What makes a true Christmas movie?

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🗓️ 25 December 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

What makes a movie a Christmas movie?

When the movie Die Hard was released on Blu Ray a few years back, the studio called it "the greatest Christmas story ever told!"

It does take place at an office Christmas party, but is that fact enough to make it a Christmas movie?

What about "Elf," "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Eyes Wide Shut" are those Christmas movies? Yes, right? NPR producer Marc Rivers says, "not so fast."

Just what makes any Christmas movie a true Christmas movie?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The 1988 movie Die Hard deserves a lot of accolades.
0:04.2	It's a genre-defining classic.
0:05.9	It cemented Bruce Willis' superstar status.
0:09.0	But the studio opted for a more controversial tagline in the trailer for the 4K Blu-ray release.
0:15.2	The greatest Christmas story ever told.
0:18.5	Die Hard does take place at a Christmas party.
0:21.2	Now I have a machine.
0:25.3	Ho, ho, ho.
0:28.5	Is that fact enough to make it a Christmas movie, though?
0:31.4	This, of course, has become a perennial pop culture question.
0:35.0	Is DiHard a Christmas film?
0:36.5	No, it's rubbish.
0:37.4	I didn't feel Christmassy when I saw it. Yes, Di Dye Hard a Christmas film? No, it's rubbish. I didn't feel Christmasy when I saw it.
0:39.3	Yes, Dyerd is a Christmas film.
0:41.3	This is something that has popped up not only online, but on news programs.
0:45.3	Is Dye Hard really a Christmas movie?
0:47.3	Last year, CNN's Jake Tapper brought in an expert to have the debate.
0:51.3	And joining me now is Jeremy Arnold.
0:52.3	He is the author of Turner Classic Movies Christmas in the movies.
0:57.6	Jeremy, thank you.
0:58.1	Even big-name actors have gotten in on this discourse, like Edward Norton on the Rich Eisen Show.
1:02.2	Do you consider Die Hard a Christmas movie?
	...

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