The Best Holiday Movies of the Century, Ranked

In this darkly comic neo-noir from 2005, a Christmas Eve crime goes wrong after an ice storm blocks the roads, preventing a quick getaway for the thieves. John Cusack stars as Charlie Arglist, a shady lawyer who partners with strip club owner Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton) to steal $2 million from his mobster boss. The pair decide to split up and act casually until it's safe to leave town, with Vic hanging onto the cash and Charlie paying a visit to Renata (Connie Nielsen), the manager of one of Vic's clubs. However, Charlie's night descends into chaos when he realizes one of his employer's enforcers is looking for him. 

"It never achieves the bleak poetry and tawdry tragedy of the best examples of the genre, but the understated humor is nicely played by Cusack and Thornton." —Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Nothing says "Christmas" like a sadisitc axe-wielding clown dressed in a santa suit. Writer-director Damien Leone's horror franchise that began in 2018 with Art the Clown's debut in Terrifier and continued in 2022 with Terrifier 2 now puts its own gleefully sadistic spin on the Christmas season with a third film of twisted terrors. This time Art (David Howard Thornton) is joined by his former victim Vicki (Samantha Scaffidi) as they once again prey upon Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and her family (she has moved in with her aunt). Made for just $2 million, the slasher film has already grossed 30 times that amount in its first three weeks in theaters.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas said that it's all right to wrap a few scares up under the Christmas tree. Terrifier 3, the latest in the extreme gore franchise, sets fire to the decorations, cuts off your eyelids, and makes you watch the whole house burn." —Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle

The third Iron Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was released in 2013 and sees the titular superhero aka Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) face off against a mysterious new enemy — and dance to a remixed version of "Jingle Bells." Directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 takes place during the holiday season seven months after the events of The Avengers, which have left Tony suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and unhealthily dependent on his work. After a terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) takes credit for a series of bombings, Tony must confront his personal demons as he works to track the Mandarin down. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. 

"It's undeniably entertaining — and worth seeing for Kingsley alone — with the misfires never fully overshadowing the moments of glory." —Tom Huddleston, Time Out London

Edward Burns directs, writes, and stars in this drama about a working-class Irish-American family living in New York City. Two days before Christmas, eldest son and family peacekeeper Gerry Fitzgerald (Burns) gathers his six adult siblings together to celebrate their mother Rosie's (Anita Gillette) birthday. He also relays an uncomfortable request: Their estranged father Jim (Ed Lauter), who walked out on the family 20 years ago, wishes to spend the fast-approaching holiday with them. The prospect of a reunion sparks complicated and heightened emotions for the family. Meanwhile, Gerry also forms a connection with a caregiver named Nora (Connie Britton). 

"This tale of a dysfunctional family whose members experience enough personal crises to fuel a dozen films is a virtual compendium of clichés, but the star's sheer likeability makes it go down as easily as a cup of eggnog." —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

Thanksgiving-themed movies aren't all that common. Thanksgiving horror movies? Even less frequent. So even a mediocre film could be called the "best" of that microgenre … but Eli Roth's 2023 slasher is much better than mediocre. Originating out of a fake movie trailer contained in the 2007 film Grindhouse (the same route taken by Machete and Hobo With a Shotgun before it), Thanksgiving stars Patrick Dempsey and Addison Rae and finds Plymouth, Massachusetts plagued by a serial killer during the holiday weekend a year after a tragic Black Friday incident.

"Packed with memorable kills, knowing winks, and a playful slasher whodunit plot, Thanksgiving is a horror feast worth sitting through, even if it never exactly pushes beyond the bounds of its central hook." –Matthew Jackson, The A.V. Club

Named after the 1970 Donny Hathaway song of the same name, 2007's This Christmas follows the Whitfield family as they navigate a chaotic holiday season. After four years away from home, eldest child and indebted Quentin Jr. (Idris Elba) reunites with his five siblings at a Christmas Eve dinner hosted by their mother, Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine). The other Whitfield children include housewife Lisa (Regina King), New York executive Kelli (Sharon Leal), U.S. Marine Claude (Columbus Short), college student Melanie (Lauren London), and aspiring singer Michael (Chris Brown), who's nicknamed "Baby." Each family member brings their own baggage to the affair, causing tensions to flare and secrets to be revealed. 

"No matter how silly the situation, each member of the uniformly strong cast creates a nice balance between sentimental and sweet — which is just how every holiday gathering should feel." —Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Anna and the Apocalypse has the distinction of being the only film on this list to feature a zombie dressed as a snowman — not to mention, it's also a musical. Set in the small town of Little Haven, the 2017 Scottish horror comedy follows Anna (Ella Hunt), a teenager with big dreams to travel after graduation before attending university. But when a zombie apocalypse begins on the night of her school's Christmas show, Anna's future looks a lot more complicated. After discovering the horrific outbreak the next morning, Anna and her friends must fight their way to the school, where her father and others have taken refuge. 

"It's one of those rare horror movies to leave you with good holiday cheer." —Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

Based on the 1958 play by Robert Thomas, this 2002 French film from Franí§ois Ozon adds farcical comedy, melodramatic reveals, and musical numbers to a wintry murder mystery. Set during the 1950s, 8 Women revolves around the Christmastime gathering of an eccentric family in their remote countryside mansion. When the family patriarch is discovered murdered, the eight women in the house, including the family's household employees, realize that one of them must be the culprit. Trapped by a storm, they must question each other to uncover the truth, leading to other secrets being revealed. The ensemble cast includes Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Danielle Darrieux, and Emmanuelle Béart. 

"The cast is the main attraction in Francois Ozon's witty, even touching 8 Women." —Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Primarily set in 1980s Chicago, this 2021 nostalgic comedy follows 10-year-old Jake Doyle's (Winslow Fegley) quest to get the latest Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas. Despite his father's dismissal and insistence that video games are bad for you, Jake is undeterred. After learning the system is the prize for selling the most Christmas wreaths in a fundraiser, Jake and his fellow obsessed friends begin competing to take the reward home. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Jake's adult self, who recounts his memories to his young, cell phone-obsessed daughter. Kevin Jakubowski wrote the film's screenplay based on his novel of the same name. 

"When it isn't fawning over roller rinks, Goonies posters, and Casio watches, 8-Bit Christmas (streaming on HBO Max) is a warm and refreshingly earnest holiday comedy." —Calum Marsh, The New York Times

In this family-friendly Christmas comedy from 2003, Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human who was raised by elves after crawling into Santa Claus' sack as a baby. After learning about his true origins, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical childrens' book publisher who is unaware of Buddy's existence and only reluctantly accepts him after a DNA test proves their connection. Though good-natured and well-meaning, the childlike Buddy isn't used to the human way of doing things, leading to plenty of shenanigans as he and Walter slowly build a relationship. 

"A charming, silly family Christmas movie more likely to spread real joy than migraine, indigestion and sugar shock. The movie succeeds because it at once restrains its sticky, gooey good cheer and wildly overdoes it." —Dana Stevens, The New York Times

This 2001 romantic comedy stars Renée Zellweger as the titular character, a 32-year-old British single woman who makes a New Year's resolution to improve herself and begins documenting her efforts in a diary. Complicating things are two men: Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), her charming but questionable boss who she fantasizes about, and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a reserved childhood acquaintance who she keeps running into after a bad encounter. The film adapts Helen Fielding's 1996 novel of the same name, which, in turn, draws inspiration from Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice. Zellweger received an Oscar nomination for her performance. The film's success led to two sequels, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones's Baby. 

"Warm and charming and often witty, it's as good a romantic comedy as has come out for some time, with an endearing, perfectly pitched central performance that's a four-square triumph for Zellweger." —Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

This twist-filled, 2016 dark comedy horror film takes place in a sleepy suburb during the holiday season. Directed by Chris Peckover, Better Watch Out follows Ashley (Olivia DeJonge), a 17-year-old babysitter hoping for a relatively quiet night when she goes to babysit 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller). As they watch a horror movie together, Luke, who has a crush on Ashley, unsuccessfully tries to seduce her. Following a series of strange occurrences, Ashley must fight to protect Luke after a masked and armed intruder breaks into the house. However, this home invasion involves more than meets the eye. 

"What starts out looking like a prank run amuck gradually grows more sinister, with director Chris Peckover (Undocumented) nicely handling the swerves toward dramatic peril and fatal consequences while still maintaining a confectionary "˜family entertainment' veneer of antic doings in a glossy suburban setting." —Dennis Harvey, Variety

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, this 2008 existential dark comedy thriller revolves around the odd-couple relationship of two London-based Irish hitmen: rookie Ray (Colin Farrell) and his mentor Ken (Brendan Gleeson). After their latest hit suffers unintended consequences, their stringent employer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) directs them to lie low in the fairytale-esque, sleepy town of Bruges, Belgium and to await his next instructions. While Ken finds himself charmed by the locale, Ray grows deeply bored, though his vulgar and contempt-filled comments belie his despondency over the botched hit. Their surreal holiday stay takes an intense turn once Harry makes his call. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

"Chock full of wonderful lines delivered by a splendid cast, the film toys with the conventions and mostly transcends the limitations." —James Greenberg, The Hollywood Reporter

It's a Christmas movie just as much as Die Hard is a Christmas movie, which is to say: It's a Christmas movie. The #3 most-viewed Netflix original movie of all time (according to the streamer's own data), action-thriller Carry-On stars Taron Egerton as a TSA agent who is blackmailed into allowing a dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight but then tries to thwart the villain (Jason Bateman) before damage can be done. Critics found Jaume Collet-Serra's thriller to be an entertaining, escapist Die Hard riff—just don't expect anything quite as superlative as the latter film.

"Carry-On works because it keeps it simple, because of its no-fuss-no-muss approach and two actors who can really elevate compelling material. Sometimes that's enough." —Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist

Directed by Clea DuVall, this 2020 romantic comedy-drama follows a couple whose relationship is tested by a hometown visit during the holidays. After spontaneously inviting her girlfriend Abby (Kristen Stewart) to spend Christmas with her family, Harper (Mackenzie Davis) last-minute reveals that she lied about having already come out as a lesbian to her conservative parents and asks Abby if she could pose as her straight roommate instead. Abby, who had hoped to propose to Harper during the festivities, reluctantly agrees. But as Harper deals with the high expectations of her perfectionist family and her father's political campaign, Abby begins to question their relationship. 

"Given DuVall's background as an actor it's unsurprising she draws such engaging work from her cast, with tasty individual characterizations, but more importantly, a group dynamic that's both lively and believable." —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Like many other holiday films, this 2011 animated Christmas Eve tale revolves around a dysfunctional family — only in this case, the family resides in the North Pole. In Arthur Christmas, Santa Claus is a hereditary title that has been passed down for generations. The traditional sleigh and reindeer have been replaced by a high-tech vessel that's run by hundreds of elves, an operation largely managed by the current Santa's militant eldest son Steven (Hugh Laurie), while his clumsy but well-intentioned younger son Arthur (James McAvoy) answers childrens' letters. But when Arthur discovers that one girl's present has gone missing, he decides to track it down and deliver it himself. 

"A tender and upbeat spirit informs the writing and the execution." —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

This Christmas fantasy musical from 2020 tells the story of Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker), a renowned inventor and toymaker who lives during a vibrant and steampunk-infused version of the Victorian era. After his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his fantastical new creation, Jeronicus' life falls into disarray, causing him to grow distant from his daughter Jessica (Anika Noni Rose). Thirty years later, he has completely lost his once joyful drive to create and faces immense debt. But when his passionate and inventive granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) shows up on his doorstep, Jeronicus gets another chance to make things right. 

"Like a gorgeously decorated tree with a few too many presents stuffed under it, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is excessive but never unwelcome." —Alonso Duralde, TheWrap

White Reindeer offers a subversive and strange take on the holiday season. In the 2013 film, successful realtor Suzanne (Anna Margaret Hollyman) adores Christmastime and has a lot to look forward to as she and her husband Jeff (Nathan Williams) prepare for an exciting move. One day though, Suzanne comes home to find Jeff has been brutally murdered. As she struggles with her grief, Suzanne learns that Jeff had an affair with a young stripper (Laura Lemar-Goldsborough) and decides to track the woman down. The pair unexpectedly bond over their mutual loss and begin hanging out, their wild adventures giving Suzanne an outlet.  

"The film executes its bad-taste gags with such delicacy and unexpected emotional truth that they don't even seem like jokes. This is attributable largely to Hollyman's fearless, convincing lead performance, which grounds the movie in a believable reality, no matter how crazy things become." —Nathan Rabin, The Dissolve

Like many of filmmaker Joe Swanberg's other projects, the dialogue in his 2014 holiday film Happy Christmas is entirely improvised. The low-key comedy-drama stars Anna Kendrick as Jenny, an irresponsible and party-loving 20-something who moves in with her older brother Jeff (Swanberg), his wife Kelly (Melanie Lynskey), and their 2-year-old son (played by Swanberg's real-life son) after a bad breakup. Jeff is a filmmaker, while novelist Kelly now stays at home with their toddler and struggles to find the time to write. Jenny's arrival shakes up Kelly's routine, causing her to reflect on her complicated feelings about her life and career. 

"All in all, Happy Christmas is a good deal like cartoon Charlie Brown's classic tree — scraggly, plenty of heart and much to enjoy, especially if you prefer your presents homemade." —Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

This 2003 dark comedy follows two professional thieves who pull off an annual Yuletide heist by getting hired as a department store Santa Claus and elf, using the cover to crack mall safes. Marcus (Tony Cox) is the brains of the duo, while Willie (Billy Bob Thornton), a chronically depressed and sex-addicted alcoholic, has started to slip. This year, the pair set their sights on a mall in Phoenix, Ariz., but it doesn't take long for Willie's vulgar antics to catch the attention of the mall security chief. Willie further threatens their operation when he befriends Thurman (Brett Kelly), a gullible but good-natured kid who is constantly bullied. 

"My kind of Christmas movie — profane, subversive, and swarming with scuzzballs." —Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

Many of this list's movies focus on Christmas, but this 2003 dramedy delves into one family's chaotic Thanksgiving. Katie Holmes stars as April Burns, a quirky young woman who lives in a small tenement apartment in Manhattan with her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke) and is mostly estranged from her emotionally distant family. After learning that her mother Joy (Patricia Clarkson) has a terminal form of breast cancer, April invites her family over for Thanksgiving dinner. While she races to complete the meal, soliciting help from her neighbors, the rest of the Burns family embarks on a road trip into the city. Clarkson received an Oscar Award nomination for her performance. 

"Despite its themes of terminal illness, dysfunctional families, and the need to heal old wounds, the film spends more time provoking laughter than tears." —James Berardinelli, ReelViews

During the first winter of World War I, widespread unofficial ceasefires broke out along the Western Front, which became known as the Christmas truce. Better known by its French-language title Joyeux Noí«l, 2005's Merry Christmas tells a fictionalized version of the event, as told from the perspective of French, Scottish, and German soldiers who emerged from the trenches to exchange holiday greetings. The war drama focuses on three soldiers from each respective country, a Scottish priest, and two famous opera stars who visit the front, a German tenor and his Danish fiancée. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. 

"But except for a few missteps, the movie is so beautifully and sensitively rendered in its particulars, in its characterizations of soldiers and officers, and in its dramatization of a nearly miraculous event, that the result is an affecting piece of cinema." —Melissa Levine, Dallas Observer

This 2010 Finnish fantasy action horror imagines a dark and monstrous version of Santa Claus. In northern Finland, a covert research project is drilling into a mountain that's believed to be the home of Joulupukki, a Finnish folklore figure who's closely associated with modern-day versions of Santa Claus. The project fascinates young local Pietari (Onni Tommila). However, as the drilling team makes progress, children begin disappearing and Pietari's father Rauno (Jorma Tommila) discovers a field of slaughtered reindeer. After Rauno's wolf trap captures a naked and feral old man, the father-son duo uncover the strange and dangerous truth behind the events. 

"It's dark fun, in the spirit of Gremlins." —Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

The third indie feature from indie director Tyler Taormina is a spirited dramedy that spends the night before Christmas with an eccentric Italian-American family as generational tensions rise at what could be their last gathering in their ancestral home. As Christmas Eve wears on, teenager Emily (Matilda Fleming) and her older cousin Michelle (Francesca Scorsese) sneak out of the house to celebrate in a more youthful manner. The film's cast includes Elsie Fisher, Michael Cera, Gregg Turkington, Maria Dizzia, Sawyer Spielberg, and Ben Shenkman.

"Tyler Taormina's delightful stocking-stuffer Christmas Eve in Miller's Point is as alive to the domesticated magic of the season as a classic carol." —Jessica Kiang, Variety

Before Iron Man 3, Black and Downey Jr. collaborated on another Yuletide-set adventure in 2005. Partially based on Brett Halliday's 1941 novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them, the dark comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to film noir tropes. Downey Jr. stars as Harry Lockhart, a petty thief who stumbles into an audition for a detective film while running from cops and gets sent to L.A. for a screen test. Once there, he meets Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer), a private investigator hired to train him for the role. However, after he witnesses a murder with Perry, Harry gets entangled in a twist-filled investigation.  

"Macabre, yes, but the movie's also inventive and funny. You get a lot of smart bang-bang for your buck." —Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The first film directed by Jay Duplass without his brother Mark, this 2025 indie comedy takes place on Christmas Eve in Baltimore. There, a recovering alcoholic and former comedian (Michael Strassner, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Duplass) hopes to spend the holidays with his fiancee (Olivia Luccardi) and make a good impression on his future in-laws. But a chipped tooth sends him in search of an emergency dentist (Liz Larsen), and the two unexpectedly find themselves embarking on an all-night adventure. Critics were mostly charmed by the low-key film, citing the performances as a highlight.

"This funny and charming slice-of-life tale has the spirit of a low-fi '70s romantic comedy, complete with characters who resonate as authentic inhabitants of their particular time and place." —Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

About a Boy adapts the 1998 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby and chronicles the unlikely connection formed between socially awkward schoolboy Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) and playboy Will (Hugh Grant), who lives an easy life thanks to the royalties from his father's successful Christmas song. After Will crashes a group for single parents in hopes of picking up women, he encounters Marcus, who discovers Will's lie about having a son and begins blackmailing him to go out with his chronically depressed mother Fiona (Toni Collette). Will helps Marcus with his confidence, while Marcus helps Will finally grow up. The film was released in 2002 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. 

"Few scenarios are more cliched than the curmudgeonly father-figure who takes in the precocious imp — irritation in the first two acts, love in the third — but Hornby infuses it with warmth and honesty, not to mention his obvious gift for wry observation." —Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club

Tokyo Godfathers focuses on the different meanings of family. Directed by Satoshi Kon and released in 2003, the Japanese anime follows three homeless people who look after each other in modern-day Tokyo: Gin (Tōru Emori), a middle-aged alcoholic man; Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki), a transgender woman; and Miyuki (Aya Okamoto), a teenage runaway. While searching through a dumpster on Christmas Eve, they discover an abandoned baby girl. The trio is determined to find the baby's parents and set off across the city. As a series of strange coincidences seems to propel them forward in their quest, they also find themselves reconsidering their pasts as the New Year beckons. 

"Though he's working with an unavoidably sentimental story, Kon embraces the dark underside of his characters' lives, giving this animated film a satisfyingly three-dimensional feel." —Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Directed by Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai and released in 2004, the chronologically fragmented and visually lush 2046 serves as a loose sequel to his acclaimed film In the Mood for Love. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai reprises his role as Chow Mo-wan, who is now a womanizing science fiction writer, though he still looks back with regret on his unconsummated affair with Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung). On Christmas Eve, Chow spends the night with a woman in a hotel in room 2046 and moves into the adjacent room the next day. The room becomes the inspiration for his futuristic story of lonely souls traveling on a bullet train to a place where they can retrieve their lost memories.  

"An intoxicatingly beautiful, maddeningly elliptical and utterly enthralling meditation on the fleeting pleasures and haunting aftermath of doomed romance." —Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide Magazine

Tinged with melancholy and tenderness, Charles Poekel's 2015 small-scale and understated drama follows Noel (Kentucker Audley), a young man who travels each December from upstate New York to work in a Christmas tree lot in New York City. Only, this year, he's going without his longtime girlfriend. Living in a trailer, the heartbroken Noel struggles to make it through the long and cold night shifts and spirals into despondency. However, his eclectic collection of customers might just be the ones to help keep him afloat, including Lydia (Hannah Gross), a warm but mysterious young woman who needs help one night. 

"The hard-won consolations of seasonal sentiment emerge in the searching performances as well as in the impressionistic handheld images." — Richard Brody, The New Yorker

This 2010 Romanian drama from director Radu Muntean takes place in the days leading up to Christmas and explores the emotional fallout of a married man's affair. Middle-aged banker Paul (Mimi Branescu) lives in Bucharest with his wife of 10 years Adriana (Mirela Oprisor) and their young daughter Mara (Sasa Paul-Szel). Since the summer, Paul has been secretly seeing Mara's orthodontist Raluca (Maria Popistasu) and decides to finally come clean to Adriana about the relationship. A brokenhearted and furious Adriana orders him to move out but with a stipulation: He won't say anything to Mara and will instead maintain a facade that everything's fine until after Christmas. 

"Again, Muntean and his script collaborators offer exceptionally naturalistic dialogue." —Jay Weissberg, Variety

Modeled after the films of the early 1970s (especially the work of Hal Ashby) in technical aspects, substance, and style, Alexander Payne's 2023 dramedy is a return to form for the filmmaker that reunites him with his Sideways star Paul Giamatti. Set in 1970, The Holdovers follows three somewhat broken people—a curmudgeonly professor (Giamatti), a teenage student (terrific newcomer Dominic Sessa), and the school's head cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph)—who reluctantly come together as a makeshift family as the only people left at a New England boarding school over the holiday break. As the sources of their issues are gradually revealed over a series of modest adventures, the three begin to bond—and it becomes impossible not to root for each of them. If anything, the film might be even more highly regarded than that Metascore suggests.

"The Holdovers is a wonderful revelation from an excellent director who proves he's still able to take us by surprise." –Ross Bonaime, Collider

Set against a Christmas backdrop, this brutal 2007 crime thriller from David Cronenberg delves into the criminal underworld of London and the complicated ties of a Russian crime family. After a teenage girl dies in childbirth, midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) begins searching for the girl's family in hopes of finding the baby a home. A Russian-language diary points her to the criminal organization led by the notorious Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). On her quest, Anna also encounters Semyon's driver, Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen), who finds his loyalties tested as Anna gets closer to uncovering answers. For his performance, Mortensen received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. 

"The actors and the characters merge and form a reality above and apart from the story, and the result is a film that takes us beyond crime and London and the Russian mafia and into the mystifying realms of human nature." —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Directed by Arnaud Desplechin, this 2008 French comedy-drama revolves around the Vuillards, a highly dysfunctional family with a thorny history and strained relationships. The three adult children include Henri (Mathieu Amalric), a cynical alcoholic; Elizabeth (Anne Consigny), a successful playwright who cut off Henri after paying his debts six years ago; and Ivan (Melvil Poupaud), whose wife was once loved by both Henri and their close cousin. The siblings mostly resent their rigid mother Junon (Catherine Deneuve). However, after learning Junon has leukemia and requires a bone marrow transplant, the family uneasily meets under the same roof for the first time in years. 

"Density of detail and intensity of experience are the twin distinctions of A Christmas Tale, a long, improbably funny and very beautiful film." —Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Filmed entirely on iPhones, director Sean Baker's 2015 dramedy depicts one chaotic Christmas Eve in sunny Los Angeles, exploring the found family bond shared between two best friends, who are both transgender sex workers. After finishing a 28-day jail sentence, Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) learns that her boyfriend and pimp Chester (James Ransone) cheated on her during her absence. Enraged, she sets out with her best friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor) to find him and his new lover, a journey that takes them throughout the city. Alexandra must also prepare for her musical performance at a bar later that night. 

"This is a gorgeous, timely and possibly profound human comedy, and if there's no disentangling the medium from the message that's because both are powerful and ambiguous." —Andrew O'Hehir, Salon

For her warm-hearted take on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1868 coming-of-age novel in 2019, Greta Gerwig focuses especially on themes related to happiness, artistic independence, and gender expectations. Set in 1860s New England, the film tells the stories of the four March sisters: sweet-natured Meg (Emma Watson), rebellious writer Jo (Saoirse Ronan), timid Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and artistic Amy (Florence Pugh). Told via a nonlinear timeline, the film cuts back and forth between the sisters' adult struggles and their memories of their childhoods, including multiple vignettes set during the holidays. Little Women received six Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture, and won for Best Costume Design. 

"This is such a beguiling, generous film from Gerwig. There is a lot of love in it." —Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Directed by Damien Chazelle and released in 2016, the vibrant and romantic La La Land pays homage to classic musicals as it chronicles the bittersweet love story of two artists pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles. As aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) fall in love, they must also figure out how their creative ambitions fit into their rapidly changing lives. The musical features a memorable Christmas Eve encounter and divides itself thematically into five chapters based on the four seasons, concluding with an additional winter chapter. La La Land won six Oscars out of a total 14 nominations, which included a nomination for Best Picture. 

"A new kind of knowing, self-aware genre that rewards the audience with all the indulgences they crave...while commenting on them from the sidelines." —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Based on the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, this romantic period drama revolves around two women who begin a forbidden love affair that takes them on a journey of self-discovery. Released in 2015 but set in 1950s New York City during the Christmas season, the Todd Haynes-directed film follows Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), an aspiring photographer and department store clerk, and Carol (Cate Blanchett), a glamorous woman dealing with a difficult divorce. As the two form an intimate bond, Carol's husband threatens to expose her sexuality in order to win full custody of their daughter. Carol received six Oscar Award nominations, including acting nods for Blanchett and Mara. 

"You leave the film's soft-grained world reluctantly, as if taking off a warm coat when it's still a little chilly inside." —Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times