Christmas is a time of giving and receiving but can, for most of us, be a somewhat of a traumatic period, especially if you happen to be spending the holidays with an extended family who may or may not bicker from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.
One way of getting through the festive period is to enjoy a good movie or two, and what better way to do so than with a Christmas movie or two?
Of course, you’ll no doubt be busy wrapping and unwrapping presents and eating far too much and losing game after game of Monopoly to Uncle Harold, who you are pretty sure is cheating, but you’ll have plenty of spare time on your hands and if the weather outside is just too damned cold, why not get the family to snuggle up in front of a good Christmas film cracker?
Here are five of the best British Christmas movies.
Last Christmas
Emilia Clarke, her of Game of Thrones frame, is in quite a different role this time around as she plays Kate, an assistant at a Christmas-themed store. It’s clear Kate is in something of a downward spiral and is struggling to keep her life together as it starts to unravel. She then meets Tom, who sweeps her off her feet and helps to get her life together, and various mishaps and Christmas-related actions take place, and it’s all very warm and fuzzy.
This one has quite an unexpected finale, which we won’t spoil, but we would note that the entire narrative revolves around the lyrics of the festive Wham classic that the movie is named after. An added bonus is the excellent soundtrack that is exclusively made up of George Michael material.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
It’s hard to believe that the first of the movies in this franchise, based on Helen Fielding’s wildly popular books, was released 20 years ago. The movie has aged well, and the themes it covers are universal and seemingly timely. Renee Zellweger puts in a masterclass performance as the titular character and also manages to ace the English accent.
Colin Firth puts in his usual stiff-upper-lip middle-aged British toff act while Hugh Grant does his best to steal the show as the bad guy, and all in all, it’s a rip-roaring farce and spawned successful sequels. This first in the series revolves around Christmas and will go down particularly well with women of a certain age.
The Snowman
This animated Christmas treat is a staple among British families and has been ever since it first aired in 1982. The animation, though clearly created decades ago, still works beautifully, and the snow falling could be out of a stock video, it’s that convincing, and the music that accompanies the telling of Raymond Briggs’ classic tale is searing, and by the time it’s over there won’t be a dry eye in the house.
It’s great for the kids and also reminds adults of when they first marveled in the animated film all those years ago. A sure-fire hit any Christmas.
The Holiday
This one’s a little different from the standard rom-com in so much as it takes place in two different locations over the Christmas period. In this Nancy Meyers-directed movie, she gave us the massive hit What Women Want in 2000, we see hapless singles in various meet-cutes, and the cast is very strong indeed.
We have Oscar-winning Kate Winslet being pursued by Jack Black while Kate’s brother, Jude Law, is being chased by Cameron Diaz. The premise is a little light and revolves around Winslet and Diaz swapping homes of the Christmas period, leading to role-reversal style antics, and all in all, it’s a very warm affair and one that is very much suited to the season.
Love Actually
Well, clearly, this film was going to feature on the list, and it’s something of a guilty pleasure for most of us. Sure, the plot is contrived, and some aspects are a little close to the bone (Andrew Lincoln’s stalker in particular), but it’s still a good fun movie for all the family and one that is continuously aired around the holidays.
If you haven’t seen the film, and that seems highly unlikely, it basically throws together a slew of characters (played by the tour de force of British cinema) as the run-up to Christmas takes place.
We have Colin Firth, yes he’s playing the emotionless, middle-aged man again, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant (as the hip new Prime Minister), Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson (prior to his sequence of films where he plays the hard man), Bill Nighy (a rocker who’s vying for a Christmas number one hit song), and a host of others intertwining in a way that isn’t particularly realistic, but it kind of just works. Look out for a supreme cameo from Rowan Atkinson as a hapless sales assistant.
These are just a selection of the movies you might want to enjoy this Christmas. Each of these films will give you a respite from the frenzy that is a family Christmas and will leave you with a contented glow as the cold night air breezes through your streets and the falling snow blankets your neighborhood.
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