Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie? What about 'Home Alone'? Here are our thoughts
Two of my favorite movies are "Step Brothers" and "Goodfellas."
If I could, I’d watch them every day. Both movies have Christmas elements in them.
One of the best scenes in "Step Brothers" is when the brothers sleepwalk on Christmas Eve and take all of their presents and the Christmas tree to their parents' home.
And then there’s the classic scene on Christmas Eve when the father heads to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate with strangers rather than his family. We’ve all been there. It’s something everyone would love to do at Christmas.
But "Step Brothers" is not a Christmas movie.
Neither is "Goodfellas."
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Sure, there are Christmas elements to the movie.
Apparently, the fallout from the Lufthansa heist was over the holidays because the movie plays “Frosty the Snowman,” “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and “Bells of St. Mary’s” during those scenes.
And don’t forget Henry Hill bought “the most expensive tree” they had.
But they’re not Christmas movies.
This brings us to the great debate: Are "Die Hard" and "Home Alone" Christmas movies?
They are not.
Just because a movie takes place over the holidays doesn’t make it a Christmas movie.
If "Die Hard" happened on April 17, would the plot change? It would have less Christmas stuff in it, but no, it wouldn’t.
Is 'Home Alone' a Christmas movie?
"Home Alone" fits into the same category.
Are you telling me if the family went away in mid-February, it wouldn’t have been just as chaotic? I’d argue "Home Alone 2" is more of a Christmas movie because of the iconic “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal” line. Plus, who goes to Europe for Christmas unless you have family there? That's gotta confuse Santa.
"Home Alone" isn’t a Christmas movie; it’s a movie about bad parents.
Christmas specials are about far more than what time of year it is. It has to be about Christmas magic. I don’t think terrorists and irresponsible parents qualify.
They also have to teach valuable lessons. The only lesson I get from "Home Alone": If you’re going to rob houses, try not to do something that will tie you to every crime in the area. Even the finest of lawyers would struggle to get the “Wet Bandits” off with no jail time.
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“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Bad Santa,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and even the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas” have everything you need for a Christmas special. Christmas specials are supposed to teach you it’s not about the presents, it’s about the love and Christmas miracles.
It’s not about broken glass and tarantulas.
But having said all that, if “Die Hard” and “Home Alone” are Christmas specials in your mind, then they’re Christmas specials.
Christmas specials aren’t really about the specials themselves. They’re about watching joyous movies with loved ones and feeling the Christmas magic that comes along with them. If those movies give you that, watch it. Heck, if the “Exorcist” gives you that, watch it, (although you might want to talk to a therapist).
Nobody should set your standards.
Christmas is about bringing joy, and if a movie brings you joy over the holidays, then it’s a Christmas movie for you.
But don’t push your standards on me. I’ll gladly watch "Die Hard" and "Home Alone" over the summer.
In my world, they’re not Christmas movies!
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie. Neither is Home Alone.
