If you’re a fan of the festive holiday spirit but can’t seem to bring yourself to watch another kid-friendly flick or traditional PG Hallmark movie, then look no further than these adult-centric movies. From naughty Santa Clauses to wild holiday parties, stoner comedies to grand gestures of love, some of the cinema’s greatest Christmas hits just-so-happen to have an R-rating.
Audiences everywhere watched in awe as Andrew Lincoln professed his feelings for Keira Knightley’s character with the help of giant cue cards in the holiday classic Love Actually, just like they erupted into laughter over the crazy antics of the lovable eponymous duo in A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. The highly-debated but enormously beloved ‘80s action masterpiece Die Hard has been a hot button topic for countless fans who argue whether it falls under the Christmas category, with even Bruce Willis’ mother getting in on the dispute. Let’s take a look at some of the best holiday movies with an R-rating.
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9 A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
Warner Bros.
Kal Penn and John Cho are back at it again as the lovable titular misfits in the 2006 buddy stoner comedy A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, which follows the beloved duo as they are reunited and search for a spectacular Christmas tree to replace the one they accidentally burnt down that belonged to Harold’s stern father-in-law.
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Aided on their adventure is none-other-than a telepathic, scumbag Neil Patrick Harris (once again portraying an uproarious fictionalized version of himself), and they face a hilarious series of mishaps on their quest to find the perfect tree, including becoming targets by the Russian mob and accidentally shooting Santa Claus.
8 Love Actually
Universal Pictures
Undeniably one of greatest holiday staples is the star-studded Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually, which touts a superb ensemble cast led by Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley and Emma Thompson. In the cherished picture, the interconnecting lives and loves stories of a diverse group of people in the weeks leading to Christmas are depicted, showcasing how the unique individuals are unwittingly intertwined.
The festive and cute rom-com features an iconic dance scene with Grant’s Prime Minister character David and an unforgettable scene where The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln professes his love for Knightley’s Juliet via large cue cards and a boombox playing holiday tunes.
7 The Night Before
Columbia Pictures
Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie star as three lifelong pals who have made it an annual tradition to gather together every Christmas in the 2015 comedy The Night Before, chronicling the trio’s wild Christmas Eve as they hunt for New York City’s most epic party to ring in the holiday.
In the sidesplitting film, Chris (Mackie) and Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) must come to terms with the fact that their treasured tradition is coming to an end as their friend Isaac (Rogen) prepares to be a father, so the men embark on a memorable night full of crazy antics and priceless memories. The Night Before was both a critical and commercial hit, earning an A- audience CinemaScore and praise for its charming performances and amusing humor.
6 Bad Santa
Miramax Films
Billy Bob Thornton plays a not-so-jolly Saint Nick in the 2003 black comedy Bad Santa, which centers on professional thieves Willie T. Soke and his partner Marcus Skidmore as they join forces to execute an elaborate holiday con that involves posing as a mall Santa and robbing its stores. The alcoholic and miserable Willie (Thornton) is not on top of his game when the yearly con arrives, and he finds himself questioning his life’s direction when he inadvertently befriends a dense-yet-sweet boy whom he takes under his wing.
The Coen brothers served as executive producers for the raunchy flick, and the after the final script was deemed “the foulest, disgusting, misogynistic, anti-Christmas, anti-children thing we could imagine” by Universal Pictures, Miramax swooped in to greenlight it for those very cheeky reasons.
5 Black Christmas
Canadian Film Development Corporation
What better way to ring in the cozy holiday season then with the frightening tale of sorority sisters terrorized by a vicious serial killer in what’s often considered the origin of American slashers, the 1974 film Black Christmas, an initially underrated picture that has since been regarded as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
When Jess (Olivia Hussey) begins to receive vulgar and threatening calls by an anonymous person, she and her fellow co-eds slowly begin to be picked off one by one, resulting in an epic showdown between Jess and the killer during the Christmas holiday. The slasher film has gone on to attract a cult following and went on to inspire other films of its genre, including John Carpenter’s iconic Halloween and a surprisingly good remake ofBlack Christmas. The original film was declared by Complex magazine as the second-best slasher of all time.
4 Trading Places
Paramount Pictures
Comedy heavy-hitters Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd teamed up for John Landis’ 1983 comedy hit Trading Places, in which the former Saturday Night Live alumni appearing as a savvy street hustler and wealthy commodities broker who find their circumstances reversed due to a bet by two careless millionaires.
When the unlikely duo realize they’ve become pawns by the scheming businessmen brothers, they decide to take matters into their own hands and seek sweet revenge. The overwhelming success of Trading Places helped establish Murphy as a bona fide movie star and revitalized Aykroyd’s career, cementing the screwball comedy as a must-see Christmas fan-favorite.
3 Office Christmas Party
Paramount Pictures
Jason Bateman leads an ensemble cast including Jennifer Aniston, Olivia Munn and Kate McKinnon in the lively 2016 Christmas comedy Office Christmas Party, which follows the Arrested Development star as he and his party-boy boss (TJ Miller) throw a legendary office celebration in hopes of saving not only their branch from closing down but their respective jobs. The outrageous farce is full of bawdy humor and hilarious hijinks, as well as a delightful performance by Aniston’s buzzkill CEO character Carol, who wants to put an end to the jovial festivities.
Co-director Josh Gordon specifically made up the part for the actress, having once stated, “We created this character for Jennifer because she’s absolutely fearless when it comes to playing somewhat unlikeable characters in comedies. For her, the more daring the role, the better.”
2 Friday After Next
New Line Cinema
Ice Cube and Mike Epps reunited to headline the conclusion of their stoner comedy film trilogy with 2002’s Friday After Next, centering on endearing slackers Craig and Day-Day Jones as they attempt to track down a robber diguised as Santa Claus who broke into their apartment and stole all their presents and belongings.
The bumbling cousins decide to take jobs at the local mall as security guard in hopes of earning enough money for rent and finding the naughty Santa responsible for their financial woes. Despite garnering lukewarm reviews from critics, fans thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas caper, earning a 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
1 Die Hard
20th Century Fox
Though arguments can be made for both sides whether the iconic 1988 action film Die Hard is in-fact a certified Christmas staple, there’s no doubt that the Bruce Willis-led blockbuster extravaganza is a rousing good time no matter the time of year. In the adrenaline-inducing epic, Willis’ John McClane must battle it out against the criminal mastermind Hans Gruber (portrayed by the superb Alan Rickman) after the terrorist takes over the Los Angeles skyscraper his estranged wife works at during the holidays.
Die Hard and Willis helped re-shape the face of action stars and films while revitalizing the genre, going on to become not only one of the most celebrated ’80s films but one of the finest action pictures ever created.
