Movies Is Batman 2 really considered a christmas movie?

[13Seconds]

When I had lunch with my co workers today one of them randomly said Batman 2 is one of the greatest christmas flicks ever. The gang agreed with him while i had a dumb look on my face.

I asked what he thinks a christmas movie is, and he just said it's about the vibe.

Now if I understand it correctly, isn't a christmas movie suppose to be about consequenses following the holiday? Like the events in Die Hard wouldn't happen if it wasn't christmas. That makes it a christmas movie. The shit that happened in Batman 2 would've happen regardless.

Just because a movie takes place during christmas doesn't make it a christmas movie. It's a winter movie.

 

[mjmj]

You work with morons.

 

[Sycho Sid]

It can be a Christmas movie. Depends on the person really, no hard and fast rules for what a Christmas movie.

As a side note, i absolutely hate batman returns, worst batman other than the Clooney one.

 

[13Seconds]

It can be a Christmas movie. Depends on the person really, no hard and fast rules for what a Christmas movie.

As a side note, i absolutely hate batman returns, worst batman other than the Clooney one.

I mean, I always thought the Batman story is about the villains. In that sense Devitto was excellent as the Penguin. Shoutout to Catwoman too. The best Catwoman ever in live action IMO

 

[GearSolidMetal]

It depends on your criteria for 'Christmas Movie.'

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
It movie works without the gimmick of it happening around Christmas, mostly.
But so does Home Alone.

So its an argument based on arbitrary factors.

Is Rambo Part One a Christmas movie?
There's a Christmas tree in the background of one scene.
So if Rambo isn't a Christmas movie, but another movie with alot more Christmas decorations is, then what is the minimal amount of Christmas decorations are required for a movie to be called an official Christmas movie?

 

[GearSolidMetal]

i absolutely hate batman returns

Oh I gotta hear why.

 

[GoodBadHBK]

Penguin is abandoned by his family on Christmas

He returns to Gotham on Christmas

The entire city of Gotham is celebrating Christmas the entire movie on the streets

Is it about Christmas? No
Its a batman movie that takes place on Christmas and around Christmas the entire film

According to Bruce Willis he says Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie.

I'm fine with people thinking they are even if they're not. They're great films to watch during Christmas time.

 

[13Seconds]

It depends on your criteria for 'Christmas Movie.'

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
It movie works without the gimmick of it happening around Christmas, mostly.
But so does Home Alone.

So its an argument based on arbitrary factors.

Is Rambo Part One a Christmas movie?
There's a Christmas tree in the background of one scene.
So if Rambo isn't a Christmas movie, but another movie with alot more Christmas decorations is, then what is the minimal amount of Christmas decorations are required for a movie to be called an official Christmas movie?

There's gotta be some sort of ruleset for what's a christmas movie right? Rambo 1 being in the discussion is obviously ridiculous.

Again, I thought a Christmas movie is a movie that wouldn't take place if it wasn't for Christmas. Like Die Hard for example.

 

[13Seconds]

Penguin is abandoned by his family on Christmas

He returns to Gotham on Christmas

The entire city of Gotham is celebrating Christmas the entire movie on the streets

Is it about Christmas? No
Its a batman movie that takes place on Christmas and around Christmas the entire film

According to Bruce Willis he says Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie.

I'm fine with people thinking they are even if they're not. They're great films to watch during Christmas time.

That's an interesting point. I forgot about Penguins origin story in this movie.

 

[revoltub]

100% a Christmas movie.

 

[Highway99]

It depends on your criteria for 'Christmas Movie.'

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
It movie works without the gimmick of it happening around Christmas, mostly.

I don't think Die Hard works nearly as well if John McClane wanted to reunite with his family for Arbor Day.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I don't think Die Hard works nearly as well if John McClane wanted to reunite with his family for Arbor Day.

Would McClane not try as hard to reunite his family if not it being Christmas?
And alot of the humor of the movie is related to it being Christmas.
'Ho ho ho now I have a machine gun.'

But it could be said that the date of the year or holiday is irrelevant, and it easily could have worked as a 4th of July movie.

 

[Streeter]

More of one thsn Diehard.

 

[Highway99]

But it could be said that the date of the year or holiday is irrelevant, and it easily could have worked as a 4th of July movie.

Would it work as a movie? Yes...but it would lack the emotional punch. "Thank you for saving me John, now gets go eat hotdogs and watch fireworks." It being Christmas is what spurred him into going to LA.

Ebenezer Scrooge and John McClane both neglected their families in favor of something else they thought they wanted more.

Scrooge fought an internal battle against greed to realize whats most important in life. And because Die Hard is an action movie, McClane fights against the personification of greed to preserve whats most important in his life.

Plus like any good Christmas movie it snows at the end....

 

[RollSonnenRoll]

Penguin is abandoned by his family on Christmas

He returns to Gotham on Christmas

The entire city of Gotham is celebrating Christmas the entire movie on the streets

Is it about Christmas? No
Its a batman movie that takes place on Christmas and around Christmas the entire film

According to Bruce Willis he says Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie.

I'm fine with people thinking they are even if they're not. They're great films to watch during Christmas time.

Penguin's plot also revolves around all of the Gotham elite being at a Christmas party

 

[RollSonnenRoll]

I love everything about Burton's Gotham decorated for Christmas, the Elfman score with more bells and organs. Just everything. I love this movie

 

[Wilmer Digreux]

No not even a little bit. Neither is Die Hard.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

You work with morons.

Agreed. Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie either. The movie is not about Christmas. It’s just set during Christmas.

Nobody would call The Sound of Music a WW2 movie. Or A Beautiful Mind for that matter.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Would it work as a movie? Yes...but it would lack the emotional punch. "Thank you for saving me John, now gets go eat hotdogs and watch fireworks." It being Christmas is what spurred him into going to LA.

Wouldn't say the Christmas gimmick doesn't add any 'emotional punch' to Die Hard, but it adds to the atmosphere and the humor.
There never was a 'thank you for saving me John, now open your presents and eat Christmas dinner.'

It could have been better as a Fourth Of July movie. Hear me out.

John McClane is American.
Hanz is British, and all his goons are foreign.
All of the Christmas decorations are just switched out for Independence Day decorations.
It could even be worked into the plot with gunshots initially being mistaken for firecrackers being set off outside the building, or thats what the cops initially dismiss the initial calls to the police to be.
And Hanz referring to McClane as a cowboy would have fit better with the Americana/Patriotism theme of the movie.
The big explosions of the movie would be reminiscent of fireworks, and/or cannon fire from the Revolutionary War.

And 35 years later when discussing the movie we'd hear there was plans to make it a Christmas movie and most of the reaction would be 'woah, glad that never happened. Would have ruined the best Fourth Of July movie ever.

 

[Highway99]

Wouldn't say the Christmas gimmick doesn't add any 'emotional punch' to Die Hard, but it adds to the atmosphere and the humor.
There never was a 'thank you for saving me John, now open your presents and eat Christmas dinner.'

It could have been better as a Fourth Of July movie. Hear me out.

John McClane is American.
Hanz is British, and all his goons are foreign.
All of the Christmas decorations are just switched out for Independence Day decorations.
It could even be worked into the plot with gunshots initially being mistaken for firecrackers being set off outside the building, or thats what the cops initially dismiss the initial calls to the police to be.
And Hanz referring to McClane as a cowboy would have fit better with the Americana/Patriotism theme of the movie.
The big explosions of the movie would be reminiscent of fireworks, and/or cannon fire from the Revolutionary War.

And 35 years later when discussing the movie we'd hear there was plans to make it a Christmas movie and most of the reaction would be 'woah, glad that never happened. Would have ruined the best Fourth Of July movie ever.

I can appreciate your take...Untimely, I don't think any other holiday except for Christmas could act as a strong enough motive for someone as career obsessed as McClane to make the cross country trip. The whole motivation for the movie is Christmas.

Its just Christmassy as fuck. And if we don't include Christmas atmosphere as part of what qualifies a movie to be a Christmas movie, then Home Alone is a just a festive home invasion film.


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Here is a fun 6 and a half minute video for anyone who wants to watch that goes over why Die Hard is a Christmas movie: