‘Tis the season for binge eating, binge streaming… and not a whole lot else. With the COVID-19 pandemic putting our typical festivities on hold for the year, it’s time to put the soft pants on and indulge in films that hit the spot regardless of the state of the world. Here, 7 films that will make everything better.
Happiest Season (2020)
In one of the first major motion pictures to centre around an LGBTQ+ Christmas narrative, Happiest Season stars Mackenzie Davis as the still-in-the-closet Harper, who has brought her partner (Kristen Stewart) home for the holidays. Canadian comedy king, Dan Levy.
Available on Cineplex
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Better known as the final nail in the coffin of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s marriage and the longest film schedule in Hollywood history, this steamy Kubrick flick (his last) also happens to give great Christmas holiday decor inside a mysterious castle, at an upper crust holiday party and on the streets of a fictional New York City.
Available on Amazon Prime Video
The Holiday (2006)
This Nancy Meyers favourite stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as women with equally idyllic homes and similarly disintegrating love stories who swap places for the holidays. In a small town outside London and in Los Angeles, they discover themselves through some glorious romance and comedy with the help of Jude Law, Jack Black and Eli Wallach.
Available on Netflix
Tangerine (2015)
It’s Christmas Eve in Hollywood and Sin-Dee-Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), a transgender sex worker has just discovered that her boyfriend and pimp has been unfaithful to her while she served time in jail. What ensues is a wild, frenetic and often-hilarious chase through after-hours L.A. all incredibly filmed on iPhone.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Miss Piggy is a salve for all your ailments, and she stars in this glorious rendition of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol alongside Kermit, Gonzo and Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s timeless!
Available on Disney+
Love Actually (2003)
The fact that audiences once debated this film’s realism factor seems neither here nor there–Love Actually has stood the test with its quilt of romantic star-studded tableaus that take place in the weeks leading up to Christmas in London. Hugh Grant is a Prime Minister looking for love, Emma Thompson is discovering her husband’s trespasses, Liam Neeson is recently widowed, Keira Knightley is being secretly crushed on… it all ends with happiness, hugs, and you reaching for the tissues.
Available on Crave
Home Alone (1990)
It doesn’t feel like Christmas until you’ve seen Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) expertly booby trap his conveniently holiday themed mansion, while outwitting two con men (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) who threaten to case the place.
Available on Disney+