The Movies That Feel Like Christmas To Us |
Personal picks, seasonal associations, and films we keep returning to this time of the year.
| CHRISTMAS is when watching movies stops being a pastime and starts feeling like a tradition. Between meals that stretch too long, plans that fall apart, and the odd pocket of unexpected quiet, films become something we return to instinctively — for comfort, distraction, or just the pleasure of pressing pause on the year. This isn’t about ticking off festive classics as much as it is about finding something that fits the mood you’re in, whether that’s chaotic, sentimental, lonely, or quietly content.
Everyone carries a different idea of what makes a “Christmas movie”. For some, it’s the annual rewatch that feels as non-negotiable as dessert. For others, it’s a film they stumbled upon once during the holidays and now associate forever with that time of year. We asked a few of our own to recommend one film each — not because it’s officially festive, but because it captures what Christmas feels like to them, right now. Stream the latest films and shows with OTTplay's Power Play monthly pack, for only Rs 149. |
THE HOLIDAY Who can deny the urge to restart life once hit by a dead end? And what could be a more potent dead-end than the holiday season? Nancy Meyers takes this possibility and runs with it in The Holiday, crafting a near-perfect holiday movie in the mould of a romcom, ensuring through her committed style that even the surface works just as well. Most things sing – the idyllic Kate Winslet house, the Jack Black reassurances, the Cameron Diaz smile — but even if all fails, there's Jude Law, turning up, unafraid to showcase his beating heart. It is a film I keep revisiting often, and it always works, especially during Christmas. — Ishita Sengupta |
| | PREMALU Girish AD's Premalu is an endearing, feel-good romance layered with friendship and a soft coming-of-age journey. Naslen brings an elfin charm, Mamita Baiju lights up the screen with warmth, and the ensemble completes its comforting mood. Just perfect for a post-scrumptious-lunch Christmas watch! — Neelima Menon |
THE GREAT SHAMSUDDIN FAMILY To see a chamber dramedy in which the room keeps expanding with members of a dysfunctional family is to feel the spirit of the holiday season: chaotic, crowded, emotional and unusually intimate. But to see a woman-centric chamber dramedy in which two generations of a liberal Muslim family clash, confront and embrace each other's differences over the course of a single day is to remember the hope of every holiday season: democratic, tolerant, warm, chatty and nostalgic. — Rahul Desai |
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
The quintessential comedy classic should be right up on everyone's holiday watchlist. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci school each other and the audience on fashion, romance, work ethic and life. A breezy film that never betrays its complexity, hiding its serious interior with a soft, easygoing exterior. It's one of those rare mainstream dramedies with tremendous cultural impact over the last decade. The performances are a hoot, and the quiet part is never said aloud in this perfect film for the holiday season. What's more, it is also a great prep for the sequel that's coming next year!
— Aditya Shrikrishna |
HOME ALONE 1 & 2 Festivals are as much about joy as they are about confusion. Love is in the air, but so is tension. But eventually, after all that stress, there is the joy one finds in lovely relationships. And no set of films captures that better than the Home Alone series, written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. Macaulay Culkin is the reason we fall in love with Kevin McCallister and his antics. And the writing and staging are why we still remember the lonely old man who learns to love, or the lady who feeds pigeons. — Subha J Rao |
SOUL
My recommendation is for those of us who don’t have too many plans this holiday season and want to feel the warmth of Christmas and the New Year while lying in bed. It's the time of the year when you can see glitter and spark all around you, but what about seeking the spark from within? Soul is the kind of film that is guaranteed to infuse some self-love even in the most cynical of hearts. A warm hug that unfolds over two hours.
— Swetha Ramakrishnan |
LOOTCASE Released during the pandemic, this is a comedy of errors that I keep going back to. Led by a commendable Kunal Kemmu, it's the perfect cocktail of memorable meta-characters, perky humour and just the right combination of comedic coincidence and utter, abject ineptitude. It's neither silly nor oversmart, and most impressively stays within the lanes of a family watch — it's a hard ask for comedies cutting too close to the edge these days. — Manik Sharma |
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