Comedy Christmas Movie Reviews

Welcome to the database of Christmas movie comedy reviews that I have compiled for both Peace Love Christmas and Jeff Marshall, Movie Blogger.

If you’re in the mood for a festive holiday movie and a couple laughs, you’ve come to the right place. In this database, which will be updated often, you will find all of the Christmas comedy films I have reviewed along with the director, cast, plot and my detailed thoughts along with my rating from 0 to 5 stars.

My suggestion in using the database is to take a look at the titles on the Table of Contents, click on a title that sounds intriguing, and it will take you directly to my review.

As I mentioned above, this will be a consistent work in progress, so if you don’t find a title that grabs your attention, come back again and maybe your luck will change.

If you’d like to suggest a movie to add to the database, please do so in the comments at the bottom of the page.

My hope is that this will be a time-saving resource for you during the holidays when you are in the mood for a couple hours of relaxation in front of the television.

Over the course of the next few weeks and months, keep an eye out for other databases that will be added to the site – including dramas, romances, children’s movies, animated movies, holiday specials, documentaries and, of course, Hallmark Christmas movies.

A BAD MOM’S CHRISTMAS (2018)

DIRECTORS: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

STARRING: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn

PLOT: Under-appreciated and overburdened moms rebel against the challenges and expectations of Christmas. As if creating the perfect holiday for their families isn’t hard enough, they’ll have to do it while hosting and entertaining their own respective mothers when they come to visit.

RATING: *1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: I had a VERY visceral and negative reaction to this movie – so much so that I came very close to turning it off a couple times. While I certainly don’t consider myself a “prude” when it comes to movies, this type of humor does nothing for me and often comes close to being offensive. Watching a young girl, possibly around 6-7 years old, saying the f-word not once, not twice, but THREE times is not humorous to me.

I have not seen the original BAD MOMS movie, but I’m going to assume its probably the same raunch humor mixed with attempted pathos. Hahn is an actress I have admired in the past, but her character here is absolutely repugnant. I cringed every time she came onscreen. Christine Baranski as Kunis’ mom is unbearable and made me want to pull my hair out. Susan Sarandon as Hahn’s mom looks embarrassed to be part of these proceedings. A

nd the rest of the cast isn’t much better, save Kunis. She is the one relatively bright spot here and seems to understand how to handle the tone of this movie. Had everyone else been on her level, this may have succeeded. And a really good and funny movie could be made about the stress of mothers during Christmas. This just ain’t it – not by a long shot.

THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES (2018)

Director: Clay Kaytis

Starring: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp and Judah Lewis

PLOT: Siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce hatch a scheme to capture Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When the plan goes awry, the kids join forces with a somewhat jolly Saint Nick and his loyal elves to save the holiday before it’s too late.

RATING: *** out of *****

REVIEW: This was an enjoyable albeit frustrating experience because with a couple little tweaks and some editing, this could have been at least a 4-star experience.

Russell excels in his modern take on Santa, and I would rank his as one of my favorite St. Nick portrayals. Camp and Lewis are likable protagonists for whom we have a rooting interest, and their rapport with Russell feels genuine. The scenes showing how Santa goes from house to house so quickly are very clever.

However, this is not going to be a popular opinion, but I was not overly fond of the elves in this movie. One particular scene in which an elf is charging between the legs of a male character while brandishing a chainsaw feels totally out of place and completely unnecessary.

The family plot involving the deceased dad and overworked mom feels overly familiar, and 15 minutes off the running time would have helped with the flow of the movie overall. Lots of great potential here, and I’m anxious to watch the sequel later today to see if they learned from their mistakes. I wish I had been unaware of the cameo at the end of the movie – very inspired!

A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS (2022)

Director: Clay Kaytis

Starring: Peter Billingsley, Erinn Hayes and Julie Hagerty

PLOT:  Ralphie returns to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child.

RATING: **1/2 out of *****

REVIEW: I honestly didn’t have extremely high hopes for this long-awaited sequel to the 1983 holiday classic, and those expectations were pretty much met. Except for a strong last 20 minutes, this movie fails to come close to the magic and nostalgia of its predecessor. In fact, the frequent flashbacks and returning characters and references to the original only make us miss it that much more.

Bob Clark’s A CHRISTMAS STORY was anchored by strong actors such as Darren McGavin and the underrated Melinda Dillon as Ralphie’s parents. And forgive me for being blunt, but the kids from the 1983 movie didn’t grow up to be the strongest of thespians.

I was particularly dismayed by the casting and performance of Hagerty. She will always have a free pass with me because of her involvement with AIRPLANE!, but nothing about her feels remotely close to the Mrs. Parker that Dillon originated. In fact, I kept waiting for the revelation that Ralphie’s mom had passed away, and Hagerty was playing his stepmom.

Except for the sake of nostalgia and perhaps a desire to try capturing lightning in a bottle again, this movie feels perfunctory and unnecessary. With the exception of a quite funny scene involving Christmas carolers, there isn’t a memorable character or situation to be found.

I’m not necessarily yelling Bah Humbug, but at the same time, I’m not screaming Deck the Halls!

CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL (2018)

DIRECTOR: James Dearden 

STARRING: Julian Ovenden, Gemma Whelan and Joely Richardson

PLOT: Two sisters and their families decide to spend the Christmas holiday at their late parents’ dilapidated country house.

RATING: **1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: A very appealing cast can only do so much to carry a movie that is pretty much dull as dishwater. The filmmakers tend to mistake eccentricity for comedy, so what we end up with is a whole cadre of way too many characters acting goofy and getting into crazy situations, but there just aren’t a whole lot of laughs.

And when I say way too many characters, I mean WAY too many characters. We have the two sisters, their respective spouses and children, an in-law or two, a son and ex-wife from a previous marriage, a foreign exchange student, a drunken priest and the list goes on. Again, the only thing that makes it watchable is the likability of the cast.

For me Whelan is the MVP. I’ve never seen her in a movie before, but she has a very lovely and comfortable presence on screen and she exudes a warmth that certainly goes beyond how the character was written. I can’t say that it didn’t hold my attention, but there’s not a lot memorable here, and I don’t expect this to become a traditional Christmas viewing.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE ANDERSONS (2016)

Director: Michael Feifer

Starring: Geroge Stults, Christy Carlson Romano and Julie Brown

PLOT: Drowning in tinsel and lights every Christmas, Michael and Caroline Anderson throw the year’s biggest party at their house. But this year, with Michael jobless and Caroline’s store struggling, that tradition may end. The Andersons decide to host a very different kind of party, which helps them rediscover what’s most important about the holiday.

RATING: *1/2 out of *****

REVIEW: Here we have yet another Christmas movie about truly horrendous people who magically turn their lives around just in time for the holidays. You know, when done right, movies like this can be quite effective, as in the Scrooge movie of your choice.

The key to its success (or failure) is the belief that the person or people in question truly have an epiphany that makes a significant difference. In this case, everything feels rather phony, and the change of spirit doesn’t feel believable whatsoever – simply a screenwriter conceit.

For some reason, everything feels rather insulting here because it’s very materialistic – had the main characters not faced a great loss of revenue, there’s no doubt in my mind they wouldn’t have changed at all. Lots can be forgiven if the characters are relatable and believable, but these are once again basic cliches rather than three dimensional people.

Everything about this screams bottom-level D-list production, and there is nothing here you haven’t seen a million times before and a million times better.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (2004)

DIRECTOR: Joe Roth

STARRING: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd

PLOT: Finally alone for the holidays, Luther and Nora Krank plan to eschew the Christmas traditions and take a cruise in the Caribbean. This doesn’t sit well with their Christmas-obsessed neighbors who are determined to win the annual street decoration competition. 

RATING: 1/2* out of *****

REVIEW: I hear this movie mentioned so often when friends and acquaintances talk about their favorite Christmas movies, and I have to simply smile and nod or momentarily excuse myself and scream into a pillow.

I don’t think this is just bad – it’s shockingly, mind-numbingly bad. It’s a movie about which I don’t want to discuss a lot because, well, life is short, and I try to be positive whenever I can. I felt bad for the cast who, I guess, try to do their best, but even Santa himself doesn’t have enough magic to make this a decent holiday picture.

ELF (2003)

DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau

STARRING: Will Ferrell, James Caan and Mary Steenburgen

PLOT: Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York in full elf uniform in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs, a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.

RATING: ***1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: I wouldn’t say I was necessarily avoiding this movie for many year, but it just wasn’t one that I felt a need to go out of my way to watch. I appreciate much of Ferrell’s work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, but his post-SNL film career has been spotty at best. To my delight and surprise, I found this film to be utterly charming, much funnier than I anticipated and a welcome addition to my holiday viewing schedule.

Let me get a couple negatives out of the way quickly. I don’t think Caan was the right choice here. I appreciated him much more as the curmudgeonly businessman than the transformed humanmitarian. The romance with Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel felt like an afterthought and a distraction, although I blame the screenplay more than Deschanel’s performance. And the last quarter of the movie loses steam a bit along with much of the humor and delight of what preceded it.

All that aside, I think this may be the finest Ferrell screen performance I’ve seen, and it’s one of those occasions where you literally can’t imagine anyone else doing the role justice. And even though she doesn’t have much of a role here, I must say that I don’t know of another actress in modern cinema who has the ability to convey warmth and caring like Steenburgen. Despite an Oscar win deacades ago, she is an underrated talent who deserves more opportunities than she has had.

I didn’t necessarily feel the holiday “glow” at the end that my favorite Christmas movies make me experience, but I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up with this movie. I also appreciated some of the subtle nods to other Christmas movies and specials that preceded it, most notably RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER. I now understand why this has become a family favorite for so many!

FOUR CHRISTMASES (2008)

Director: Seth Gordon 

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Tim McGraw and Dwight Yoakam 

PLOT: When their plans for an exotic vacation fall apart, unmarried couple Brad and Kate must spend Christmas Day trudging around to a quartet of family get-togethers. While Brad counts the hours till he can escape the onslaught of crazy relatives, Kate begins to wonder about her own choices and ponders whether her family members are so crazy after all.

RATING: *1/2 out of *****

REVIEW: This is a definite contender for the Worst Film Of All Time Featuring Multiple Oscar Winners. I stopped counting at five Academy Award recipients who needed a paycheck badly enough to become associated with this mess.

I guess in a way I should be in awe of this movie – in a rather short 89 minutes, it manages to exemplify almost every single characteristic that I think is wrong with modern American comedy, and it may have even invented a couple new ones.

Rumor has it that Witherspoon and Vaughn weren’t exactly best friends off-screen, and judging by their performances and lack of chemistry here, I am inclined to believe it. I was prepared to give this a one-star rating, but a game of Taboo that takes place at Sissy Spacek’s house made me chuckle enough to add a 1/2-star to my rating. Otherwise, I was shocked by the lack of originality and effort.

It’s almost  impossible for me to believe that the talent involved here couldn’t have come up with at least a couple memorable scenes or a few fleeting moments of true comedy. But it feels as stale as a three-month old fruitcake. That being said, if you like bad slapstick comedy, vomiting, babies getting knocked in the head, streaking children and religious mockery, this might be right up your alley.

THE HOLIDAY (2006)

DIRECTOR: Nancy Meyers

STARRING: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law

PLOT: Dumped and depressed, English rose Iris agrees to swap homes with similarly unlucky in love Californian Amanda for a much-needed break. Iris finds herself in a palatial Hollywood mansion while Amanda navigates the lanes of a picture-perfect English village. Soon enough, both lovelorn ladies bump into local lads perfect for a romantic pick-me-up.

RATING: ****1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: There’s a lot of stuff I can’t explain about the world: Does life exist on other planets? Do UFOs visit our galaxy? If a Kardashian falls when no one is around, does it make a sound?

But the biggest unexplained phenomenon in my life is how a rom-com hater such as myself has managed over the course of many years now to continually fall in love with perhaps the most rom-com rom-com ever made. I no longer try to explain – I just accept. 

This movie works for me on a meta plain that makes me happy, and I’m able to forgive nearly ever flaw and view it through rose-colored glasses. The scene in which Diaz meets Law’s little girls is something I could watch on loop for eternity. While Diaz and Winslet rule the roost, it’s Jude whose performance knocks me for a loop here – he’s the ideal man who puts the rest of us to shame, and he somehow doesn’t make us hate him for being so perfect. I’m not sure how he pulled it off, but he does.

Jack Black is also at his most charming and least grating. He plays a film composer in this movie, which has always been my dream job, so the film gains brownie points there, too. I don’t brag about liking this move as much as I do, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and the truth is that I really love this movie.

HOME ALONE (1990)

DIRECTOR: Chris Columbus

STARRING: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern

PLOT: When bratty 8 year old Kevin McCallister acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men plan to rob the McCallister residence and that he alone must protect the family home.

RATING: **1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: I really only have one fundamental issue with this movie; unfortunately it’s a big one. Let’s start with the good. Culkin does a fantastic job in this movie – I’m very sensitive toward overly cute and/or obnoxious kids in movies, but he straddles the line perfectly. The supporting cast is filled with wonderful actors, particularly the treasure that is Catherine O’Hara. And one can’t help but leave this movie with a warm heart after the uplifting ending.

Here’s my problem. When Bugs Bunny drops an anvil on Yosemite Sam or when the Acme bomb meant to impede the Road Runner blows up in Wile E. Coyote’s face, there’s great humor to be found. These are cartoons – we realize no one is actually getting hurt. When you take these same antics and portray them in the real world with real people, it’s not only unfunny but very uncomfortable to watch.

Perhaps I’m overly sensitive – millions of filmgoers obviously feel differently – but it left a sour aftertaste in my mouth and ruined the rest of the movie, most of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

JINGLE ALL THE WAY (1996)

Director: Brian Levant

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad and Phil Hartman

PLOT: Workaholic Howard Langston wants to make things up to his son Jamie by promising to get him the hottest toy of the season, Turbo-Man. Unfortunately, it’s Christmas Eve and the toy is practically sold out. As Langston hunts down the elusive gift, he runs into mailman Myron, another father on the same quest. With the clock winding down, Langston’s moral code is tested as he starts to learn the real meaning of Christmas.

RATING: * out of *****

REVIEW: I really wanted to like this movie and made every effort to do so. But when all is said and done, I have to remain true and honest to myself. This is the cinematic equivalent of getting burnt fast food after waiting in line for an hour next to a really smelly and talkative guy named Zeke.

This is a tortuous experience, and its 90 minute run time felt longer than GONE WITH THE WIND. I will admit, there was a very small glimmer of hope when I saw my comedy idol Harvey Korman pop up at the beginning; however, he’s gone after 12 seconds, and I was left high and dry.

Watching Arnold try to be funny is truly one of the most excruciatingly uncomfortable things in movie history. And D-list stand-up comic Sinbad matches him step for step in a truly unbearable performance. I wanted to smack Jake Lloyd as Schwarzenegger’s son within minutes of his first appearance. The exaggerated physical comedy is not only unfunny but almost offensive in its lack of tact.

If you find stuff like this funny, more power to you, but I just don’t get it. I can’t think of one inspired moment that made me even crack the faintest of grins.

A MERRY FRIGGIN’ CHRISTMAS (2014)

DIRECTOR: Tristram Shapeero

STARRING: Joel McHale, Robin Williams and Candice Bergen

PLOT: Forced to spend Christmas at his parents’ house, Boyd Mitchler must hit the road with his eccentric father to get his son’s Christmas gifts before morning.

RATING: ** out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: Unfortunately, the most noteworthy aspect of this below average holiday film is the fact that it was released a mere three months after the untimely death of Williams. That inevitably puts a damper on the events. But even taking this event out of the equation, this a movie filled with unlikable characters about whom we caring nothing and a completely abrupt switch in tone from first half to second half that is not believable in the slightest.

Imagine if NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION was filled with half a dozen Uncle Eddies – one Eddie can be ridiculously fun, but a movie filled with them is a yuletide nightmare. That’s basically what we have here with a couple exceptions.

I always thought McHale had the makings for a successful big screen light comedian, and if anything works in this movie it is him, for the most part. He does his best to hold the shards of this story together but eventually gets lost in the tidal wave of mediocrity like everyone else.

Unfortunately, Williams is pretty unbearable here – his attempts at mean-spirited comedy fall flat, and his 180 degree turn-around brings out his mawkish PATCH ADAMS side that is almost unwatchable. A recurring scuzzy-looking Santa who drinks bourbon and may or may not be the real deal is totally unnecessary and negates any possiblity of this becoming a realistic familiy comedy.

A cast this strong will obviously have a couple good moments here and there, but they deserve better – so do we.

MY DAD IS SCROOGE (2014)

Director: Justin G. Dyck

Starring: Christian Laurian Kerr, Eva Greig and Brian Cook

PLOT: “A Christmas Carol” turns into “A Christmas Corral” as the animals of Woodsley’s Farm help Oliver and his little sister June stage the classic tale to shock their Dad into embracing the spirit of the holidays.

RATING: 1/2* out of *****

REVIEW: Oh my. This movie is as horrible as the title would indicate – and then some. Atrociously bad. Perhaps historically bad. The kind of bad where it hurts to keep watching but you have to because you can’t imagine it will get any worse and then it does. My oh my. I don’t even know where to begin.

Let’s just say there are a lot of nominees for all-time worsts here. Greig gives one of the most awful child performances I’ve ever seen. Clark the Dog, voiced by someone named Joe Marth, gives the single worst animal performance I’ve ever seen. And I dare you to watch this movie and tell me otherwise.

It was apparently written, directed and edited by people who were raised in the wilderness by wolves or perhaps in a bunker. Commercials for Wendy’s have better acting and production values. I suppose it deserves to be seen once so you will have a better appreciation for virtually every other movie you will see in your lifetime. Yes, it’s that bad.

MY DAD’S CHRISTMAS DATE (2020)

Director: Mick Davis

Starring: Jeremy Piven, Olivia-Mai Barrett and Joely Richardson

PLOT: A 16-year-old girl tries to play matchmaker for her widowed father during Christmas time to help them both move forward from the sudden and tragic death of her mother two years earlier.

RATING: ** out of *****

REVIEW: Yet another cookie-cutter Christmas concoction going through the same tired routine as a trillion other holiday movies you’re likely to see this or any other season. It’s beginning to get increasingly difficult to review films like this – part of me just wants to copy and paste from earlier reviews and change a few names.

But this movie feels particularly DOA – even the actors seem tired and portray their characters rather somnambulantly. Piven, in particular, acts as though he was trying to channel the spirit of Steve Carell, but he doesn’t possess the humor or the pathos of Carell’s best performances. And Richardson is absolutely wasted in such a throwaway role that one can’t help but wonder why in the world she agreed to appear. Perhaps the filmmakers have dirt on her?!?!

The chemistry between the cast is non-existent, almost shockingly so. Piven and Barrett are supposed to be father and daughter, but you’d think they were third cousins twice removed who just met each other three days ago. As someone who lost his mother unexpectedly before Christmas in 2014, this is going to inevitably have a scene or two that hits me in the gut. But that’s due to human nature and not any accomplishment by the filmmakers.

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)

DIRECTOR: Jeremiah S. Chechik

STARRING: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki

PLOT: As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife and children as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin Eddie and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.

RATING: ***1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: What is it about the VACATION movies that makes me lose all credibility as a reviewer? I’ve thought long and hard about this, especially after seeing the Christmas version. And I think I’ve come up with an answer.

In a world full of cynical, mean-spirited comedies, the Griswolds are generally wholesome, likable characters. And it wouldn’t work were it not for the chemistry between Chase and D’Angelo, which is the glue that holds everything together.

I think the disastrous reboot in 2015 proves the latter to be true. This movie is actually filled to the brim with a remarkable set of actors (Lewis and Diane Ladd, who plays Clark’s mom, would be competing against each other two years later for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars). The humor works because you can see that Clark is doing everything for the sake of his family. In that regard, this actually might be one of the more heartwarming holiday films available.

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY (2016)

DIRECTORS: Will Speck and Josh Gordon

STARRING: Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller and Jennifer Aniston

PLOT: When the CEO tries to close her hard-partying brother’s branch, he and his chief technical officer must rally their co-workers and host an epic office Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs.

RATING: *1/2 out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: Bah humbug! I really expected to enjoy this movie, at least on a mindless fun angle. But what a disappointment! How can so many talented and funny people produce a movie that didn’t provide me a single laugh?

Maybe it’s just me, but outrageous behavior isn’t necessarily humorous behavior. I didn’t like any of these characters, I wasn’t interested in anything going on, and I became more and more irritated that actors I enjoy and respect were being wasted on this nothingness. As for me, I’ll stick to Christmas episode re-runs of THE OFFICE on TV.

SCROOGED (1988)

DIRECTOR: Richard Donner

STARRING: Bill Murray, Karen Allen and Alfre Woodard

PLOT: Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature have driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

RATING: *** out of *****

MY THOUGHTS: For me, the make-or-break deal of any Scrooge adaptation, and I’m sure this is probably around number 842, is whether or not you believe Ebenezer’s about-face at the end. In this case, I did not.

There are some individually good scenes and performances, but in the end, it didn’t matter because I was left cold when my heart should have been rending and my eyes filling with tears. I know, I know… it’s a comedy. But still, one should get a bit of the feels with a story like this.

A lot of the problem lies with Murray, or my perception of Murray as a performer. I have a great deal of trouble taking him seriously – something like LOST IN TRANSLATION was a marvelous exception. When he’s visiting past, present and future and we see the tears well up in his eyes, I’m just waiting for a smart aleck retort to soon follow. It’s virtually impossible to make an emotional connection to him here.

That being said, lots of bits and pieces work well. I loved the skewering of bad Christmas TV. I loved the warmth that Allen and Woodard bring to their limited roles – Allen has a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. I liked Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present although the masochism got to be a little bit much at the end. Heck, I even thought Bobcat Goldthwait was tolerable.

This is not unwatchable by any means, but in the pantheon of Dickens adaptations, this is probably toward the middle, at best.

SURVIVING CHRISTMAS (2004)

Director: Mike Mitchell

Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini and Christina Applegate

PLOT: A wealthy executive has no close relationships and becomes nostalgic for his childhood home as Christmas approaches. When he visits the house and finds another family living there, he offers the residents a large sum of money to pretend they are his parents. Soon he tests the family’s patience, and when their daughter arrives, things get increasingly tense.

RATING: ** out of *****

REVIEW: This was a really tough watch! There is nothing more painful than watching an actor TRY to be funny – and fail. Poor Affleck. At least he was having a good hair day. And being surrounded by more adept comedic performers doesn’t help matters, although no one, including my beloved Catherine O’Hara, manages to remain unscathed.

The romantic storyline between Affleck and Applegate is appalling and makes me want to re-evaluate my smart aleck Hallmark remarks. A plot line involving a young teenager’s porn addiction seems gratuitous and in poor taste. And even though I’m seemingly full of negatives, I didn’t HATE it as much as I have some other holiday films. I’ll settle for a strong dislike.

Although wasting a comic genius like O’Hara should be grounds for cinematic assault charges.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS EVE (2004)

Director: Martha Coolidge

Starring: Steven Weber, Molly Shannon and Vincent Gale

PLOT: Calvin is an executive and as Christmas nears he becomes so preoccupied in clinching a deal that he fails to notice the preparations being made for the holidays by his girlfriend and son. On Christmas Eve itself Calvin is hurt in an accident and it takes nurse Angie to make him realize how he can make up for lost time.

RATING: ** out of *****

REVIEW: I am going to guess the person or people who wrote this movie had just watched a Bill Murray double feature of SCROOGED and GROUNDHOG DAY and thought it would be a brilliant idea to mix them together. Trouble is, I don’t even know if Murray himself could have saved this one.

This movie feels as long as the title suggests rather than its actual relatively scant 88 minutes. Believe me, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before and a million times better.

The biggest fault here is that the lead character’s transformation from first moment to last is not convincing. I’m sure Weber is a nice enough guy, but he’s a bland actor, and he doesn’t provide either the comic punch or the emotional connection that would make us root for this guy. In fact, “bland” is the perfect adjective to describe this whole endeavor.

What’s most depressing is that director Coolidge at one time was a very reputable filmmaker! It’s almost impossible to believe that the same woman who directed Laura Dern and Diane Ladd to Oscar nominations for the 1991 movie RAMBLING ROSE was also responsible for this sitcom level TV movie. And I won’t even go into detail about how this movie wastes the comic brilliance of Shannon.

Skip this one and rent GROUNDHOG DAY next February instead.

A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS (1988)

Director: Peter Baldwin

Starring: Robert Reed, Florence Henderson and Ann B. Davis

PLOT: Mike and Carol Brady are looking forward to spending the Christmas holiday with their six adult children and their former housekeeper Alice, but various issues may keep them apart. Every Brady sibling has a set of problems, marital or otherwise. However, their own difficulties are eclipsed when their father is trapped in a collapsed building. For the Bradys to have a happy holiday, it’s going to take a Christmas miracle.

RATING: *** out of *****

REVIEW: After hours of intense thought and deliberation, I have decided to let nostalgia outweigh common sense and give this a slightly passing grade.

I know most of the performances are on the level of what you would find in an Eggo Waffles commercial, including some of the most annoying child acting in history. I know the plot and writing are below the standards of your average sitcom, including a dramatic twist at the end that feels totally out of place when compared with the rest of the shenanigans.

But how can I give a negative review to a Brady Bunch movie on Christmas Eve? Even my three-sizes-too-small heart couldn’t fathom the thought. I do wish the filmmakers had used a bit more imagination – perhaps do something satirical along the lines of the theatrical movies that came along a few years later.

But in the end, I suppose it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and those who grew up with the sitcom will appreciate seeing most of the original cast reunite. And I’d be lying if I said I will never watch this again. Plus, it doesn’t feature Kirk Cameron, so all is well.

A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS (2015)

Director: Sofia Coppola

Starring: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones and Jason Schwartzman

PLOT: Bill Murray worries no one will show up to his TV show due to a terrible snowstorm in New York City.

RATING: **** out of *****

REVIEW: This is one of the more unusual Christmas offerings I’ve ever seen. There’s almost an hallucinogenic quality to the whole thing as if the creators were experimenting with peculiar substances while forming the concept of everything here. Whatever they were doing, it works for me!!

This is right in my comedy wheelhouse, with countless celebrities coming in and out of the picture making brief and unusual appearances. This has to be one of the strangest and most eclectic combination of stars ever assembled.

Murray is not a performer to whom I automatically gravitate, but when he is given strong material like LOST IN TRANSLATION or GROUNDHOG DAY, he is exceptional. This was directed by Sofia Coppola, who also directed him to an Oscar nomination in TRANSLATION, and she seems to know how to handle him perfectly.

It’s an unusual hour, but it has a surprising amount of melancholy and longing that I think is quite appropriate for this time of year. It’s not going to leave you in buoyant spirits, but if you grab a drink or two and sit in front of the fire, you might find it casting a rather hypnotic spell on you.

As the holiday season rolls around, there’s nothing quite like a good comedy Christmas movie to bring some cheer and laughter into your home. Whether you’re a fan of the classics or love discovering new favorites, these comedy Christmas movies have a special way of making the season even more magical.

More Christmas Movie Reviews For You:

Top 10 Popular Christian Christmas Movies and Specials

Angel in the House Movie Review

Free Hallmark and Hallmark-like Christmas Movies on YouTube

35 Free Romantic Christmas Movies on Tubi