These 15 underrated Christmas movies range from cozy classics and family animation to unsettling thrillers and offbeat seasonal stories. “Underrated” is a subjective recommendation, not a popularity ranking; the list is curated for variety, with notes on each film’s tone and how much Christmas matters to its story.
Cozy classics and old-Hollywood warmth
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
A Christmas-to-New-Year city romance built around an unlikely found family, this old-Hollywood film pairs seasonal warmth with a story attentive to class and privilege. Choose it for a gentle, character-led holiday watch. The Guardian included it in its 2025 Christmas recommendations: The Guardian’s 2025 Christmas film list.
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The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
Cary Grant plays an angel who helps a bishop recover sight of what matters to him. The supernatural premise gives this festive romance a touch of magic, while its focus stays on relationships and priorities. The BFI recommends it as a charming holiday adaptation: BFI’s alternative Christmas films.
Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
Kim Novak and James Stewart star in this Christmas Eve romance with witchcraft in the mix. It is a good pick for viewers who want classic-Hollywood glamour and a gently supernatural premise rather than a story centered on Christmas traditions. The BFI highlights its Christmas Eve setting in its alternative Christmas film guide.
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Animation and family-friendly holiday viewing
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Muppets take on Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, with Michael Caine as Scrooge. Its musical numbers and playful presentation make it an accessible choice for family viewing, while the familiar story gives Christmas a central role. TIME has also recommended it as a kid-friendly adaptation: TIME’s Christmas movie recommendations.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
This animated tragicomedy follows an eccentric trio through a Christmas-time search that brings them into a string of unlikely encounters. It moves between humor and heartbreak, making it a strong choice for viewers who want animation with more emotional and tonal range than a conventional seasonal comedy. The Guardian’s 2025 list describes its mix of tragicomedy and coincidence: The Guardian’s 2025 Christmas film list.
Romances and family stories with a seasonal setting
Aloha (2015)
Cameron Crowe’s warm-weather romance combines holiday atmosphere with an unusual satellite subplot. Christmas is part of the backdrop rather than the film’s main subject, so this suits viewers looking for a seasonal-adjacent romance that does not rely on snow or a traditional holiday plot. The BFI describes it as underrated: BFI’s alternative Christmas films.
Happy Christmas (2014)
Anna Kendrick stars in Joe Swanberg’s improvised family dramedy, about a woman navigating a post-breakup stretch while staying with her brother and his family. Its Christmas setting frames a domestic story of relationships and growing pains, not a big holiday spectacle. The BFI discusses the film’s family and post-breakup setup in its alternative Christmas film guide.
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Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Ingmar Bergman’s family drama opens with a lavishly staged Christmas gathering in Sweden. The holiday sequence establishes the family world before the story broadens into more serious territory. It is a thoughtful choice for viewers who want Christmas detail as the beginning of a substantial family drama, rather than a self-contained seasonal comedy. The BFI highlights the setting and festive opening: BFI’s alternative Christmas films.
Dark, eerie and unconventional Christmas movies
The Silent Partner (1978)
This little-seen seasonal thriller pits a bank employee against a criminal who uses a Santa disguise. Christmas is woven directly into the setup, but the mood is tense rather than cozy. Pick it for a crime story with a distinctly holiday-season premise. The Guardian included it among its 2025 recommendations: The Guardian’s 2025 Christmas film list.
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Brazil (1985)
Terry Gilliam’s dystopian nightmare uses carols, presents and Santas as part of a consumerist world. Christmas is atmosphere and social texture, not a source of comfort; the result is surreal, darkly comic and intentionally unsettling. The BFI includes it among its alternative seasonal picks: BFI’s alternative Christmas films.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Tim Burton’s gothic fantasy has a memorable Christmas Day scene, with snow and Danny Elfman’s score giving the holiday imagery a melancholy edge. Christmas is a key emotional accent, not the whole plot. This is a good option for viewers who want a fairy tale that is tender, strange and bittersweet. The BFI notes the film’s seasonal scene and score in its alternative Christmas film guide.
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Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Stanley Kubrick’s adult drama unfolds amid Manhattan’s Christmas lights, turning the season’s glow into an unsettling backdrop for a marriage under strain. It is a deliberately unconventional Christmas-season choice, not family holiday viewing. The BFI characterizes it as a perverse kind of Christmas movie in its alternative Christmas film guide.
The Green Knight (2021)
This Arthurian fantasy begins on Christmas morning and gives its protagonist a Christmas deadline the following year. The holiday markers structure the story, but its mood is mythic, eerie and meditative rather than festive. The BFI includes it among its seasonal alternatives: BFI’s alternative Christmas films.
A Guest Is Coming (1947)
This Swedish country-house murder mystery makes the holiday explicit with Christmas dinner and a carol service. It offers a seasonal setting for viewers in the mood for a traditional mystery rather than romance or sentiment. The BFI notes those holiday details in its alternative Christmas film guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Christmas dramas about public life and political ambition
Meet John Doe (1941)
Frank Capra’s drama follows a reporter and a manufactured public hero as political opportunism gathers force. Its Christmas Eve stakes give the story a seasonal hinge, but its concerns are public image, power and civic life. The Guardian calls it a lesser-known Capra choice, and the BFI also highlights the Christmas Eve setting: The Guardian’s 2025 Christmas film list and BFI’s alternative Christmas films.
How to choose by mood
- For a family watch: Try The Muppet Christmas Carol for a musical retelling or Tokyo Godfathers for animation with a more bittersweet edge.
- For classic romance and comfort: Choose It Happened on Fifth Avenue, The Bishop’s Wife or Bell, Book and Candle.
- For domestic drama: Happy Christmas is intimate and contemporary; Fanny and Alexander opens onto a broader family drama.
- For a darker seasonal watch: The Silent Partner brings crime-thriller tension, while Brazil and Eyes Wide Shut make Christmas distinctly unsettling.
- For a film where Christmas is more atmosphere than plot: Consider Aloha or Edward Scissorhands.
These titles come from different eras, countries and genres, so the amount of Christmas in each varies. That distinction matters: some are built around a holiday story, while others use the season as a setting or contrast. For additional mood-based recommendations, the Associated Press’s December 2024 guide includes choices such as Klaus and Three Days of the Condor: AP’s 2024 holiday movie guide.
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