5 Underrated Christmas Movies to Watch This Season

Read Time:8 Minute, 35 Second

So, I don’t know about you but every holiday season I try to watch as many Christmas and Holiday movies as possible. There is nothing about the season that gets me more in the spirit than a film can, and every year, like Santa Claus, I have my list. I spin the reel (Blu-ray), sip my hot chocolate, and bask in the magic of Christmas. My list is typically comprised of my holiday favorites. Movies that are massively well known and played in every household that celebrates. Movies like Disney’s The Santa Clause with Tim Allen, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and of course Home Alone 1 & 2.

I also like to put on some underrated Christmas movies. Ones that maybe not everyone else in the world is watching. When I initially think of underrated Christmas movies, my thought immediately goes to a movie like A Christmas Story. Every year I’d watch A Christmas Story with my mom, and none of my friends had any clue what I was talking about when I told them I wanted a Red Rider BB Gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. But A Christmas Story isn’t all that underrated anymore, not with it being played for 24 hours on TBS every Christmas. I also think of a movie like Jingle All the Way. A fantastic capitalist Christmas caper. But that one doesn’t work anymore either. I don’t feel that a movie can be considered underrated when everyone and their Grandmama is going around screaming “Put that cookie down!”

So if films like A Christmas Story and Jingle All the Way can’t be considered underrated anymore, then what movies can? Well, I’ve wracked my brain and set out on a mission this holiday season to bring you my list of the Top 5 Most Underrated Holiday Films.

5. The Family Man
PG
Year Released: 2000
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director(s): Brett Ratner
Writer(s): David Diamond, David Weissman
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni
Where to Watch: Streaming on Peacock

The Family Man is a somewhat unique spin on Charles Dicken’s classic tale “A Christmas Carol.” The story follows a workaholic man named Jack who is living a high life on Wall Street in New York City. On Christmas Eve Jack stops a robbery at a convenience store, but this turns out to be much more than he bargained for. When Jack wakes up on Christmas day he has been transported to an alternative life. A life where he ended up marrying his college sweetheart and settling down with a family in suburban New Jersey.

The Family Man was released to mixed reviews, sitting at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes and 42% on Metacritic. I feel like people tend to understand the film better when they go into it realizing that it is a spiritual spin on a Christmas Carol. Jack is being shown what his life could have been, and what it still can be if he embraces love and family instead of money and success. Fantastic acting and a heartwarming story are why I feel this is one of the most perfect movies to watch with your family this holiday season.

4. Disney’s A Christmas Carol
PG
Year Released: 2009
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director(s): Robert Zemeckis
Writer(s): Charles Dickens, Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth
Where to Watch: Streaming on Disney+

This classic tale follows Mr. Scrooge, a heartless and cold old man who has no room in his withering heart for the joys of Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Mr. Scrooge is visited by three ghosts that show him his life in the past, present, and future so that he may change his wicked ways and embrace the magic of Christmas.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably thinking “How could any modern movie made by Disney be considered Underrated?” Well, the answer to this is in two parts. First of all, despite raking in over $300 million at the box office, critical and fan reception to this film was mixed. It is currently sitting at 52% on Rotten Tomatoes and 3.1/5 on Letterboxd. I simply feel that this film deserves a higher score and if you’ve not watched it in a while then perhaps you should consider giving it another try this holiday season. Not only are the acting performances from Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, and Colin Firth fantastic but this film is beautifully animated and holds accuracy to the original story by Charles Dickens. It’s a timeless story, one that I feel should be heard every single Christmas, and I believe that this version is the best version to view. Although, the Muppets also did a wonderful job.

3. Arthur Christmas
PG
Year Released: 2011
Runtime: 1h 37m
Director(s): Sarah Smith, Barry Cook
Writer(s): Peter Baynham, Sarah Smith
Cast: James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie
Where to Watch: Streaming on MAX

In Arthur Christmas, the North Pole gets a modern upgrade. Everything is hi-tech and streamlined so that Santa can efficiently deliver his presents to every boy and girl around the world. Technology, however, may not be as effective as Santa thought because there was one present missing. Arthur Christmas follows Arthur, the youngest son of Santa, as he sets off on a wonderful adventure to deliver that one last present before sunrise.

Where do I even start with this one? It is THAT wonderful. Okay, so critically Arthur Christmas was successful. It made over $140 million at the box office and sits at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 7.1/10 on IMDb. But this movie isn’t talked about. At least not in my circles, or the sites that I visit. How come? And where the heck is my sequel? Without spoiling anything, just know that this movie was set up so that there could be a franchise with the IP. Where is it, Sony? Look, the movie deals with family issues, themes of letting go of the past, competition, yadda yadda yadda. Go watch it. Just do it. Do yourself a favor and watch it. It’s that good. Also, shoutout to my friend and co-host of my Podcast Masters of Matinee, zed (He doesn’t capitalize the first letter of his name. I don’t know why) who showed me this movie in the first place. zed also thinks that Violent Night starring David Harbour was called Silent Night. Go follow zed on TikTok @zedzillamovies.

2. Fred Claus
PG
Year Released: 2007
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director(s): David Dobkin
Writer(s): Dan Fogelman, Jessie Nelson
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti
Where to Watch: Streaming on MAX and Hulu

After Santa suffers a back injury he bails his criminal older brother, Fred out of jail and calls him to the North Pole to help manage the leadup to Christmas to pay him back. Fred is bitter and jaded on Christmas and holds deep resentment for Santa.

This movie is hilarious and is quite literally the definition of underrated. It currently sits at 21% on Rotten Tomatoes and 42% on Metacritic. You shouldn’t go into this film expecting anything too deep, though it does deal with themes of resentment and brothers at war. The overall point of this film is that it is a stupid, family-oriented Christmas comedy with a fantastic cast. It’s a great one to turn your mind off and just enjoy how absurd it is.

1. Klaus
PG
Year Released: 2019
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director(s): Sergio Pablos, Carlos Martinez Lopez
Writer(s): Sergio Pablos. Jim Mahoney, Zach Lewis
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones
Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix

Jesper is a postman who is sent to an icy northern town against his will and is told he can’t return until he delivers a certain number of letters. There he finds two families who are feuding and have no love loss for each other. One day he hears word of a reclusive woodsman who lives out in the frozen wilderness. A woodsman named Klaus.

Klaus is the highest-rated film on the list by far. It sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.2/10 on IMDb. So, what makes Klaus underrated? It’s a great film, and those who’ve seen it seem to enjoy it. So why is it underrated? Well, I honestly think it’s because the movie is trapped on Netflix. Streaming services seem to be plagued with too much variety. There’s so much to watch and never enough time. Add to that the fact that they have algorithms that try to feed you what they think you’ll like, but don’t try to expand your comfort zone. Simply put, I think that Klaus gets buried for the most part. Before this Christmas, I’d never heard of the film, and it’s been out since 2019. I love animation and watch a lot of it on Netflix, but their algorithm never thought to recommend Klaus to me. I’ve never seen articles or videos on it. My friend circles never talked about it, until this month which is how I heard about it. It’s one example of a problem that has been happening for so long, and it isn’t just Netflix, it’s every streamer. I don’t know what the answer or fix for it is, but I do know that if you’ve not seen Klaus, you should watch it. It’s the most wonderful movie I’ve seen this year. It has beautiful animation with a great art style, the acting is fabulous, and the story is pure magic. It completely breaches the Christmas genre and tells a story of unity, not judging a book based on its cover, and found family.

If you enjoyed this article and want more from the author, be sure to check out his other film reviews on the site!

You can follow him on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @JTtheTalking Head. Also check out the video version of this article on his YouTube channel (embedded below), which was made in collaboration with OHMR!