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Do you class "Die Hard" as a Christmas film?

AGXStarseed

AGXStarseed

Well-Known Member
This seems to be a topic of contention with a lot of people, with some dismissing it as a dumb, loud action film that happens to be set around the holidays while there are others who actively class it as a Christmas movie - to the point of admitting they watch it every year when Christmas rolls around.

If you're not familiar with this film, the original 1988 film Die Hard is loosely based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorpe and is about a New York cop named John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) traveling to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to reconcile with his ex-wife Holly and spend time with his children - whom his wife took with her to L.A when she divorced him.
After meeting her at a Christmas party at her workplace (the Nakitomi Plaza), things go south when a group of armed terrorists led by German radical Hans Gruber (played by the late Alan Rickman) take over the building and seal the exits. This forces McClane to go on the run through the office complex as he tries to find out what the terrorists want and get help from outside to save his ex-wife and the other hostages at the party - all while fighting a one-man guerrilla-style war against a well prepared and dangerous group who are prepared to do all they need to do to achieve their goals.

Despite the mentions of Christmas I've just brought up (along with others in the film), there does seem to be a notable debate as to whether Die Hard is a "Christmas movie" or not.
My question is - whilst asking that you be considerate of other people's answers (I don't want any flame wars or insults been hurled over differences of opinion because no one wins those situations) - do you class Die Hard as a Christmas film or not?
If not or if so, why?
 
I don't personally classify Die Hard as a Christmas movie, because the plot is mainly about the robbery... The fact that it occurs on Christmas Eve is incidental.

It's an action movie... IMO
 
I haven’t seen the whole thing, it’s not my type of movie whether it’s a Christmas movie or not, so I can’t say for sure. My mom and brother insist that it is a Christmas movie. I would say that if the only difference the date makes in the movie is the music (again, can’t say for one hundred percent sure it is since I haven’t seen the whole thing and wasn’t paying close attention to what I did see), then it is a movie that is set near Christmas, but is not a movie in which Christmas plays a significant role. Technically arguably Christmas-themed, though, since it does use Christmas-themed music throughout and the music can be a part of a movie’s theme. So I suppose it depends on what your definition of “Christmas movie” is.
 
Some questions we might ask ourselves:
1 Is Santa in it?
2 Does it snow at any point?
3 Do we hear distant sleigh bells perhaps?
4 Are there elves?
5 Are gifts exchanged?
6 Does the plot revolve around a toy that is unavailable?
7 Do the central characters learn to be better people, and/or after a series of mishaps, fall deeply in love?
8 Is it a film that bucks the trends and aims to gain a Christmas audience through NOT following a predictable Christmas format?
 
No. It has nothing to do with the holiday. I would say the Grinch or A Christmas Carol would be Christmas movies as the holiday is central to the plot.
 
Brazil is a great Christmas movie.

So is Silent Night Deadly Night.

Let’s not forget Jack Frost, about a serial killer who gets reincarnated as a snowman.
 
Who doesn't love a hero up against all odds to save the women he loves?

A feel good movie.

Christmas movie?
No.
 
I don't take the people seriously who say it's a Christmas movie. They're just being silly. It's just a fun thing to argue.
 
Fino said:
I don't take the people seriously who say it's a Christmas movie. They're just being silly. It's just a fun thing to argue.
Click to expand...
Dads, husbands, or boyfriends call it a Christmas Movie, because they are trying to get the TV to themselves for a couple hours so they can watch an action movie without people bugging them to change the channel.
 
I think for me, I do consider it a Christmas movie - just on the basis that it does have all the various Christmas elements in it even if it isn't specifically about the holiday. As such, if I tried watching it at any other time of year, it would just throw my mind for a loop as seeing all the various Christmas elements would be constantly distracting me.
Heck, Home Alone is considered a Christmas movie (and a classic one at that) by many despite the fact that it also isn't specifically about Christmas - instead been about a kid who is accidentally left at home by himself when his family go on holiday and having to defend his home from burglars.
From what I've read, it also wasn't going to be set at Christmas originally until the filmmakers decided to make it so - which I think helped saved it from mediocrity in the long term.

Another reason I class it as a Christmas movie is because the film does focus on the importance of friends and family bonds - a core element of Christmas - as the film showing McClane coming to L.A to reconcile with his ex and reconnect with his family, which initially doesn't go well as the two get into a spat when 'old wounds' are re-opened.
However, once the terrorists rock up and the building gets locked down, McClane goes out of his way to save his ex-wife and as many others in the building as he can.
Complicating matters isn't just that his enemies are well armed and well prepared and the fact there are people inside and outside the building whose own incompetence proves a bit hindrance to McClane's objectives, but also that - despite McClane been a cop - he isn't some muscle-bound Schwarzenegger or other quintessential 80's action hero who could happily stroll around like some nigh-indestructible god while mowing down 'cartoon-style' bad guys with seemingly limitless ammo; he's the every-man who (badge or not) is out of shape, out of his depth, absolutely terrified of some the stuff he has to do and ends up getting bruised, battered and bloodied in many a way before the film ends.
Ultimately (and without spoiling the ending although I'm sure most of you know it), I think all this helps to endear the audience to him and makes the ending all the more satisfying.

For those reasons, that's why I personally class Die Hard as a Christmas movie and one I enjoy watching every year. :)
 
AGXStarseed said:
I think for me, I do consider it a Christmas movie - just on the basis that it does have all the various Christmas elements in it even if it isn't specifically about the holiday. As such, if I tried watching it at any other time of year, it would just throw my mind for a loop as seeing all the various Christmas elements would be constantly distracting me.
Heck, Home Alone is considered a Christmas movie (and a classic one at that) by many despite the fact that it also isn't specifically about Christmas - instead been about a kid who is accidentally left at home by himself when his family go on holiday and having to defend his home from burglars.
From what I've read, it also wasn't going to be set at Christmas originally until the filmmakers decided to make it so - which I think helped saved it from mediocrity in the long term.

Another reason I class it as a Christmas movie is because the film does focus on the importance of friends and family bonds - a core element of Christmas - as the film showing McClane coming to L.A to reconcile with his ex and reconnect with his family, which initially doesn't go well as the two get into a spat when 'old wounds' are re-opened.
However, once the terrorists rock up and the building gets locked down, McClane goes out of his way to save his ex-wife and as many others in the building as he can.
Complicating matters isn't just that his enemies are well armed and well prepared and the fact there are people inside and outside the building whose own incompetence proves a bit hindrance to McClane's objectives, but also that - despite McClane been a cop - he isn't some muscle-bound Schwarzenegger or other quintessential 80's action hero who could happily stroll around like some nigh-indestructible god while mowing down 'cartoon-style' bad guys with seemingly limitless ammo; he's the every-man who (badge or not) is out of shape, out of his depth, absolutely terrified of some the stuff he has to do and ends up getting bruised, battered and bloodied in many a way before the film ends.
Ultimately (and without spoiling the ending although I'm sure most of you know it), I think all this helps to endear the audience to him and makes the ending all the more satisfying.

For those reasons, that's why I personally class Die Hard as a Christmas movie and one I enjoy watching every year. :)
Click to expand...
And in particular reference to your final statement:

AGXStarseed said:
For those reasons, that's why I personally class Die Hard as a Christmas movie and one I enjoy watching every year. :)
Click to expand...
I think that any movie someone or any family in part or whole enjoy watching on the 25th will make it a Christmas movie for them. The one I loved for instance was The Wizard Of Oz, as it is not Christmas themed, with Christmas always appearing to be better described as Commercialmass, and the whole blagging it as an all powerful wizard was very analogous to the societal masking problem. I quite liked The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and Alice In Wonderland also, but all in all my interest in Christmas itself got very low as I found it way to stressful with so many people ~ along with Seasonal Affective Mood Disorder starting to get full on at this time of the year. Hence the escape into fantasy and the intellectual symbolism was more favourable than the Christian high-jacking of pagan traditions, as were Christian traditions as being commercially high-jacked themselves.

Back of course to the original question, I have heard that 'Die hard' is for those with a greater proportion of masculine drives or inclinations rather a befitting movie for Christmas, and I can really appreciate why ~ it is in no way a shoddy movie. I know people who have more of a preference for James Bond films though, others Lord Of the Rings or Star Wars and so on and so forth, so basically I have gotten back to my original point again of particular movies at Christmas being down to personal and or familial taste.

By the way ~ very tidy description and appraisal of the 'Die Hard' writer, book, film and actors. If I had not seen the film already I would have been intrigued to watch it. :)
 
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Deepthought said:
And in particular reference to your final statement:


I think that any movie someone or any family in part or whole enjoy watching on the 25th will make it a Christmas movie for them. The one I loved for instance was The Wizard Of Oz, as it is not Christmas themed, with Christmas always appearing to be better described as Commercialmass, and the whole blagging it as an all powerful wizard was very analogous to the societal masking problem. I quite liked The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and Alice In Wonderland also, but all in all my interest in Christmas itself got very low as I found it way to stressful with so many people ~ along with Seasonal Affective Mood Disorder starting to get full on at this time of the year. Hence the escape into fantasy and the intellectual symbolism was more favourable than the Christian high-jacking of pagan traditions, as were Christian traditions as bing commercially high-jacked themselves.

Back of course to the original question, I have heard that 'Die hard' is for those with a greater proportion of masculine drives or inclinations rather a befitting movie for Christmas, and I can really appreciate why ~ it is in no way a shoddy movie. I know people who have more of a preference for James Bond films though, others Lord Of the Rings or Star Wars and so on and so forth, so basically I have gotten back to my original point again of particular movies at Christmas being down to personal and or familial taste.

By the way ~ very tidy description and appraisal of the 'Die Hard' writer, book, film and actors. If I had not seen the film already I would have been intrigued to watch it. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you kindly - although reading through your comment has made me realize how many spelling errors I made in my post, which will probably be bugging me now. :D

It's hard to believe that this film is over 30 years old now - down to 20th Century Fox releasing a 30th Anniversary Trailer for it.
 
Most people think Gremlins is a Christmas film, but I don't. In fact, I remember when it first came out in theaters when I was a kid. It was at the start of SUMMER vacation.:laughing:

Just because the events happened to take place during Christmastime doesn't mean it's a Christmas movie.
 
I am going to say yes for a few reasons.

Carols are playing about and also because Alexander Borisovich Godunov who played the last-standing bad-guy became a gold-medal winning ballerina and Premier danseur with the Bolshoi Ballet before defecting to the US-

--all that to say I am SURE he performed in the Nutcracker somewhere, sometime.

OK, that is a long stretch, but I agree with @Yeshuasdaughter -----sometimes people open the margins to let something into a category! :-D
 
It's not about yule,the birth of jesus,but John mcClane visits his wife at Christmas ,Christmas party on going on arrival ,the bearer bonds fluttering from the tower is snow to the director .
 
MLE said:
Ugh... That movie gave me nightmares... :eek:
Click to expand...

When I saw the VHS cover for that movie of Santa going down the chimney with an axe when I was a young child, that cover was enough to give me nightmares. Now I find those cinematic scenarios amusing as long as it remains fiction.
 
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