By John C.

The last two years I have spent the 10 days leading up to Christmas profiling different holiday-themed films.  Instead of doing a formal countdown this year, I will instead spend the next few articles looking back on the many films that usually find themselves near my DVD player this time of year.  The subject of this week’s article is comedies.  Christmas comedies have come in all shapes and sizes, many good and countless otherwise.  Be it after a hard day of shopping or partying, comedies are always good choices when it comes to decking the halls.

Released in 1983, and memorably starring Peter Billengsley, the 1940’s-set story of a boy hoping to find a Red Rider air rifle under the tree remains not only a perennial classic, but also one of the smartest and funniest movies centred around childhood.  From the leg lamp to Chinese turkey, A Christmas Story is filled with many memorable moments and always worth revisiting.

With a sharp script by John Hughes, 1989’s tale of a Griswold Christmas gone wrong is one of the flat-out funniest movies centred around the holidays.  From the exploding turkey to the tirade of words against his boss, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation has implanted itself into seasonal pop culture.  It’s a good showcase of Chevy Chase’s perfectly timed slapstick, but it is Randy Quaid who steals every scene he’s in as the hilariously inept Cousin Eddie.  A year later, Hughes also wrote the screenplay for the Christmas-themed family classic Home Alone.

The 1994 Disney film The Santa Clause had an original and clever premise that actually made for a charming and entertaining film.  Tim Allen starred as a man who accidentally knocks Santa off his roof and gets caught up in a clause that forces him to take over everything that the job entails.  The original is worth a watch if it comes on TV, but skip the inferior sequels.

Will Ferrell starred as a human raised by elves in the first feature from Jon Favreau as a director.  Before Elf opened in 2003, no one expected just how charming and funny it would be.  Now it lives on as a modern classic, with anticipated repeat viewings every year.  A lot of this is due to Ferrell’s wonderful performance, but credit also has to be given to the equally good supporting cast.  Right through to the end credits duet between Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone, I always look forward to rewatching this one.

With an all-star cast of great British actors, Love Actually was billed as “the ultimate romantic comedy” at it’s time of release in 2003.  It’s also one of the most genuine.  It’s rare to find a moment that doesn’t work in this ensemble piece of connecting characters preparing for Christmas in England.  Amidst the laughs, there are also just as many tender and touching scenes.  The film undeniably leaves us feeling good, and the message that “love actually is all around” still resonates just as deeply.

Starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, and based on a novel by John Grisham, Christmas with the Kranks was unfairly panned by critics when it originally opened in 2004.  I’m not trying to make a case for this one as a modern classic, but it is an easy to enjoy comedy that’s got its heart in the right place.

If I haven’t mentioned one of your holiday favourites, please leave a comment below – or look for the title in an upcoming article.  Come back next week when we’ll be discussing the many classic TV specials that dominate the air waves this time of year.