Die Hard, the action flick of action flicks starring the manliest man in Hollywood, Bruce Willis, is somehow labeled aChristmasmovie. It takes place on Christmas Eve, so the classification is warranted. Keep in mind that other factors need to be acknowledged.
For one, fans who considerDie Hardholiday-related fail to acknowledge that its central focus is an everyday NYPD Detective stopping a heist. The Christmas aspect is, at most, a backdrop for the action. No one is paying attention to the time of year when John McClane (Bruce Willis) is in a heated debate with Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), nor are they asking about Christmas gifts as McClane shuffles through ventilation vents. It's simply not relevant to the movie's plot.
In any case, everyone is entitled to their opinion and has a valid argument for why or why not a particular moviecan be a Christmas movie. These, however, are the most divisive films that still create debates today, one's worth diving into.
Batman Returns (1992)
There's a good case to argue forBatman Returns. Since most of the movie takes place around the holiday, it has that going for it, but it's still a superhero movie.Batman Returnsis about Bruce Wayne, his shadowy counterpart, and a steamy affair with Catwoman. Those are the movie's focal points. Of course, fans attest to specifically watching theCaped Crusaderaround the holidays since so much of the film's action takes place around Christmas. It's become a tradition for some, attesting to the viability ofBatman Returnsas a holiday movie.
Friday After Next
TheFridaymovies starring Ice Cube somehow culminated with a chapter about the Winter holiday. The first two installments zeroed in on random Fridays in the year where all kinds of shenanigans happened, whileFriday After Nextsimultaneously falls on the end of the work week and Christmas Eve.
It's hard to argue the contrary with this movie since Craig (Ice Cube) and Dede (Mike Epps) get robbed on the jolliest day of the year. Their issue of making rent is determined by their getting their friends to pitch in at a Christmas party. The pool is among two dozen people, so the pair aren't asking for much. Craig and Dede making money on the holiday is more than enough evidence thatFriday After Nextis a Christmas movie, nonetheless.
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3is another hard-to-argue movie. While it fits the same category asBatman Returns, there's a lot more to the flick than the setting and bright decorations. The thirdIron Manmovie is more about character development for Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). He's cemented himself as a hero for the world, except at that point, he's gone one step too far. Stark has linked his mind to an armor that anticipates danger based on his impulses, which proves problematic. He eventually learns he doesn't need an armor linked to his every thought to be safe. Once Stark becomes enlightened, survival is no longer his only priority. He can move on from only superhero life and go back to being Tony.
The progression from worry-wart to fully developed superhero is why it's hard to concentrate on the Christmas aspect whenIron Man 3is more about the hero than its setting. Although, you can't argue with how often the holiday comes up. Stark does, after all, dispose of his excess armors as a Christmas gift to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Batman Returnsis streaming on MAX with a paid subscription.Friday After Nextstreams free on Tubi.Iron Man 3streams exclusively on Disney Plus.
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