Christmas often rhymes with family celebrations, but also a lot of romance and – why not? – a nice feast of sweets and surprises. Between one lavish meal and the next, every occasion is the right one to enjoy a well-deserved rest on the sofa with popcorn and perhaps in front of the fireplace or, alternatively, in the dining room immersed in the silver screen magic.
This year’s brand new films have (almost) all in common a very high sugar contenta massive dose of good feelings and excellent intentions and a concentration of heartbeats to send an entire cardiology department into a tailspin.
To the timeless classics – which portray smiling Santa Claus among reindeer and giant parcels, improbable falling in love under the mistletoe or tragicomic miracles, under dreamy Christmas trees – new entries are added who dust off former child prodigies (see Lindsay Lohan) or applaud new teen idols (like Asa Butterfield of Sex education) or totally subvert the canons of traditional jingle bells in splatter sauce a la Tarantino (as in A violent and silent night).
In short, there is definitely something for all tastes to satisfy both those who start decorating the house in September and those who feel a bit Grinch. Whether or not you perceive the magic of the end of the year and the beginning of 2023, it matters little: any excuse is good to immerse yourself in a Christmas marathon all gingerbread and marzipan.
Here, then, ten films not to be missed absolutely (and where to find them).
10. Falling for Christmas
Lindsay Lohan is Sierra, a rich, indeed very rich heiress, who is paired with an ego-referred and fatuous influencer, Tad (George Young). In fact, at first she too appears to be as deep as a puddle, but then a skiing accident causes her to lose her memory and she meets a young widower, Jake (Chord Overstreet), on the verge of bankruptcy because his hotel in family business is engulfed by high-altitude luxury destinations. He strikes the spark (and misunderstandings rain down). Watch it on Netflix
9. Something from Tiffany’s
Based on the novel A Gift from Tiffany by Melissa Hill (Sperling & Kupfer), the story thrives on the sparkle of the holidays in New York, the ideal setting for some very different love stories. Couples Rachel and Gary (Zoey Deutch and Ray Nicholson) and Ethan and Vanessa (Kendrick Smith Sampson and Shay Mitchell) cross paths over a mix-up that will change the course of their relationships. Watch it on Prime Video
8. Your Christmas or Mine?
Unbelievable but true: James (Asa Butterfield) and Hayley (Cora Kirk) find themselves experiencing Christmas in each other’s families. They had very good intentions, convinced to surprise each other. Thanks to the heaviest snowfall in the country, these two lovebirds get stuck in a whirlwind of distant and disoriented holiday traditions. The inconvenience, however, serves to open their eyes to some hidden truths. Watch it on Prime Video
7. Christmas with you
A world famous pop star, Angelina Costa (Aimee Garcia, familiar face to fans of Lucifer), is in the midst of a crisis because it risks being scrapped for a younger model. She finds herself at the home of a fan of hers, a little girl on her Quinceanera eve raised by her single father, Miguel (Freddie Prinze Jr.), a shy and wary music teacher. On the notes of a shared melody, everything happens during the holidays. On Netflix.
6. Noel’s secret diary
Based on the novel by Richard Paul Evans, this rom-com interweaves the fates of Rachel (Barrett Doss of Station 19), a young woman in search of her mother she never knew, and that of Jacob (Justin Hartley of This Is Us), a successful writer struggling with the recent loss of a parent with whom he didn’t have a great relationship. Apparently her mother worked in his childhood home and this forced closeness between the two brings to light broken relationships and broken desires. The festive atmosphere, however, makes everything magical and romantic. On Netflix.
5. Pinocchio
Guillermo Del Toro’s jewel rewrites Collodi’s tale in stop motion with a modern, visionary and original cut. The wooden puppet was created by the carpenter Geppetto to make up for the pain of mourning the loss of a child, but the situation immediately takes an unexpected turn. At the cinema and on Netflix.
4. A violent and silent night
The splatter thriller that looks like a mix between Disney’s Christmas fairy tales and stories by Quentin Tarantino stages an unprecedented version of Santa Claus: a drunkard, cynical and listless, he has lost the magic of the holidays. An armed robbery in a villa of the super rich (bored and spoiled) turns him into an avenger of the night who hunts down the villains on his blacklist. More than coal! At Cinema.
3. The best days
In preview at the professional cinema days of Sorrento, the episodic film (with a sequel in April, The worst days) is directed by Edoardo Leo and Massimiliano Bruno. Each story is set in a moment of celebration and when Christmas is told it stages the apotheosis of the saying “snake relatives”. In cinemas from 1 January 2023.
2. Help! It is Christmas!
A family adventure led by a brave grandfather with a mission to carry out, save Santa Claus, who has been kidnapped. To help him, the man asks for help from his nephews and his son, with whom he has a turbulent relationship. The only way to save Santa Claus is a guessing contest. At Cinema.
1. Spirited – Magic of Christmas
The holiday musical comedy puts Charles Dickens’ fairy tale in a whole new key, with the Ghost of Christmas present (Will Ferrell) grappling with a guy out of the ordinary, Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds). Something goes decidedly wrong and the Scrooge to be redeemed is not who you think. On Apple TV+.
More stories from Vanity Fair that may interest you:
The 25 best Christmas movies ever
The Christmas movie you don’t expect: A violent and silent night
5 films to see at Christmas that make everyone agree (or almost)
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
