13 Awesome Films You Forgot Were Christmas Movies

6. Batman Returns

Batman Returns
Warner Bros. Pictures

Tim Burton's dark Batman sequel is so visually lavish that it's easy for the Christmas setting to get lost in the shuffle, what with giant rubber duckies, a penguin army, and Michelle Pfeiffer filling out a PVC catsuit like only she knows how.

Christmas is sorta-pivotal to a majorly important scene in the movie, as Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) and Selena Kyle (Pfeiffer) discover each other's identities by re-calling a turn of phrase each used while in their disguises. Selena says, "You know, mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it", to which Bruce replies, "But a kiss can be even deadlier... if you mean it."

Though the story itself has little to do with Christmas, the movie is aesthetically governed by the holiday: snowfall is everywhere, as are lights and Christmas trees. That the movie also ends on a surprisingly sombre note as Alfred (Michael Gough) and Bruce exchange their best Christmas wishes is the icing on the cake (while also explaining the movie's tepid box office).

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.