The best Christmas movies for adults (and where to watch them)

With how stressful the holiday season can be these days, many are turning to the world of movies to help them get away from it all. Whether they're looking for a feel-good movie to replenish their dwindling reserves of festive spirit, or a loud Christmas comedy to distract them from their long to-do list, tinsel town usually has an answer.

Not all Christmas movies are suitable for families, but some are best enjoyed alone or with a more mature group of people. That's not to say that none of these films are suitable for children, although there is certainly a much better selection of Christmas films for children elsewhere.

Updated on December 12, 2024 by Tom Bowen: There's a lot to love about Christmas, from spending time with loved ones to giving and receiving gifts. However, one of the best things about the festive season is having the chance to sit back and enjoy a good Christmas movie, with so many great options available on modern streaming platforms. The best Christmas movies for adults can take the viewer straight back to their childhood, or provide a few good laughs at a time that would otherwise be too stressful for those with too many responsibilities. For adults looking to escape for a few hours this holiday season, these adult Christmas movies are worth checking out. Because the selection of streaming services is constantly changing, we've updated this list to make it easier to find each movie.

1 with spirit

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

When most people sit down to watch with spiritthey'll likely understand why Apple didn't just produce one Genie Truth be told, that question will probably still be there when the credits roll, though that doesn't mean with spirit When all is said and done, it still doesn't make for a charming and entertaining Christmas movie.

particle for direct object Christmas carolThe inspired flick sees Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present, determined to help Ryan Reynolds' character Clint Briggs change his ways. However, she soon realizes that she is the one who needs help to change, and that her motivations for choosing Clint are far more personal than she ever cares to admit.

2 reference

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73% (just verified)

reference It may not have been the best adult Christmas movie of the nineties, but it's still a great fun watch nonetheless. It's a comedy-drama that tells the story of a cat burglar who takes a feuding couple hostage after his accomplice lets him go mid-way through a burglary.

Despite having the potential for some dark and suspenseful moments, the film instead mostly plays on the lighter side of the situation, with the would-be burglar helping the couple deal with some of their personal problems. full of funny moments, reference It's wonderfully relatable and well worth a Christmas watch.

3 Fatman

Rotten Tomatoes score: 44%

Those looking for something a little darker to watch at Christmas should check it out Fatman: 2020 independent film starring Mel Gibson and Walton Goggins. The season sees jovial old Nick agree to produce military equipment for the US government to make up for the loss of revenue from his struggling toy business, which has seen a sharp decline in recent years as more baby names have been added to it. . naughty list

One such child is Billy Venan, a spoiled rich kid who expects everything to be handed to him on a plate. When Billy finds a lump of coal in his stocking instead of the presents he wanted, he swears revenge on Santa. It's not an idle threat either, Billy even hires an assassin to take out Kris Kringle. What follows is a combination of action and comedy that is worth checking out.

4 Merry Christmas Harold and Kumar

Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%

While it's great to see Cal Penn and John Cho take on bigger and bigger roles, the pair's success in recent years has taken a toll on those roles. Harold and Kumar The film franchise is now more than a decade old H&K The film was released and fans didn't get any solid confirmation that it was a true sequel Merry Christmas Harold and Kumar It will never see the light of day during that period.

Like the other two Harold and Kumar movies, Merry Christmas Harold and Kumar It is an incredibly silly story that is very much a product of its time. Neil Patrick Harris reprises his role once again, with the titular character's drug escapades providing a slightly more viewer-friendly alternative to the likes of Cheech & Chong and Friday Triple

5 bad santa claus

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78% (just verified)

• Available on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus and Pluto

bad santa claus It's a film that prides itself on its vulgarity, often going out of its way to be far more vulgar than it really needs to be. So it can be a little off in places, although, for the most part, the writing is completely true to the characters. All that said, for those looking for a laugh-out-loud Christmas-themed movie, it really doesn't get much better than this.

Billy Bob Thornton gives a real gift of a performance that stands in stark contrast to some of his other leading roles. The supporting cast also play their roles well, especially Toni Cox. Unfortunately, the 2016 sequel couldn't live up to the original in any respect, although it did show that the humor in the original was actually well-measured rather than the writers just spouting off curse words and vulgar one-liners. To shock the audience

6 die hard

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% (just verified)

• Available on Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Fubo, Hulu, tbs, TNT and Tru TV

Even if Bruce Willis himself likes to keep it that way die hard Not really a Christmas movie, the majority still tend to see it as a movie. In this sense, as the first, it is a bit strange Lethal weapon The film is also set at Christmas, and yet it rarely comes up during conversations about holiday movies. Some might argue that this is simply because die hard It's a much better movie though

In John McClain and Hans Gruber, die hard It boasts one of the most memorable hero/villain combos of all time. The almost constant banter between the pair perfectly defines the film's great action scenes and is just one of the many reasons tens of thousands of people tune in to watch it. die hard Every year during Christmas

7 Eyes completely closed

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76% (just verified)

• Available on Amazon Prime Video, Fubo and Paramount Plus

For the more cynical film buff, Eyes completely closed It does a fantastic job of critiquing the consumerist nature of Christmas. The ornate backdrops help a lot to give the film a festive feel as well, although most of the on-screen conversation centers around spending rather than celebrating. It might be a little disappointing, but it's also a fairly accurate depiction of Christmas in modern times.

Eyes completely closed It would also be Stanley Kubrick's final gift to the world, and the legendary director died just six days after presenting his supposed final piece to the upper echelons at Warner Bros. Regardless, it's still a great movie and every cinephile should watch it at least once in their lifetime.

8 alone at home

Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%

• Available on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Fubo

It had the first two alone at home Movies released in 2021 instead of the nineties would almost certainly be rated below PG-13 due to the ridiculous amount of violence each contains. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is the humor found throughout the films, which is as funny today as it was three decades ago.

It's fun to watch Hank and Merv repeatedly get bullied by an eight-year-old, as well as some of Kevin's attempts at growing up after he comes to terms with being alone. There's also the whole nostalgia factor, with most American adults in the nineties having seen the original films at some point. Many of them multiple times

9 It's a wonderful life

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% (just verified)

• Available on Amazon Prime Video

Based on Dickens Christmas carol, It's a wonderful life It is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Let alone one of the best Christmas movies. This is perhaps a bit ironic, since when the film was first released in 1946, despite receiving five Academy Award nominations, it struggled at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics. received In fact, it probably wouldn't be as revered as it is today if it weren't for the clerical error that led to the film entering the public domain in early 1974.

The above error allowed broadcasters to show the film without having to pay royalties, meaning the film was shown repeatedly on multiple stations every year during the festive period. This in turn led to it becoming an iconic and ever-present seasonal program. A situation that is still maintained in many families to this day. The film has also been colorized in recent years to better meet modern standards, but the original is still fairly good.

10 The Nightmare Before Christmas

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95% (just verified)

The Nightmare Before Christmas It began life as a poem by a young Disney animator in the early eighties. Yet just a decade later, it has become one of the most successful Christmas movies of all time, grossing over $90 million at the box office and wowing critics and audiences alike with its incredible stop-motion animation. originality

With the huge advances in CGI technology and more visual animation techniques that come in the modern age, The Nightmare Before Christmas It's certainly not as spectacular as it used to be. That doesn't make the story or the characters any less magical, nor do these improvements take away the nostalgic joy that revisiting the film still holds nearly three decades after its original release.