“It’s Christmas Eve! It’s… it’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we… we… we smile a little easier, we… w-w-we… we… we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be!” Frank Cross (Bill Murray) in Scrooged
Why you shouldn’t miss Christmas: http://movieclips.com/PCaT4-scrooged-movie-marketing-with-terror/
I have a blast watching the more comical views of Christmas in America presented in great comedies. Now I like the more sentimental films like White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life and classics such the various renditions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol but my favorites are the comedies. Part of the reason for this is that I see myself in so many of them. I can’t say that these are in any particular order and some are only listed because they are set during Christmas versus actually being “Christmas” films but even so they make my list favorites. So sit back, click on a link or two and enjoy Padre Steve’s favorite Christmas films.
I think that my absolute favorite is Scrooged starring Bill Murray as a bitter and cynical television network President in a humorous take on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol http://movieclips.com/ZTcn-scrooged-movie-a-christmas-miracle/ Bill Murray plays the part with aplomb and Judy says that I would like to be him and in some ways I can see that.
Not to be forgotten is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase who is the everyman of Christmas film and the Griswold’s the scarily typical American family at Christmas. How can anyone forget some of the trouble that he gets himself into in trying to do the right thing for his family? I think one of the great scenes in the film is Clark’s attempt to light the Christmas decorations that festoon his house. http://www.spike.com/video/national-lampoons/2483049
I think a lot of us have loved A Christmas Story and the adventures of young Ralphie as he battles bullies and tries desperately to get his Red Rider BB Gun. One of the classic scenes is the Santa Claus visit which is the nightmare of every kid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtwVgOmPNPE If you don’t have the film, buy a leg lamp and watch it during the 24 hour Christmas Story Marathon on TBS beginning Christmas Eve.
Home Alone is a holiday riot as Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) gets left behind when his family takes a European vacation. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern star as bungling burglars who expect that Culkin’s house is unoccupied. One of the funniest scenes is where the young Kevin McAllister scares them to death with a gangster movie. http://www.hulu.com/watch/12863/home-alone-filthy-animalhttp://www.hulu.com/watch/12863/home-alone-filthy-animal It was followed by several sequels only one of which Home Alone 2 is worth the time to watch.
While it is not expressly a Christmas movie 1983’s Trading Places starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy sees a up and coming commodities broker (Aykroyd) and a con man (Murphy) http://movieclips.com/VMFc2-trading-places-movie-i-can-see/ being used by Akroyd’s employers played by Don Amiche and Ralph Bellamy who bet against each other over the issue of heredity versus environment and which matters more to success. Aykroyd who ends up losing everything sets out to bring Murphy down dressin up as Santa Claus and sneaking into the firm’s Christmas party. http://movieclips.com/BXzgL-trading-places-movie-very-bad-santa/
Speaking of “Bad Santa’s” Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa is pretty good. Thornton plays a Santa that robs the department store where he works but learns something about the meaning of Christmas from a young boy that invites “Santa” and his Elf into his home at Christmas.
Rounding out my picks are The Ref where Dennis Leary plays a unwitting robber who gets stuck with a horrible family that he is forced to take hostage and then try to solve their problems before he gets caught by the police and Jim Carey’s version of the Grinch.
As a bonus while not a movie there is Merry Christmas Mr. Bean which was part of the BBC series Mr. Bean staring Rowan Atkinson. Probably my favorite short Christmas show ever made. The three links here provide the episode in its entirety.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWtbJ1Uf-90
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JmBaCgcgMY&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JmBaCgcgMY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShF6wrqvB08&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShF6wrqvB08&feature=related
So enjoy my friends,
Peace
Padre Steve+
The Inglorius Padre Steve's World 
If you like Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, you’ll love him as Edmund Blackadder. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol uses the past iterations of the show (four series/seasons) for the visions of past, present and future. The fun part is that Blackadder is actually good at the beginning of the show, and turns evil when he sees his other selves profiting from their scoundrel ways. It helps if you know the characters, but it’s good enough to stand on its’ own.
Enjoy, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
John
Thanks for the tip on Black Adder. I have that DVD and plan on watching it this afternoon, thanks