While the festive season is dominated by perennial favourites, a treasure trove of lesser-known Christmas films offers a refreshing alternative. Guardian writers have shared their picks for the most underrated holiday movies, spanning decades and genres, from a 1940s class-conscious comedy to a gritty 1970s bank heist thriller.
Vintage Charm and Social Commentary
The search for authentic holiday spirit often leads back to the 1940s, before the genre became formulaic. A standout is the 1947 film 'It Happened on Fifth Avenue', a semi-romantic farce with a brilliant premise. A cheerful vagrant, Aloysius T. McKeever (Victor Moore), annually occupies a vacant Fifth Avenue mansion. He soon invites a veteran, his friends, and a runaway—who is secretly the mansion owner's daughter—to join him. The owner himself is later forced to masquerade as a vagrant to stay. Director Roy Del Ruth weaves a found-family warmth with surprising ease, blending class-conscious social commentary with romantic fantasy.
Frank Capra's legacy extends beyond 'It's a Wonderful Life'. His 1941 film 'Meet John Doe' stars Gary Cooper as the titular 'forgotten man', a figure fabricated by a fired reporter (Barbara Stanwyck). The fictional Doe's protest letter captivates the public, but his subsequent fame is exploited by a wealthy publisher for political gain. It's a heady, ultimately uplifting tale that delivers a sharp critique of the ultra-rich which remains strikingly relevant.
Preston Sturges offered a bawdier take with 'The Miracle of Morgan's Creek' (1944). This wartime comedy follows Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who finds herself pregnant after a drunken night but can't recall the father. Eddie Bracken's Norval Jones eagerly steps in. The film's clever reframing of the nativity story, culminating at Christmas, showcases Sturges's signature satirical joy.
Darker Festive Twists and Modern Tales
For those preferring chills to cheer, the 1978 thriller 'The Silent Partner' is a standout. It features a wonderfully vile Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa whose bank robbery plan is thwarted by an opportunistic teller, played by Elliott Gould. Written by a young Curtis Hanson, this stylish and nasty yarn pits two amoral oddballs against each other in a tense and unpredictable Christmas caper.
Animation offers a poignant perspective with Satoshi Kon's 'Tokyo Godfathers' (2003). On Christmas Eve, three homeless people—an alcoholic, a transgender woman, and a runaway teen—find an abandoned baby in Tokyo and embark on a quest to find her parents. This tragicomedy is a dark, rollicking exploration of coincidence and festive miracles, filled with heart and social observation.
The 1999 film 'Go' presents a Pulp Fiction-esque, interconnected Christmastime caper. While some humour feels dated, the film remains a time capsule of late-90s edge, featuring a cool Sarah Polley and a captivating, shirtless Timothy Olyphant as a drug dealer sporting a Santa hat.
Overlooked Comedies and Poignant Indies
From the 1980s, 'Better Off Dead' (1985) is an obscure teen comedy starring John Cusack. After being dumped, his character Lane Myers attempts increasingly elaborate suicides and schemes to win his girlfriend back by skiing down a dangerous slope. The film is packed with surreal humour and memorable dialogue, capturing a specific, non-sentimental 80s holiday vibe.
The ensemble comedy 'Almost Christmas' (2016) delivers a messy, hilarious family reunion. Danny Glover plays a widower hoping for a peaceful holiday with his squabbling adult children, including Mo'Nique and JB Smoove. The film escalates to chaotic heights, including a shotgun-wielding wife at Christmas dinner, but ultimately finds heart in the familial chaos.
For a quieter, indie alternative, 'Christmas, Again' (2014) follows a melancholy Christmas tree salesman in Brooklyn nursing a broken heart. Shot on textured 16mm, Charles Poekel's film is a low-key, atmospheric slice of life that finds subtle warmth and connection amidst the commercial holiday grind.
Other notable picks include the 1929 western 'Hell's Heroes', an early adaptation of the 'Three Godfathers' story, and the 1971 ensemble drama 'Some of My Best Friends Are...', a time capsule set in a gay bar on Christmas Eve featuring a standout performance by Candy Darling. Each film offers a unique departure from the usual festive fare, proving the Christmas movie genre is richer and more diverse than the mainstream slate often suggests.
