Grab the eggnog and cookies and settle in for a long winter’s binge.
OutSFL entertainment critic Gregg Shapiro and reporter and entertainment critic John Hayden are sharing their favorite holiday movies. From the cliché to the controversial, our resident movie nerds weigh in on their favorite holiday flicks.
You can catch the series on our Instagram and OutSFL Live on YouTube.
12. The Family Stone (2005)
“The Family Stone” is a personal and sentimental favorite of mine for many reasons. Gay writer and director Thomas Bezucha’s (Bazooka’s) first movie, 2000’s “Big Eden,” is one of my all-time favorite movies. In “The Family Stone,” Diane Keaton plays the mom of a gay son. The gay son, played by Tyrone Giordano, and his partner, played by Brian White, are in the process of adopting a child. SJP, a longtime friend of the queer community, gives an admirable and unexpected performance. Dermot Mulroney played gay in1989’s “Longtime Companion.” Claire Danes had a gay best friend, played by gay actor Wilson Cruz, in “My So-Called Life.” And last, but not least, Luke Wilson’s basket in the grey sweatpants. Despite its low rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I think it’s a finely executed Christmas comedy/tearjerker.
-GS
11. Hebrew Hammer (2003)
This quirky and brash film finally gives our Jewish friends a holiday hero, the Hebrew Hammer (Adam Goldberg). He patrols the neighborhood, making sure the local kids stay true to their faith. At Hanukkah, he faces off with Santa’s evil son (Andy Dick).
The film ruthlessly tackles holiday traditions and contradictions in a hilarious-yet-loving way. I laugh as hard today as I did the first time I watched 21 years ago.
Best quote: “Shabbat Shalom, muthafuckers!”
-JH
10. Make The Yuletide Gay (2009)
Gay writer/director Rob Johnson’s queer Christmas movie, wears its humor on its down jacket sleeve, beginning with the pun of the title. Sixteen years after its release, it holds up well, and that’s not just because of the performances by cute lead actors Keith Jordan and Adamo Ruggiero. The Wisconsin accents, especially those of main character Olaf Gunnunderson’s parents, Anya and Sven, are accurate and priceless.
The transformation of next-door neighbor Abby from prim and proper to old-fashioned fag hag is well-played. And Alison Arngrim, of “Little House on the Prairie” fame, playing Abby’s loose mother Heather, is a nice twist.
Olaf’s pre-Trump commentary about America’s inherently meaningless political environment, combined with the advent of reality TV, give the movie a frightening prescience and timeliness. There’s also a complicated love story, and a coming out story that adds serious elements to the occasionally corny comedic aspects. Don’tcha know!
-GS
9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
The lasting endurance of this movie is because it is incredibly relatable. Anyone who’s ever hosted or stayed with family over the holidays has experienced in-laws, crazy aunts, and unattainable expectations.
Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to make everyone happy (ergo the aforementioned “unattainable expectations”). Of course, this makes no one happy. Everything that can go wrong, does. It takes a kidnapping to bring the family together. Also: shout out to Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the “too cool for school” neighbor. You see the sprouts of future iconic characters Elaine and Selena Meyers.
Best quote: “If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.”
-JH
8. Scrooged (1988)
I think it’s perfect to be following a Chevy Chase Christmas movie with a Bill Murray Christmas movie.
To be perfectly honest, “Scrooged” does not hold up as well as I had hoped. It pales in comparison to Murray’s exceptional collaborations with director Wes Anderson, as well as his Oscar-nominated performance in Sofia Coppola’s “Lost In Translation.”
Here’s why I still recommend it:
You get to see Carol Kane, as the Ghost of Christmas Present, kick Bill Murray’s ass.
David Johansen, of cross-dressing glam band New York Dolls, plays the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Underrated out gay actor John Glover plays the thorn in Bill Murray’s side.
And Annie Lennox and Al Green perform a duet of the Jackie DeShannon song “Put A Little Love In Your Heart.”
-GS
7. Die Hard (1988)
Sides must be chosen, and I say “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie. Aside from the traditional holiday tropes of travel, family reconciliation, and redemption, it also has German terrorists, exploding helicopters, and LA’s version of “snow skiing.”
'Tis the season.
While not traditional holiday fare (it was released in July), it’s set at Christmas and gives you all the feels at the beginning and end, with lots of action packed in between. Also, my mother gets mad when I try to make the family watch every December.
Best quote: “Yippee-Ki Yay, motherfucker!”
-JH
6. It’s A Wonderful Knife (2023)
“It’s A Wonderful Knife” is a horror/slasher reimagining of perennial winter holiday favorite “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It features Justin Long, who has established himself as a cisgender male version of a Scream Queen in movies such as “Jeepers Creepers,” “Drag Me To Hell,” “Tusk,” and “Barbarian.”
Protagonist Winnie, played by non-binary actor Jane Widdop, and classmate Bernie, played by non-binary actor Jess McLeod, team up with Winnie’s lesbian aunt Gale, played by Katharine Isabelle, to try and stop the Angel Falls serial killer known as The Angel. “It’s A Wonderful Knife” is a welcome addition to the growing genre of Christmas-themed horror movies.
-GS
5. Elf (2003)
This is unquestionably Will Ferrell’s greatest character ever. Buddy the Elf’s sweet and sincere naiveté contrasts perfectly with the cynics of the real world (James Caan, Peter Dinklage). The film’s North Pole is exactly as I imagined it would look like when I was a child.
The film is unabashedly sappy, sentimental, and tugs on every heart string. I am 100% here for it. I still sing along at the end as Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) tries to power Santa’s sleigh with Christmas spirit.
Best quote: “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.”
-JH
4. Happiest Season (2020)
Directed and co-written by lesbian actor/director Clea DuVall, “Happiest Season,” like “Single All The Way,” which we’ll talk about shortly, benefits from having someone queer behind the camera.
I think it also helps that the cast includes a majority of queer-identified actors including Kristen Stewart, Daniel Levy, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, and Alison Brie, as well as an ally such as Mary Steenburgen.
It’s slightly formulaic – a closeted lesbian brings her girlfriend home to her conservative family for Christmas, forcing them to hide their relationship. But it somehow manages to succeed, due to the combination of the writing and acting.
-GS
3. Home Alone (1990)
Kevin McCallister’s (Macaulay Culkin) Christmas wish comes true when his family forgets to take him on Christmas vacation, and he has the house to himself. He turns out to be resourceful and a better home protector than an ADT alarm system.
Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) haplessly try to burgle the McCallister house and make for some of the best physical comedic acting in a holiday film ever. I need to take two Advil just watching them be concussed in one scene after another.
The movie also touches me on a different level. When we were kids, we wanted to be left home alone and in charge. When we grow up, we wish we had the family back, no matter how dysfunctional.
Best quote: “Kevin!!!”
-JH
2. Single All The Way (2021)
Gay theater and film director Michael Mayer’s “Single All The Way” narrowly avoids the Hallmark Christmas movie trap by being on Netflix, and having a decent screenplay by gay writer Chad Hodge, and a top-notch cast, including out actors such as hotter than hot Luke Macfarlane and Michael Urie. “Rocky Horror Picture Show” alum Barry Bostwick plays the cool and accepting dad, longtime ally and gifted comedic actor Kathy Najimy plays the equally cool accepting mom, and the brilliant Jennifer Coolidge plays wacky Aunt Sally who, according to her, is loved by the gays, as opposed to being killed by them. It’s also worth noting that “Single All The Way” is the second of two 2021 movies featuring both Urie and Coolidge.
-GS
For our final selections, we each chose our Christmas Eve “must watch” movie.
Shapiro: Carol (2015)
I think it’s fascinating that both of our “must watch” holiday movies are set in the middle of the previous century.
Mine is “Carol,” directed by gay filmmaker Todd Haynes, based on the novel “The Price of Salt,” by the late, queer writer Patricia Highsmith. The titular Carol, a woman on the brink of divorce, is played to perfection by Cate Blanchett. Rooney Mara is Therese Belivet, the ribbon clerk who barely even knows what to order for lunch. But somehow the unlikely pair, who meet days before Christmas at Frankenberg’s Department Store, where Therese works in the toy department, and Carol is looking for a toy for her daughter, and for herself, for that matter. It’s a case of wrap and send, in pretty paper with a bow on top. That is, until the men in their lives, do what they can to keep them apart. The heat and the chill of the season combine for an unforgettable holiday experience.
Hayden: A Christmas Story (1983)
This movie was barely noticed when it was released, but gained a cult following and now plays on a loop on Christmas. It did not have, or produce, any stars and was bereft of any special effects. This is a Christmas story without any distractions.
The setting, northwest Indiana in 1940, is important. The Great Depression was ending, and it was the last Christmas before America would be dragged into World War II. The middle class finally had the money for an “opulent” Christmas only to have it ripped away a year later.
Adult Ralphie tells the story of his Christmas quest for a Red Ryder BB gun. The nostalgia of the toys, schoolyard bullies, snow, frequently flat tires (Oh fuuuuuuge!!!!!), and bizarre gifts from distant delusional relatives still resonate. There are too many touchstone moments to list here.
Best quote: “You’ll shoot your eye out!”
