There is no better way to provoke reader outrage than by compiling a top 10 list. No matter how hard you try, there is always someone who is personally offended by your choices. So I was smart. I compiled a list of the Top NINE Funniest Christmas Movies Ever. This way you can fill in the blank for the tenth one and leave me alone. ;)
Could have added one more? Absolutely. Harold and Kumar’s recent movie was hilarious…or so I’ve been told...by other people…who aren’t me. (Middle-aged women don't go to see such filth.)
Anyway, below is my top nine picks for the funniest Christmas movies. If you don't agree, write me a comment. Heck, write me a comment if you do! Listed in order of theatrical release, I have...
Could have added one more? Absolutely. Harold and Kumar’s recent movie was hilarious…or so I’ve been told...by other people…who aren’t me. (Middle-aged women don't go to see such filth.)
Anyway, below is my top nine picks for the funniest Christmas movies. If you don't agree, write me a comment. Heck, write me a comment if you do! Listed in order of theatrical release, I have...
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
Think all holiday classics are syrupy sweet? Think again, my dear. Monty Wooley plays Sheridan Whiteside, a razor-tongued radio personality who slips on the front steps of someone’s house and must stay there to recuperate. Is he a gracious house guest? Of course not! Bette Davis also stars.
Fun fact: Monty Wooley was a professor at Yale before he headed to Broadway, and then movies.
Think all holiday classics are syrupy sweet? Think again, my dear. Monty Wooley plays Sheridan Whiteside, a razor-tongued radio personality who slips on the front steps of someone’s house and must stay there to recuperate. Is he a gracious house guest? Of course not! Bette Davis also stars.
Fun fact: Monty Wooley was a professor at Yale before he headed to Broadway, and then movies.
Trading Places (1983, R) Starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis, this is one of my all-time favorites. Two heartless old millionaires switch the lives of a snobby investor and a street urchin as a social experiment. The results are hysterical.
Fun fact: Louis’ (Dan Aykroyd) prision number was 7474505B, the same number as Jake’s (John Belushi) in 'The Blues Brothers,' a movie in which Aykroyd also starred.
Fun fact: Louis’ (Dan Aykroyd) prision number was 7474505B, the same number as Jake’s (John Belushi) in 'The Blues Brothers,' a movie in which Aykroyd also starred.
A Christmas Story (1983, PG)
There's a reason TBS plays this movie non-stop during the holidays. Peter Billingsley stars as Ralphie, a boy growing up in the 1940s who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. Too bad no one else thinks it’s a good idea -- including Santa, himself!
There's a reason TBS plays this movie non-stop during the holidays. Peter Billingsley stars as Ralphie, a boy growing up in the 1940s who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. Too bad no one else thinks it’s a good idea -- including Santa, himself!
Fun fact: This movie spawned one of the most ridiculously hilarious string
lights available on the net. Gotta get me some.
lights available on the net. Gotta get me some.
Scrooged
(1988, PG-13)
In this Charles Dickens’ send up, Bill Murray plays a cold-hearted and conceited TV executive who gets haunted by three spirits at the same time he’s producing a live Christmas Eve broadcast of A Christmas Carol.
Fun fact: All three of Murray’s brothers -- John, Joel, and Brian Doyle Murray -- had roles in the
film. Two played (you guessed it) his brothers.
(1988, PG-13)
In this Charles Dickens’ send up, Bill Murray plays a cold-hearted and conceited TV executive who gets haunted by three spirits at the same time he’s producing a live Christmas Eve broadcast of A Christmas Carol.
Fun fact: All three of Murray’s brothers -- John, Joel, and Brian Doyle Murray -- had roles in the
film. Two played (you guessed it) his brothers.
National
Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
(1989, PG-13)
Why do we love the Griswolds? Because they put the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional! Nothing ever goes right for Chevy Chase’s Clark, and this holidays are no exception. Boy, that guy knows how to ride a sled....
Fun fact: In all four 'Vacation' movies, Clark and Ellen’s kids are played by different actors every time.
Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
(1989, PG-13)
Why do we love the Griswolds? Because they put the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional! Nothing ever goes right for Chevy Chase’s Clark, and this holidays are no exception. Boy, that guy knows how to ride a sled....
Fun fact: In all four 'Vacation' movies, Clark and Ellen’s kids are played by different actors every time.
Home Alone
(1990, PG)
If I had a quarter for every time I slapped my face with both hands...but I digress. Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin, a young boy who is accidentally left behind when his family takes a trip for Christmas. When two hysterically stupid burglars show up at his front door, it’s game on. Go Kevin!
Fun fact: The picture Kevin finds of Buzz's girlfriend was actually a picture of a boy made up to look like a girl because the director thought it would be too cruel to make fun of a girl like that.
(1990, PG)
If I had a quarter for every time I slapped my face with both hands...but I digress. Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin, a young boy who is accidentally left behind when his family takes a trip for Christmas. When two hysterically stupid burglars show up at his front door, it’s game on. Go Kevin!
Fun fact: The picture Kevin finds of Buzz's girlfriend was actually a picture of a boy made up to look like a girl because the director thought it would be too cruel to make fun of a girl like that.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, G)
It’s sad. I just realized this is the only ‘G’ movie on the list. What does that say about Hollywood? (Or should I say 'about me'?) Anywho, this classic Dickens’ tale is done with equal parts heart and laughter. There's a reason the Muppets were so popular back in the day, you know!
Sad fact: This was the first feature-length film where Kermit’s voice is not provided by Jim Henson, who died suddenly before filming began.
It’s sad. I just realized this is the only ‘G’ movie on the list. What does that say about Hollywood? (Or should I say 'about me'?) Anywho, this classic Dickens’ tale is done with equal parts heart and laughter. There's a reason the Muppets were so popular back in the day, you know!
Sad fact: This was the first feature-length film where Kermit’s voice is not provided by Jim Henson, who died suddenly before filming began.
The Santa Clause (1994, PG)
Tim Allen stars as a man who accidentally kills Santa, only to discover he has to take over his job. Funny and sweet, you’ll love his transformation into the jolly old elf.
Fun fact: When Scott and Charlie leave the North Pole in the sleigh, you can see the Mickey Mouse logo on the moon when they pass it.
Tim Allen stars as a man who accidentally kills Santa, only to discover he has to take over his job. Funny and sweet, you’ll love his transformation into the jolly old elf.
Fun fact: When Scott and Charlie leave the North Pole in the sleigh, you can see the Mickey Mouse logo on the moon when they pass it.
Elf (2003, PG)
Featuring one of the funniest opening sequences of all time, this sweet and silly movie stars Will Ferrell as a man raised as an elf who leaves the North Pole in search of his father. When he finds him, his father is...well... less than delighted.
Fun fact: When Will Ferrell shot the scene where he walks through the Lincoln Tunnel in his elf costume, several minor traffic accidents occurred because drivers were so surprised to see him. Oops.
And, oh! Just for fun, can you guess which star from one of the movies above made a cameo appearance in 'Elf'? It’s Peter Billingsley, a.k.a. Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story.' He played a fellow elf. And yes, he’s related to Barbara Billingsley, the mom on 'Leave it to Beaver.' She’s his great aunt..at least she was until she divorced his great uncle.
Featuring one of the funniest opening sequences of all time, this sweet and silly movie stars Will Ferrell as a man raised as an elf who leaves the North Pole in search of his father. When he finds him, his father is...well... less than delighted.
Fun fact: When Will Ferrell shot the scene where he walks through the Lincoln Tunnel in his elf costume, several minor traffic accidents occurred because drivers were so surprised to see him. Oops.
And, oh! Just for fun, can you guess which star from one of the movies above made a cameo appearance in 'Elf'? It’s Peter Billingsley, a.k.a. Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story.' He played a fellow elf. And yes, he’s related to Barbara Billingsley, the mom on 'Leave it to Beaver.' She’s his great aunt..at least she was until she divorced his great uncle.
So that's it: The Top 9 Funniest Christmas Movies. Tell me, how did I do?
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