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Originally published by Paul Hsiao. Last updated by Lily Valette.
Cuddle up with a warm mug of hot chocolate this Christmas Eve (and Christmas Day and Boxing Day) with our selection of the best classic and new-school Christmas films to watch on Netflix.
A lot has already been said about Love Actually. An instant success (turned timeless classic) when it first hit the big screen 20 years ago, this romantic Christmas movie has it all: a stellar cast featuring the likes of Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, and more; interlinked love stories; laughs and tears (Emma Thompson’s crying scene lives rent-free in our all of our hearts); a catchy soundtrack; and so many iconic scenes, we would need a separate listicle to talk about them all. Since Love Actually is set during Christmas, this would be the perfect time to rewatch it.
As The Light Goes Out is a firefighting disaster movie made in Hong Kong and probably an unusual pick for a Christmas film, but hear us out. In this 2014 production, the Hong Kong Pillar Point division prepares for a quiet Christmas Eve shift, but when a small fire starts, threatening to spread to the natural gas pipeline nearby and plunge Hong Kong in complete darkness, the team is put to the test. Firefighters Sam, Chiu, and Fai have to overcome past differences to save themselves, the city, and Christmas.
The 2011 animated film Arthur Christmas about Santa’s gauche son is a wholesome adventure fit for the whole family. The plot follows Arthur and his North Pole friends as they attempt to deliver a forgotten present. Thanks to an unconventional Santa story, characters voiced by the great James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, and Bill Nighy, and overall smart and quick humour, this Christmas film has become a classic in many households.
The Academy Award-nominated animated film is actually one of Netflix’s first movies to put the streaming platform on the awards circuit. Klaus features a star-studded cast, with the likes of Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson himself!) and Rashida Jones. Telling an unconventional origin story for Santa Claus, Klaus draws on Nordic mythology and cutting-edge animation to weave an enchanting tale for all ages.
Short and witty, A Very Murray Christmas is an easy-to-watch comedy and musical. With an array of mostly American stars (George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Amy Poehler, and more) joining Bill Murray, this Netflix Original holiday special is a good watch after a hearty meal.
Not everyone enjoys classic and cheesy Christmas flicks. Although not a holiday movie per se, the victim in 7 Women and a Murder does get murdered on Christmas. Here’s the story: After the wealthy patriarch Marcelle is stabbed in his own bed, the seven women in his life get tangled up in the whodunnit aftermath, Knives Out-style. Intrigued yet?
Sadly, Ron Howard and Jim Carrey’s celebrated rendering of How the Grinch Stole Christmas has left Netflix, but the 2018 animated version is still on the streaming platform! Benedict Cumberbatch voices the eponymous green Grinch who learns about the true meaning of Christmas in the town of Whoville; with his distinctive voice, this jolly film is a good way to get your annual fix of Christmas’s biggest “bah humbug” character.
There are so many middling live-action Christmas movies on Netflix that have been made by Netflix that it has become its own sub-genre. Sifting through the nearly 50 holiday-themed Netflix original offerings, the cream of the crop for me is Let it Snow, starring Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Anna Akana, and an unrecognisable Joan Cusack (yes, the sister of John).
Somewhat of a spiritual follow-up to To All the Boys I Loved Before, Let it Snow is also based on a young adult novel capturing the romantic complications of various high schoolers in a small town. While it is no Citizen Kane (or Mank, for that matter), it is still an earnest Apple commercial-esque depiction of innocent holiday drama—a panacea to the whirlwind of the year that was 2020.
Paul, the founder of Movieconomist, likes to watch movies and make graphs. He also writes a monthly column on Localiiz about new Netflix releases and is a lead community director for Finimize. His writing has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, Asia Investor, and the Hong Kong Economic Journal. He also spends a great deal of time playing squash.
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