One of the greatest joys of Christmas is cuddling up on the couch with someone you love and letting the time slip by while enjoying a Christmas themed movie. There are many so many classics it is not always easy to choose which one to watch, there is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Home Alone and even Die Hard for those looking to stretch the boundaries of what classifies a Christmas movie. Going over the list of what makes up “the best” Christmas movies there are in fact many that we feel do not belong. This is our list of the most overrated Christmas movies that you could skip this holiday and still be okay.
Jingle All the Way
In 1996 the one thing everyone wanted for Christmas was to see the world’s biggest action hero play the role of…clueless father. Oh, did I get that wrong? Jingle All the Way had all ingredients to make a hit movie, hit stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rita Wilson, Sinbad and Phil Hartman, producer Chris Columbus and director Brian Levant (well, maybe not Levant so much) unfortunately even with all of this behind it, what we end up with is a loud Christmas movie that is trying way too hard to become a classic. The entire film is about how a workaholic father (Schwarzenegger) is doing his best to win over the love of his son with the most sought-after toy of the holiday season, Turbo-Man. Unfortunately, he is in a fight to the finish to find the last toy against a mailman (Sinbad) and the two come to blows in some of the strangest ways. Even though many have come to think of this as a Christmas classic, I feel it is mostly due to a nostalgic love for the film.
The Polar Express
Considered by some to be the end all be all Christmas movie, The Polar Express is one of the most overrated Christmas movies of all time. At the time of the film’s release (2004) not many movies had the CGI approach that Robert Zemeckis was shooting for. The film, based off of a children’s book from the 80s with the same name, ends up having some very strange and soulless scenes that makes it difficult for the viewers to relate to. Even with Tom Hanks playing multiple roles (in a creepy way to be honest) this movie could not be saved. The fact that so many people flock to this film every December is perhaps the strangest part. We understand that the film took some amazing leaps for its time and there are some pretty heart felt scenes however, this does not mean it deserves to be on the “best of” list for Christmas movies.
The Santa Clause 3
The Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen are on all accounts, good movies, well the first two are at least. The first film in the series was clever and had some really great writing, not to mention Tim Allen’s acting was spot on for the role. One would think then if you add the legendary actor Martin Short the film has to be a success. Unfortunately, what we end up with is a grab bag of overdone jokes and poorly executed comedy. Martin Shorts character Jack Frost is supposed to be this criminal mastermind however it is not only unconvincing but over written and the slapstick style clashes with the rest of the film. The fact that this film is said to be a great Christmas movie is solely because it is part of the Santa Clause trilogy. Some films should stick with what works and not try adding too many components to what is already working.
Christmas with the Kranks
It may seem like we are just picking on Tim Allen at this point but that’s not the case, we love Tim Allen, it’s just that sometimes even actors we love take roles in rough movies. Christmas with the Kranks should have been one of the best Christmas movies ever made with the stars like Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Cheech Marin and M. Emmet Walsh steering the ship, not to mention Chris Columbus being the screen writer! However, what we end up with is a stale movie trying its hardest to be a cult classic and falling way short. This is a movie that I really want to like, I actually feel for Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis in their roles as a couple who just wants to skip the Christmas traditions and have a sunny vacation against the wishes of their friends and neighbors who want to hold onto the neighborhood traditions.
Fred Claus
The premise of Fred Claus is as ridiculous as casting Paul Giamatti as the jolly fat man himself. Vince Vaughn stars as the older brother of Santa himself who has made a few bad bets and needs to come up with some major cash to get his life back on track. When he calls to ask his brother, you know Santa, for a loan, Santa says he will give him the money if he comes and helps out at the North Pole. The movie has a decent cast with even Ludacris making a weird appearance, but not even Elizabeth Banks could keep the movie afloat. One of the hardest things to get past in this movie is Paul Giamatti playing Santa, or the fact that Santa has the kind of cash where he can loan out 50k to his older brother. The writing is extremally forgettable and some of the acting seems phoned in. This movie should be a big pass on your holiday watch list, no matter how much you love Vince Vaughn and Christmas.
Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble
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