Funny Christmas movies for every sense of humor
If you can't stand to watch Little Lord Fauntleroy one more time and end up feeling sympathy for the Earl of Dorincourt before he takes the young heir to his title into his heart, you're probably looking for a different genre for the season of love. How about a funny Christmas comedy? There are plenty of them, and not just Home Alone. For every kind of humor, of course - including the grown-up variety.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Who doesn't know the Griswold family? Probably the best-known film about family man Clark, played by Chevy Chase, and his clan revolves around pure Christmas chaos in an equally chaotic family. Sound familiar? Surprisingly, because of its cult status the film didn't get its German theatrical premiere until 2015 - it originally came out in 1989 and went straight to VHS over here.
The Grinch
Once Jim Carrey's name appears on screen, it should be clear to every viewer where things are headed. The expressive comedian is made for the role of the grumpy monster who hates Christmas because of bad childhood experiences. A little shrill, a bit over the top, and guaranteed to entertain.
Bad Santa
Billy Bob Thornton plays a cursing, drinking department-store Santa who should definitely never come into contact with children - which, given the correspondingly crude humor, also goes for young viewers. Together with his short-statured colleague in an elf costume, Thornton, in the role of Willie, plans to rob the department store - not without a lesson about the meaning of Christmas, of course.
Elf
Comedian Will Ferrell slips into the role of Buddy, a human helper of Santa Claus who grew up among elves at the North Pole and now sets out to find his biological father. Plenty of slapstick and family-friendly gags make the film kid-appropriate and turn it into a comedy the whole family can watch together on Christmas Eve.
The Santa Clause
The film opens with Santa Claus falling off the roof of the house where Scott Calvin and his family live. With the death of the real Santa, Scott, played by Tim Allen, takes on the honorable job of gift-bringer and gradually turns into a plump Santa Claus with a bushy white beard. That leads to plenty of funny situations, seasoned with sharp but family-friendly humor.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean
With Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean, an episode of the British comedy series has already achieved Christmas-movie status. After all, the beloved Christmas episode airs year after year and was even released separately on DVD. As usual, the clumsy Mr. Bean stirs up plenty of chaos, visiting a department store shortly before the holidays.
Four Christmases
A romantic comedy can't be missing from the list either: the happy couple Kate and Brad are invited to four different families for Christmas, because their respective parents are divorced and have started new families. When their yearly excuses for skipping the Christmas dinners fall through, they owe their families not only an explanation but also some time together. With top actors like Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Jon Voight, and Robert Duvall.
Scrooged
A more modern take on Charles Dickens's Christmas story: the stingy business mogul Francis is haunted by three ghosts who show him his past, present, and future to open his eyes. Bill Murray is perfect in his role as the cynical, on-screen entertaining misanthrope who learns his lesson in the end.
Trading Places
Everyone knows Eddie Murphy's heyday was in the eighties. Besides Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America, the satire starring Dan Aykroyd and Murphy also ranks among the actor's best-known films. In Trading Places, a wealthy stockbroker (Aykroyd) and a homeless street hustler (Murphy) swap places.
Jingle All the Way
It's not all that common to see Arnold Schwarzenegger in a comparatively harmless film rated for ages six and up. But Arnie wouldn't be Arnie if he didn't still dish out plenty of action. In the action comedy, family man and businessman Howard has promised his son the Turbo-Man action figure. To get hold of it, he runs into toy counterfeiters, among others, and accidentally ends up cast as a stuntman playing the fictional hero.
