10 Non-Christmas Films You Can TOTALLY Get Away With Watching This Festive Season
Find out how to convince others to watch these "Christmassy" films instead.
It's Christmas. The air is filled with magic and wonder, houses illuminate the dark streets with their bright Christmas lights and you're having another argument with your family about how Die Hard is in fact a Christmas movie. Although you are 100% correct, and don't you dare back down for a second, it's hard to argue with others who have been brainwashed into thinking that all Christmas movies have to have some form of musical number, cartoonish villain and a special appearance from Santa.
So, take a step back from the Die Hard argument for a second and start up 10 whole new arguments with this list, containing strong alternatives to the traditional Christmas movies. Obviously, I'm not saying just whack on any old film, glue a Santa hat to your TV and take a big old swig of eggnog whenever it aligns perfectly with whoever is on screen. Instead, this list will take you through the films that aren't even considered as traditional Christmas movies despite a large part of their narratives being around Christmas time.
Not only that, but if you do feel brave enough to take on your family and friends and offer one of these films as a suggestion this Christmas, you will also be provided with a list of counterpoints to back up any resistance you may face. It is the season of giving after all, and I am feeling generous.
10. The World Is Not Enough
Released in 1999, Pierce Brosnan's third outing as Bond (and his third best Bond film) involves a villain who feels no pain, oil pipelines and a nuclear submarine. After an oil tycoon is murdered, Bond has to protect his daughter and hunt down a terrorist before an international power struggle ends in a nuclear war. Although it's not the best Bond film by a long stretch, it's one of the most fun with an unforgettable boat chase, countless gadgets and the last appearance of Q played by Desmond Llewelyn.
How to convince others: First and foremost, the Bond girl (played by Denise Richards) is called Jones. Dr. Jones. Dr. Christmas Jones. Bond, of course, doesn't back down from using her name as a pun as often as possible with classics such as a post-coital "I thought Christmas only comes once a year" and "I've always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey."
Also, the film does reach its climax (heh) on Christmas day, there's plenty of snow when Elektra King and Bond are chased by skiing assassins and there is also a fat man in a suit called Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane).