Christmas movies are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. However, if you’re anything like me, you have a love-hate relationship with the Hallmark and Lifetime movies. It’s the same old same old: boy meets girl, girl’s family is suspiciously obsessed with Christmas, turns out her dad is Santa, boy and girl fall in love to continue the Santa legacy. Ok well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. The following six movies are my go-to unique plot Christmas movies.
Holiday in handcuffs
This movie stars Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez; it was originally an ABC Family production. You can watch this movie for free on streaming services such as Tubi, ABC, Freeform and Hulu with a premium subscription. While still a Rom-Com, it most certainly does not follow the typical plotline. Trudi (Melissa Joan Hart) is basically the family disappointment. She wants to be an artist and doesn’t enjoy the corporate job life. All she has going for her is her put-together boyfriend that she hopes will keep her family off her back at Christmas this year. An hour or so before they are set to get on the road, her boyfriend breaks up with her. Desperate to impress her family she sees David (Mario Lopez) waiting for his girlfriend at the diner Trudy works at. Trudy makes a split-second decision to kidnap David. Christmas this year is at a cabin about a 30-minute drive to the nearest business. So while the whole family is spending Christmas together, we get lots of comedic scenes while also slowly seeing Trudy and David fall absolutely in love.
The Mistle-Tones
This is a movie starring Tia Mowry, Tori Spelling, Jonathan Patrick Moore, Andy Gala, Jason Rogel and Megan Kathleen Duffy. It too is originally an ABC Family production. You can find it for free on Tubi, ABC and Freeform or on Hulu, Disney+, Sling TV and FuboTV with a subscription. This Rom-Com leans more into the romantic side of the plot. Holly, played by Tia Mowry, works a desk job and wants nothing more than to join the Snowbells (a caroling group her mom started). The group is holding auditions to replace a member and Holly is ecstatic that she finally has an opportunity to make her dream a reality. The current leader of the Snowbells feels threatened by Holly’s talent and ends up choosing someone else to fill the spot. Holly was beside herself that she didn’t get in, but her older sister suggests starting her own group. Holly finds three other people from around the office to be a part of her group. They have the potential to beat the Snowbells in a sing-off to perform at the annual New Years’ Eve Christmas Spectacular. Holly enlists the help of her boss Nick, played by Jonathan Patrick Moore. Nick is a strict boss who doesn’t let fun distract from his career. Throughout the movie, we hear both groups sing and practice in order to prepare for the performance. Holly teaches Nick the importance of letting loose and not overworking himself. And in true Christmas fashion, we can’t forget about Holly and Nick falling madly in love.
how the grinch stole christmas (2000)
My favorite version of “The Grinch” stars Jim Carey and Taylor Momsen. Sadly, this movie was recently taken off of Netflix. For $3.99 you can rent/buy this movie on YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play Movies & TV. We all know the story of the Grinch (I assume). The story may be the same but I feel this particular version is hands down the funniest. Jim Carey has the perfect personality to go from hating everything to being a kind-hearted character. There’s something about the Grinch that tugs on my heartstrings. In a roundabout way, I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves in the Grinch – some more than others. I’ll be honest, I have literally no idea how I’ll be watching it this Christmas season, but mark my words I will watch it.
A bad moms Christmas
This is an adult comedy starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Kahn, Cheryl Hines, Christine Baranski and Susan Sarandon. You will find this movie on Hulu and Sling TV with a premium subscription or a subscription for FuboTV. You can also find it for $2.99 on YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV or on Apple TV for $3.99. I’ve seen this movie a total of one time, but that one time was more than enough to love it. The movie embodies real life’s complete chaos and ultimately shows the importance of family. The sense of humor in this movie is very mature and I would not recommend watching with any kids. The holidays are a difficult time for mothers and families to navigate; Amy, Kiki and Carla are no exception to that stereotype. To make matters worse, this Christmas their mothers join in on the holiday fun. While everyone is trying to help in their own ways it causes lots of miscommunication and mishaps. I can’t go much into the plot due to just how random it all seems out of context. But I will say this movie is truly the perfect movie to remind you just how crazy life can get and that you aren’t alone when it comes to hectic holidays.