The Christmas Film Recommendables - Part 5

Here are five more suggestions on how to experience Christmas vicariously, all from the comfort of your own couch. Just the way Santa/Jesus/Krampus always intended it to be.

Enjoy!

(To catch up on earlier entries, please visit Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4).

21. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

The bishop, Henry (David Niven), is struggling to save St. Timothy’s church. While busy charming dowagers, he’s been neglecting his wife, Julia (Loretta Young). Enter angel Dudley (Cary Grant). And this is where it gets a little… peculiar. Dudley has been sent – from heaven, apparently – to strike up a friendship with Julia to make Henry jealous. An odd, Bold and the Beautiful-like premise but a film with nice performances (even if Cary Grant has evangelical-crazy-eyes throughout).

Remade in 1996 as The Preacher’s Wife with Denzel and Whitney. I preferred the original, even though Denzel makes a better angel than Grant.

22. Some Girls (1988)

Apparently before he played McDreamy, Patrick Demsey was a skinny kid in love with Jennifer Connelly. And she invites him to Quebec to spend Christmas with her eccentric family.

A quirky but lovely holiday romcom.

23. Kisses (2008)

A dark, disturbing and gob-smackingly well-acted Irish film about two children from dysfunctional backgrounds who decide to run away at Christmas. Even outside of this list of seasonal offerings, this is a superb film.

24. Our First Christmas (2008)

A Brady Bunch-ish story of two families bound by marriage, trying to settle on how to celebrate Christmas in light of their allegiances to their respective traditions. Quality performances from Dixie Carter from Designing Women as grandma and John Ratzenberger from Cheers.

As I type, you can watch it on YouTube.

25. Desk Set (1957)

Whip smart Bunny (Katharine Hepburn) heads a research office that perceives itself under threat from the installation of a supercomputer. A very funny, even feminist film, albeit one that doesn’t dwell on the season in the ways typical of Christmas offerings. But holiday is in there, hence why it’s here.

Part 6 will be on offer tomorrow.