Seven Holiday Movies for People Who Have Seen Home Alone
A holiday watchlist with a puppet Dickens, a bear in prison, a snowy suburb and one honest sad one. Seven picks that are not the usual suspects.
You know the big ones. They will be on TV anyway. This is a list for the evening after the guests leave, or the one before they arrive, when you want something warm that does not taste like cough syrup. We'll flag the sad one so nobody is ambushed.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Dickens, but the cast is felt and fur. It is the rare family film where the jokes are for the adults and the sincerity is for everyone. The songs do real work here. If you only try one thing on this list, try this.
Klaus (2019)
An origin story for Santa, drawn in a style that looks like a painted storybook with proper lighting. Funny early, and then it quietly gets you. Good for a mixed crowd: kids follow the gags, adults follow the feelings.
Paddington 2 (2017)
Not a Christmas film on paper. In practice it is the kindest two hours we can offer, and the bear ends up in prison for part of it, which is as warm as it sounds. If your group is arguing, this is the peace treaty.
Knives Out (2019)
A big house, a family that lies politely, a mystery that is actually fun. No tinsel, but it has the exact feeling of a holiday gathering where everyone is smiling and nobody is telling the truth. Fine to watch with the person who "doesn't like mysteries".
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
A pastel suburb, a lonely man with scissors for hands, and a winter scene you will remember. A fairy tale that sits quietly after the credits. One caution: it is sadder than the poster suggests.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Stop-motion about a fox who cannot live quietly. Think of an itchy sweater you refuse to take off. Cheerful, crisp, a little crooked on purpose. Works as a warm-up before something heavier.
Mary and Max (2009)
The honest sad one. Clay-animated pen pals from opposite ends of the planet, gentle and bitter in turns. This is a film for the week after the holidays, when the house is quiet. One real flaw: it pushes on the tender spots a bit too hard.
If we had to pick a single movie, we'd go with the Muppets. If your group is choosing between a funny night and a quiet one, put Paddington first and Mary and Max last.
A running order, if you want to stretch it into a whole evening: Fantastic Mr. Fox while people are still eating, Knives Out once everyone is on the sofa, Edward Scissorhands when the room gets sleepy. Keep Mary and Max for a different day. We won't promise you will love all seven. We will promise that at least one of them will not feel like background noise while you scroll your phone.
And if you can't agree on what to watch, pick it together by swiping in Filmder.