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Ali Plumb's Top 5 Best Christmas Films (At The Time Of Writing)

This article was first published on 1 December 2020.

Photo credit: New Line Cinema

I'm about to reveal my five favourite Christmas films, with a couple of honourable mentions tacked on the end. This will cause problems.

We're all very passionate about our own personal, cherished, beloved Christmassy favourites - even if from a rational point of view they aren't actually much cop - so I launch into my cheeky top five with butterflies in my stomach and a frog in my throat. I should probably see a doctor.

Here's the thing about Christmas films: They don't have to be good films to be loved - they just have to make you feel Christmassy, remind you of good times gone by, take you back to your childhood, make you smile, maybe make you cry, comfortably pass a couple of hours with your nearest and dearest without anything too controversial appearing on the sitting room telly.

So I'm going to stop farting about and crack on with it. But not before I make one last point: what I currently consider my top five Christmas films this year may not be my top five next year as I am a firm believer that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" when it comes to movies like It's A Wonderful Life, which I watched over and over and over but now... just can't. Sorry George, I still adore you, but we won't be seeing each other this Christmas. How it goes, sometimes - say hello to Jimmy the raven for me.

Still wondering what else to watch?

Radio 1's film critic Ali Plumb has put together his top 21st century films and there is something for everyone's mood.

5. Love Actually (2003)

Photo credit: StudioCanal / Universal Pictures

There's a decent amount in Love Actually that's a bit "not okay" with your 2021 glasses on - and some stretches where you really don't want to be in the room with your family, such as Martin Freeman and Joanna Page's simulated sex scenes (so, so awkward) - but if you can set your mind to 2003-o-vision there's much to adore here. I personally can't quite get over Emma Thompson's heartbreaking realisation scene (tears every time) or the fact that our cute little Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) is now THIRTY-ONE YEARS OLD. I'll let that settle for a moment. THIRTY. ONE. YEARS OLD. Ahem.

Then there's Andrew Lincoln's card-based declaration of love, Bill Nighy's genuinely-a-bit-brilliant 'Christmas Is All Around' song, Hugh Grant's jaw-dropping dance moves and just tonnes of other adorable moments. And remember: "Eight is a lot of legs, David." Something to think about, there.

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4. Elf (2003)

Photo credit: New Line Cinema

2003 was a good year for 21st century Christmas movies as it turned out, with both Love Actually and Elf jingling their bells up and down UK cinemas close to two decades ago. Elf has a slightly different tone to Love Actually mind, with a never-better Will Ferrell on hyper-cute adorable manchild mode, stuffing his face with sweets and spaghetti, gumming up the VCR and pointing out that toilets in New York are much bigger than they are back in the North Pole.

Then there are the bits you might forget, like that strange stop-motion snowman early doors and a few knowing adult moments that sit a little uneasily when you're watching along with the little ones. What I like most about Elf is the manic energy and subversive tone, playing with the idea of that 'American-style' over the top Christmas obsessiveness whilst still letting the undiluted childlike glee of it all somehow remain loveable and sweet.

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3. Die Hard (1988)

Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

I know "'Tis the season!" for an argument but let's not fight tonight - Die Hard is a Christmas film. We watch it every Christmas, it's set at Christmas time, it features plenty of Christmassy references, there's Christmas music, it starts with Bruce Willis coming off a plane and carrying a big bear as a Christmas present... Christmas Christmas Christmas! I mean, Alan Rickman's delicious reading of "Now I have a machine gun ho-ho-ho", well, it doesn't get any more festive than that. Long story short: it's one of the best action films of all time - if not the best - so if it being December is your excuse to watch it again, I say fill your winter boots.

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2. Home Alone (1990)

Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

We all remember the "pranks" and the "traps" from Home Alone: the iron dropping on Daniel Stern's head, the hot doorknob frying Joe Pesci's hand before he crashes down a flight of icy stairs, the spider, the air rifle, the silhouetted party, the zip line, the whole one-child-army end-of-Skyfall kit and kaboodle. But let's not forget the big beating heart hidden under all this inspired anarchy, notably the "scary" neighbour next door, the church scene, Kevin's mum Kate (Catherine O'Hara, by the way, aka Rose from Schitt's Creek) racing back with John Candy to see her son... there's a whole lot of love in this movie, and it hits the spot for me every single time.

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1. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures

I know a big reason why I adore this movie so much is because I just flat-out love The Muppets in their beautifully Muppetational way, and also because I've watched this movie at such important, wonderful, happy times in my life it's somehow managed to fuse itself with my soul. It is so sweet, so lovely, so charming, I'm genuinely a bit giddy at the prospect of watching it again this year. The songs are all beauties - even the one they cut out in some versions - and the character design is a real joy, particularly the Ghost Of Christmas Present (okay Ghost Of Christmas Past looks like a badly poached egg, fine, but in a good way). Great jokes and witty nods, Michael Caine being a curmudgeonly grouch (and even having a decent bash at singing), plus the immortal "Light the lamp not the rat!" scene, and, and, and... Truly, it's such a gem, and one for the whole family and all those Christmassy tinselly trimmings.

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Looking for something different this Christmas?

If you haven't already, why not try Klaus, Arthur Christmas, the 2018 Grinch, Jingle Jangle or The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special? Or... just press play on The Muppets, you can't go wrong with that, now can you?

Your Ultimate Christmas Films