now commonplace, the holiday crime caper remains a strangely niche style. This makes the 1978 gem The Silent Partner a novel delight. Starring a delightfully vile Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a unassuming bank clerk, the film pits two kinds of morally ambiguous individuals against each other in a well-crafted and twisty tale. Largely unseen upon its first release, it deserves new attention for those who like their holiday films with a chilling edge.
Almost Christmas
For those who prefer their Christmas reunions dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a blast. Boasting a star-studded ensemble that has Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the movie explores the dynamics of a family gathered to spend five days under one house during the festive period. Private issues come to the forefront, resulting in situations of extreme humor, including a showdown where a weapon is brandished. Of course, the story arrives at a heartwarming resolution, providing all the enjoyment of a holiday mess without any of the actual consequences.
Go
The director's 1999 movie Go is a holiday-set caper that is a teen-oriented take on interconnected stories. While some of its comedy may feel of its time upon a modern viewing, the film still offers plenty aspects to savor. These include a engaging turn from Sarah Polley to a standout appearance by Timothy Olyphant as a laid-back pusher who appropriately wears a Santa hat. It represents a specific style of fin-de-siècle cinematic energy set against a holiday backdrop.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Preston Sturges's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects typical holiday sentimentality in favor for irreverent fun. The film centers on Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who finds herself pregnant after a hazy night but cannot remember the soldier responsible. A lot of the humor arises from her predicament and the attempts of Eddie Bracken's hapless Norval Jones to rescue her. While not explicitly a holiday movie at the outset, the narrative culminates on the holiday, revealing that Sturges has crafted a satirical take of the birth narrative, packed with his characteristic witty humor.
The Film Better Off Dead
This 1985 youth film featuring John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a prime artifact of its era. Cusack's
