Here's my top 5:
1. Frozen River (2008, Melissa Leo)
ANyone who knows me will know that I'll pick a drama over a comedy nine times out of ten, and this is no exception. Melissa Leo received an Oscar nomination for best actress for portraying a mom who, to get enough money for Christmas gifts for her kids, smuggles illegal immigrants across the Canadian border via the frozen St. Lawrence River into upstate New York (we're talking upstate as in northeastern-most tip of NY, not the city of Binghampton).
2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989, Chevy Chase)
I give this the nod, though narrowly, over the movie next on my list, sheerly because I relate to the plot of Vacation a bit more. I really think everyone can relate to this film because we all try to make the holidays as "merry" as possible, even though sometimes we try through gritted teeth. Holidays are always crazy at my house, and my family is definitely what makes us unique. This also has my favorite holiday movie line, when Beverly D'Angelo (the wife) is talking to her daughter: "What else can I say, except that it's Christmas and we're all in misery."
3. The Christmas Story (1983, Darren McGavin)
I can practically recite every line from this movie, but the one reason I bumped it below Christmas Vacation is because I think it's been a bit overplayed in the last few years. Ralphie's pursuit of a Red Ryder BB gun, "with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time"is classic. There's always been that one gift from out childhood that we absolutely have to have, and his happens to be a BB gun.
What I find amazing about this film is that just about every actor (aside from Darren McGavin, who plays the father), is known only for their role in this movie. There's a really cool museum dedicated to the movie in Cleveland -- the house used for exterior shots in the film was recently redesigned and is portrayed as the real house from the movie on the inside (interestingly enough, all interior shots were done on a sound stage in Toronto, Canada).
4. Scrooge (1951, Alistair Sim)
A classic take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Scrooge scared the pants off of me when I was little. Scrooge is the grouchiest man ever, and the three ghosts are really creepy, but especially the Ghost of Christmas Future.
5. Prancer (1989, Sam Elliott)
Sam Elliott is the man (beside Chuck Norris), and he plays a father of a girl who rescues an injured reindeer just before Christmas. Though the story can get a bit sappy sometimes, it does teach children good morals. Oh, and Sam Elliott is in it.
Overrated: Elf (2003, Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart)
I know I'll take a lot of flack for this. However, I think the whole "Buddy the Elf" act gets old by the end of the movie. I like the film and own it, but I just think there are better ones out there.
