Before we break up for Christmas and the real festivities begin, discussions were sparked at the Penguin PR HQ about our favourite films to watch this time of year.
Sarah feels that Love Actually has the perfect balance of Christmas and cringe, Kirsty favours Elf for providing her household with belly laughs, and Lucy admits she has probably watched Nativity! at least ten times.
Simon is oddly fond of The Wizard of Oz despite it not being in any way festive, and Molly remembers How the Grinch stole Christmas frightening her as a child. As for Sarah-Louise, she just fancies young Jude Law in The Holiday…
It’s easy to criticise Love Actually, which came out in 2003, because by today’s standards there are elements which are problematic, writes Sarah Newton.
Yes, you could suggest the placard scene is a bit creepy and stalker-ish. Yes, there is a story arc where Natalie/Martine McCutcheon is repeatedly fat-shamed. And yes, maybe Jamie/Colin Firth shouldn’t have proposed to someone he hadn’t had a conversation with. But I don’t care what anyone says, because to me, it is actually quite perfect.
It has a stellar cast, a perfect soundtrack (Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now and God Only Knows by The Beach Boys – both beautiful), Colin Firth jumping into a lake (again), Andrew Lincoln (forever Egg from This Life in my mind) declaring his unrequited love in spectacular fashion and the obligatory airport chase that no romance would be complete without.
If you are looking for a festive film that brings joy, laughter and a reminder that love is all around us then this ticks all the boxes. Of course, just as in real life, there are several characters who aren’t experiencing the most joyful holiday – not least Karen/Emma Thompson who discovers her grumpy husband Harry/Alan Rickman is cheating – but even this scene is so beautifully acted that you can’t really fault it.
Like Christmas itself, Love Actually is a bit messy, occasionally cringy and more than a little naff. But it’s a reminder that love – and some of the film’s most powerful stories are about platonic love – might be imperfect and laughable and a little bit sickly but it’s what makes the world go round.
And if you don’t agree, well, you’re probably a bit of a Harry.
Christmas brings out the child in all of us they say, so it is totally acceptable to be a childish adult right now. I’m putting that disclaimer up front because it explains my favourite Christmas movie, writes Kirsty Green.
As a child, I was probably more mature than I am now. I didn’t really do Christmas movies in any big way. I remember an old news editor on the first paper I worked for being totally flummoxed by the fact I didn’t have a favourite festive film. His was alwaysIt’s A Wonderful Life – I’d never seen it.
But, since having kids, I now readily devour animated dreamworlds of Santa and can well up at the slightest bit of sentimental mush. I am at my happiest though when hearing my kids’ genuine, hearty belly laughs and giggling away myself. That’s why I can now tell people my favourite Christmas movie is Elf. Despite being released in 2003, I had never watched it until about five years ago.
Featuring Will Ferrell as Buddy the elf, an eccentric human raised by Santa’s elves, it tells the story of his quest to New York to try to find his biological dad.
For me it has everything you want in a Christmas movie – childlike innocence, a sugar rush of ridiculousness, giggles, and the tried and tested festive moral lesson of putting family and loved ones above material possessions and career success. So, forget Elf on the Shelf, settle down with a mince pie and enjoy the original, outlandish Elf.
It’s true, there is nothing Christmassy about The Wizard of Oz, other than, as a family holiday film, it was always on TV at some time during the Christmas holidays back in the day, writes Simon Burch.
And it was this that made it a must-watch festive tradition, made complete with a tin of Quality Streets to tuck into, or to hide behind when the flying monkeys came on screen.
Apart from that, it offers slim pickings for anyone who’s looking for an obvious Christmas experience, since there is no Santa, no presents and no danger that someone or someone is going to ruin Christmas Day.
And thank goodness for that. Because most Christmas films are schmaltzy drivel and it’s the kind of film you can’t imagine Hollywood making any more, with no identity politics and no data-driven algorithms shaping the narratives and characters.
Instead, you’ve got angry talking trees, a Wicked Witch, some songs and a flying house that lands on an old woman, killing her, in a land somewhere over the rainbow.
It’s far from perfect, and it’s not very festive, but not everything at Christmas has to be festive, it just has to bring families together for a couple of hours at the same time, year after year.
Childhood was quite some time ago for me and I can’t remember if we used to watch a film at Christmas time, writes Lucy Stephens.
I have a vague recollection that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang used to be on but I’m fairly certain I used to have to be in bed before the end. Anyway, it’s hardly a Christmas film.
So watching a film at Christmas time has been a tradition I’ve come to enjoy now that I have family of my own.
Clearly, the dramatic tension of many Christmas films is the narrative regarding Santa having to get around the world to deliver all the presents. Will he? Won’t he? We all know he jolly well will.
Personally, I prefer a Christmas film that doesn’t involve the Big Man in the Red Suit – fond of him though I am.
Nativity! – the first one, with Martin Freeman (one of my favourite actors anyway) is about as perfect a Christmas film as I can think of. I’ve probably watched it at least ten times now with my family, and I’ve enjoyed it just as much each time.
Plot-wise, the clue’s in the title. And everything about it – in my opinion – is nigh on perfect. There’s lots of pathos – largely in Martin Freeman’s portrayal of a lovelorn teacher whose broken heart fills every scene he’s in. Never have I watched a film where I’ve wanted the boy to get the girl this badly.
What else? There are school-children performing their time-honoured role: messing up – or doing quite well at – the Christmas Nativity. There’s a struggling school versus a posh, entitled one. There’s lots of chaos, plus great songs.
Does it all come together? You’ll have to watch it and see. I’ll happily join you.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the 2000 version, not the 2018 cartoon) will always be my favourite festive film, although it has played with my emotions over the years, writes Molly Young.
Each year my mum would pull out the box of Christmas DVDs and the Grinch was for sure the most played film in our household during December.
I remember being absolutely terrified of the Grinch when I was a child, pulling a sofa cushion over my eyes during the spooky scenes – especially his creepy smile. (If I’m honest, that does still creep me out!)
As the oldest sibling, I then got to watch my two younger sisters relive those moments – and we would all be afraid of the Grinch together. My dad would tease us three girls, prancing around the house quoting: “Hate hate hate, hate hate hate, double hate, LOATHE entirely!” (IYKYK)
Now that I’m an adult, I still love watching the film with my family. Aside from the childhood nostalgia, the moving story is a perfect reminder of what Christmas is all about.
Although, it did freak me out to find out that Jim Carrey required ‘torture training’ in order to endure the Grinch costume. He once described the process as “being buried alive every day,” as it took eight and a half hours in total to get into costume!
The reportedly harrowing process does make me view the movie slightly differently, remembering that Carrey could barely breathe or see properly while filming doesn’t quite sit well. But I soon get lost in the plot all over again and it’s back to being my all-time favourite Christmas film.
Merry Christmas from all of us at Penguin PR, enjoy the break and have fun watching your favourite festive films.
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