Loading...
So let's wrap up this series of posts, taking a look at Christmas movies that the gays love to watch. Which gays? My gays, that's which gays. i put the call out on my socials asking for "your favorite Christmas movie to watch every year," and they came back with horror flicks, daddy flicks, weirdo flicks, and movies that partied! now as we enter the final days before the big day, let's settle down and look at some of the classic films we know and love, our parents know and love, and even our meemaw loves!
There are many film versions of the classic Charles Dickens story to choose from, but this version came up more often than most. Probably because it's a version that was shared with my gays at a young age by their parents or grandparents, and the delightful memory and close familial feelings of that first viewing just took hold and stayed there. Starring Alastair Sim, the film is simply solid noirish filmmaking, filled with dark shadows contrasted by pale lighting playing within cavernous, gothic set pieces. It's all evocative of the tone of much of the original novel. Many of the scenes, like his encounter with Jacob Marley's ghost, are played like a horror film and retain many of the smallwonderful details of Dickens's brilliant writing.
I will say that, literary purist that I am, I actually loved the version that came out in 2019 starring Guy Pearce. While its diversions from the source material go to some truly dark and horrific places, including the sexual manipulation of Mrs. Cratchett in exchange for money for Tiny Tim, and the allowance by his father of mistreatment of young Scrooge at the hands of his school's headmaster in exchange for tuition, among other atrocities, the feel of the three-part series seems in line with the original story, but amplified to a shocking intensity. And the cinematography and special effects are stunning!
Also, I'm very much looking forward to Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol due next year, starring Johnny Depp in the titular role, and directed by Ti West, the horror auteur who gave us the incredible X trilogy!
Speaking of updated versions of this story:
I don't know what it is about the Muppets, but every Gen-Xer and Millennial I know claims this version to be a beloved watch as well. Starring Michael Caine, who doesn't seem at all chagrined to be playing second fiddle to heaps of well-costumed cloth, the film is simply delightful, great for kids as well as adults who appreciate the wry nods and winks to their sense of humor.
Two former soldiers, Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby, team up with a nightclub sister act, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, to help save the failing Vermont inn run by their former commander. With music by Irving Berlin, songs like "White Christmas," "Sisters," and "Snow" have made this one of the classic Christmas movies to watch. And if you have the taste and heart of an octogenarian, you'll love it too! Personally, I hate this movie. My partner and I watched it a few years ago, the first time for both of us, and we were both struggling to make it through to the end. We found it simply painfully dull, and were shocked that so many hold it so close to their hearts. I know, I get it. It's me, it's not the movie. (But really it's the movie!)
This short animated classic, born in the first year of GenX, is an odd mix of frothy fun and melancholic self-introspection. Hey, just like GenX! There's a lot of navel-gazing going on as the Peanuts gang seems preoccupied by the commercialization of the season. So Charlie Brown is out to find the "true meaning of Christmas." This was definitely the film that tarnished the tinsel season for me, growing up with it as I did. It's a wonderful reality check, getting back to simple basics and a pure message that pertains to all. And you simply can't beat the light jazz score by Vince Guaraldi, which plays on permanent repeat in many of our heads at this time of year.
And saving truly the best for last...
There is so much to love in this genuinely funny and slightly strange holiday film; it's no wonder so many mention it on their list of must-watches. Young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley, who grew up to be a stone-cold hottie!) just wants a special BB gun for Christmas. But he has to contend with bullies, teachers, pranks, his tagalong little brother, and a terrifying Santa, all of whom tell him "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" It's hard to pin down one special scene as being indcative of just why this movie is so special: the "eat like a piggy" dinner scene; when he pummels his bully after one too many knocks; when Flick gets his tongue stuck to the cold pole at recess; "oooooohhh fuuuuuuuudge!"; or the revelation of the famous leg lamp! All combine in a glorious memory movie set in the middle of WWII that makes it seem like this was all our childhood Christmases. Or at least we wanted it to be so. (For me, it actually kinda was, seeing as how I grew up fifteen minutes away from the home where they would film the exteriors of the family house and neighborhood!)
The surreal sadism of scenes like when Ralphie meets Santa are what make this film so perversely hilarious. Oh man, that weird kid with the goggles!
Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
© 2025 NSFW.Army. All Rights Reserved
