This has been going around in my circle the past couple of years, and I’ve been hearing it even more this year. There is a cantankerous debate going around about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. On the surface it seems like a ridiculous debate to have, but it does stir up questions about what constitutes a Christmas movie and what doesn’t.
A friend of mine told me the other day that if it has a Christmas tree in it, then it’s a Christmas movie. That, to me is too broad of a statement to make. Another person I know told me that, in order for a movie to be a Christmas movie, then the plot needs to revolve around Christmas. Again, I think that might be too broad a statement, especially when you consider a film like It’s a Wonderful Life, which is widely considered to be one of the best Christmas movies ever, and it certainly is one of the most popular. It’s on TV every Christmas, and the scene where George Baily runs through Bedford Falls yelling “Merry Christmas!” to everyone and everything in town is one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history. However, the Christmas motif doesn’t kick in until two thirds of the way through the film. In fact, the first two thirds of the film have little or nothing at all to do with Christmas. But you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t consider It’s a Wonderful Life to not only be a Christmas movie, but one of the great Christmas movies of all time.
Then there are the classic Christmas movies like White Christmas, A Christmas Story and Miracle on 34th Street and others that are completely about Christmas, and build up to a Christmas crescendo. No one would argue the Christmas merits of those films, especially when so many of them even have the word Christmas in their titles.
But lets go back to Die Hard. It’s one of the great action films of the 80’s and it holds up surprisingly well. It has all of the elements of a great action flick, and unlike so many of its contemporaries, Die Hard actually has a pretty good story. It’s about New York cop john McClane (Bruce Willis), who travels to Los Angeles to see his kids and his estranged wife at Christmas. He goes to her office at Nakatomi tower for the company Christmas party. While he’s getting ready, the party is taken over by terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), but they really turn out to be thieves who are after the hundreds of millions of dollars in the company vault. From there it turns into an action thriller as McClane’s street smart savvy goes up against Rickman’s sophisticated, diabolical and meticulous planning. But as far as Christmas is concerned, it’s nothing more than a backdrop at that point. It’s the reason to get McClane to L.A., but it has little or nothing to do with the rest of the story. To me, Die Hard is an action movie that happens to take place around Christmas, but I would not call it a Christmas movie.
One other point of interest is that I’ve never heard this debate as it pertains to Lethal Weapon, which has the same issue. It’s an L.A.-centric action film that happens to take place around Christmas time. It seems to me that if you’re going to call Die Hard a Christmas movie, then you need to do the same with Lethal Weapon.
What are your thoughts? How wide is your umbrella for what you would consider a Christmas movie? Does Die Hard fall in that category for you?
Die Hard also features “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC, one of the best Christmas songs ever. Does that make it a Christmas movie? Not sure. Similarly, I would ask if Meet Me in St. Louis is a Christmas movie? It features “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” sung by Judy Garland to boot, yet I don’t think of it as a Christmas movie. The debate rages on!
In the beginning of the film, while listening to rap in a limo on the way to Nakatomi Towers, McClane asks Argyle, his limo driver, “Don’t you have any Christmas music?” to which Argyle replies, “This IS Christmas music.” This could be viewed simply as a gag, a commentary about crossing racial boundaries, or as a way of suggesting that Christmas is in the eye of the beholder. Do I think “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie? “Lethal Weapon”? Yes on both counts. Here’s why, as quickly as I can sum it up:
Christmas is about finding the good in people. Santa doesn’t like giving out coal. Despite John McClane’s semi-failed marriage or Martin Riggs’ suicidal tendancies and general craziness, they’re both fighting for the right team. It’s no mistake that these films are set during Christmas. Likewise, it’s no mistake they’re both set in LA: so we, the audience, can forget we’re watching an action-packed remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (consider this: Riggs and George Baily both consider suicide, and isn’t Roger Murtaugh really Riggs’ guardian angel? What would have happened to Riggs without him? Similarly, what would have happened to George without Clarence? Or McClane without Sgt. Al Powell?)
“Die Hard 2: Die Harder” plays up more on the Christmas theme in that it’s set in a busy airport, Christmas Eve, big snow storm in DC, etc. “Die Hard with a Vengeance” has no Christmas theme. As a series, it’s ultimately not Christmasy. Same with the Lethal Weapon Quadrilogy. Chris Rock and Joe Pesci certainly aren’t known for their holiday cheer.
One last argument for the originals, going back to my first point: Christmas is (supposed to be) about finding the good in people and rewarding good behavior. McClane reunites with Holly. Riggs and Murtaugh share a poorly cooked Christmas dinner. Hans and the Albino get coal in their respective stockings by fallibg 100 stories and getting shot after getting your ass kicked in front of a bunch of cops.
Anyway, both films fill me with holiday cheer. Then again, so does “Bad Santa”. …
In the beginning of the film, while listening to rap in a limo on the way to Nakatomi Towers, McClane asks Argyle, his limo driver, “Don’t you have any Christmas music?” to which Argyle replies, “This IS Christmas music.” This could be viewed simply as a gag, a commentary about crossing racial boundaries, or as a way of suggesting that Christmas is in the eye of the beholder. Do I think “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie? “Lethal Weapon”? Yes on both counts. Here’s why, as quickly as I can sum it up:
Christmas is about finding the good in people. Santa doesn’t like giving out coal. Despite John McClane’s semi-failed marriage or Martin Riggs’ suicidal tendancies and general craziness, they’re both fighting for the right team. It’s no mistake that these films are set during Christmas. Likewise, it’s no mistake they’re both set in LA: so we, the audience, can forget we’re watching an action-packed remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (consider this: Riggs and George Baily both consider suicide, and isn’t Roger Murtaugh really Riggs’ guardian angel? What would have happened to Riggs without him? Similarly, what would have happened to George without Clarence? Or McClane without Sgt. Al Powell?)
“Die Hard 2: Die Harder” plays up more on the Christmas theme in that it’s set in a busy airport, Christmas Eve, big snow storm in DC, etc. “Die Hard with a Vengeance” has no Christmas theme. As a series, it’s ultimately not Christmasy. Same with the Lethal Weapon Quadrilogy. Chris Rock and Joe Pesci certainly aren’t known for their holiday cheer.
One last argument for the originals, going back to my first point: Christmas is (supposed to be) about finding the good in people and rewarding good behavior. McClane reunites with Holly. Riggs and Murtaugh share a poorly cooked Christmas dinner. Hans and the Albino get coal in their respective stockings by fallibg 100 stories and getting shot after getting your ass kicked in front of a bunch of cops.
Anyway, both films fill me with holiday cheer. Then again, so does “Bad Santa”. …