It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and what is the most wonderful way to commemorate the most wonderful time of the year? Some people might say by giving gifts, others might say by having the biggest holiday parties imaginable, and others might say that the best way to celebrate is just with an amazing meal, surrounded by loved ones. But we’re personally very big fans of the holiday movie.
There are dozens of holiday movies to choose from for anyone who is looking for some seasonal entertainment, and there are new holiday films coming out every year to widen the ever-growing library of Yule-tide flicks. But in this catalog of Christmas and other holiday classics, which ones deserve a remake, and which ones should be left as they are?
Does: Bad Santa
Bad Santa is actually a relatively new holiday movie, at least in relation to some of the really tried and true classics, so it might come as a surprise to some people that we think it’s already worthy of a remake. However, the concept of Bad Santa is one that just works so well in our contemporary societal climate.
Most people probably don’t want to feel even crappier about the situation of the world, especially during the holidays, but a new Bad Santa would give everyone who decidedly does not feel the holiday spirit something to entertain them.
Doesn’t: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Why would anyone ever want to mess with perfection? Honestly, no one would really be opposed to seeing Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts characters get up to more hijinks during the holidays, however, the original A Charlie Brown Christmas is an absolute icon that doesn’t need to be redone or adjusted in any way.
What makes so many Christmas movies so wonderful is that they’re little traditions that can be passed down through generations, just like your aunt’s favorite ornaments or grandma’s special pumpkin pie recipe, and A Charlie Brown Christmas definitely fits that bill.
Does: Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
Obviously, when most people think of holiday movies, they think of Christmas movies. And it’s understandable because Christmas really does have a monopoly on the holiday movie market. But Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is indisputably one of the best holiday movies ever made, and it happens to be one of the only Thanksgiving movies out there.
Steve Martin and John Candy bring this somewhat bittersweet, somewhat heartwarming comedy to brilliant life, and honestly, the foundation concept of the movie is one that can work well with almost any character and almost any holiday. And if the Thanksgiving holiday remake isn’t appealing, they can always switch it to a Christmas adventure.
Doesn’t: A Christmas Story
Surely someone out there could remake A Christmas Story if they wanted to, and undoubtedly there are a lot of studios that could do a brilliant job with it. But no one should do anything just because they can do it.
A Christmas Story is a hilariously generic title for this universally appreciated Christmas movie gem, and it is such a quintessential representation of the American Christmas experience that it literally plays for 24 hours straight on Christmas day. But that’s another obvious reason to avoid a remake, because who’s going to pay to see a remake of a film that nearly everyone watches at least once a year anyway?
Does: Elf
No one could have really expected it until Elf actually came out, but it turns out that Will Ferrell’s particular brand of comedy is pretty much a perfect match with saccharine Christmas movies.
Buddy the elf was an instant legend as soon as Elf was released in theaters, and the movie really has held up over time. But it would truly be amazing to see a reboot or even a sequel, that lets the audience know exactly what Buddy has been up to since he’s been in the real human world for more than a decade by now.
Doesn’t: While You Were Sleeping
When the magic of Christmas is combined with the magic of movies, it’s like a nuclear bomb of magic that hypnotizes people and allows them to believe in even more absurd and corny things than they normally would. And While You Were Sleeping is a great example of that.
This adorable tale of a woman who lies about being engaged to a man in a coma and winds up falling in love with his brother (and pretty much his entire family) over Christmas is absolutely precious, but to be honest, Sandra Bullock carries the movie on her irresistible back, and not a lot of actresses could be endearing enough to pull this off.
Does: The Santa Clause
Much like Bad Santa, The Santa Clause is a movie that worked really well in its era, but conceptually it seems even more culturally relevant now than it did when it was first released.
The capitalist grind is something that kills us all slowly, and being forced to get into the Christmas spirit by literal legal contract is a hilarious premise that leads to an inevitably sweet and heartwarming conclusion. And this concept works well for a variety of different characters and circumstances, so it would be cool to see a remake that takes advantage of that.
Doesn’t: Die Hard
Oh, Die Hard. Kind of the original Christmas movie for people who don’t like Christmas movies (or at least who want to pretend they’re way too cool to like Christmas movies).
Honestly, given how over-saturated the holiday movie market seems to be with overly sappy cheese-fests, it’s a shame that more filmmakers don’t step out of that comfort zone and just go for something more off the wall like Die Hard. By now the tales of John McClane are long and varied, so it would just feel wrong to go back to the beginning and try to start all over again.
Does: A Christmas Carol
Okay, so putting this at the top of the list of holiday movies that deserve a remake is probably a pretty controversial choice because there is literally no Christmas story on earth that has been adapted for the big and small screen more times than A Christmas Carol has. But that’s for a reason!
A Christmas Carol is the ultimate Christmas classic that never gets old nor loses its luster, and seeing all of it’s new and different interpretations really doesn’t get old either. A Christmas Carol is probably the second most famous Christmas story (only coming in behind the literal birth of Christ), and people never get tired of seeing it.
Doesn’t: Home Alone
Unlike some other movies on this list, Home Alone isn’t a movie that shouldn’t be remade because it’s just too precious and perfect to be touched again. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if it was remade, however it seems safe to say that any remake would not hold up to the original.
Macaulay Culkin’s iconic performance really can’t be beaten, and what makes Home Alone such a masterpiece of nostalgia is that it feels like it was a perfect movie for its own time. But with that said, it’s not a movie that would translate that well to a contemporary story.
