We are entering the last month of 2022, and with it comes one of the most eagerly awaited times for many people: the holiday season. This period, which comprises several festivities, is surrounded by magic, get-togethers with family and friends, and traditions of all kinds that vary from one country to another. And if there is one holiday that stands out among all the others during this period, it is Christmas, bringing with it its wide catalog of holiday themed movies that invite us to enjoy them to the fullest with the snack of our choice. Among all these, one of the most popular are the Christmas romantic comedy.
This particular type of rom-com has turned into a classic of the season that audiences patiently wait for, and year after year, there are new and exciting releases that capture the magical atmosphere of this special time. As a matter of fact, Netflix recently released Falling for Christmas, a holiday rom-com directed by Janeen Damian that marked Lindsay Lohan’s comeback to major productions, alongside Chord Overstreet. In this film, Lohan stars as a spoiled heiress who, due to an accident, loses her memory and falls into the care of a hotel owner and his daughter. Just like Falling for Christmas, there are dozens of rom-coms that portray this special time of the year. Here are the best.
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8 Last Christmas
Universal Pictures
Kate is not having the best time of her life: she made some very bad decisions and now works as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, something she doesn’t enjoy at all. However, this rough patch turns around when she meets Tom, a mysterious young man who helps her overcome all of her fears and look at life in a brighter light. Last Christmas stars Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, under Paul Feig’s direction. The script for this 2019 production was written by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings based on an idea by Thompson and her husband, Greg Wise (via EW). She also stars as Petra, the main character’s mother.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Last Holiday
Paramount Pictures
Last Holiday, the 2006 film, is a Christmas classic and one of Queen Latifah’s best-remembered movies. In it, she stars as Georgia, a modest kitchen store saleswoman who has spent her entire life saving as much money as she could. Due to a medical mix-up, she gets a terrifying diagnosis: she now has a brain condition and only three weeks to live. Willing to enjoy them to the fullest and convinced that she has nothing to lose, Georgia uses her savings to fulfill a lifelong dream: to go on a luxurious trip to Europe, setting aside all her worries and inhibitions. This production was directed by Wayne Wang and inspired by the 1950 film of the same name. Joining Latifah in the cast are LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Gérard Depardieu, Alicia Witt, and Giancarlo Esposito.
6 Single All the Way
Netflix
Single All the Way is a 2021 Canadian film directed by Michael Mayer and written by Chad Hodge. It stars Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Luke Macfarlane, Barry Bostwick, Kathy Najimy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jennifer Robertson. This production follows Peter, a gay man who desperately wants to avoid his family’s opinions about him being single. Therefore, he convinces his best friend Nick to pretend to be his boyfriend for the holidays. This plan takes a turn when his mother sets him up on a blind date with her handsome trainer. But these holidays are going to be utterly transcendental for Peter, as he is about to discover his true feelings for Nick.
5 Love Hard
Natalie Bauer is a columnist who shares her failed experiences dating men she meets on apps. After many unsuccessful encounters, her luck seems to change when she is paired with Josh, a man from New York who appears to be her perfect match. As Christmas is coming, she decides to surprise her crush by traveling to meet him, only to discover that she’s been catfished. In spite of her anger, Natalie makes a deal with Josh: he promises to introduce her to the real person in the photos if she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holidays, which gives the two of them plenty of time to get to know each other better. Love Hard is a 2021 film directed by Hernan Jimenez and starring Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang and Darren Barnet.
4 Happiest Season
Hulu
Happiest Season is a 2020 film directed by Clea DuVall and inspired by her own personal experiences (per IndieWire). Starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, this production features Abby, a young woman who is asked by her girlfriend Harper to spend Christmas with her and her family. She agrees, willing to propose to her at a special moment. But Harper left out one major detail in the invitation: her family is very conservative, and she never came out to them. Joining Stewart and Davis in the cast are Alison Brie, Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, and Mary Steenburgen.
3 You’ve Got Mail
Warner Bros.
You’ve Got Mail is the third film in which Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star as a couple, following Joe Versus the Volcano and Sleepless in Seattle. Directed by Nora Ephron and co-written alongside Delia Ephron, this 1998 production follows Kathleen and Joe, two people who maintain an online relationship while knowing absolutely nothing about each other’s identity. But something threatens this relationship: the two are business rivals and hate each other in real life, as Joe’s large bookstore chain threatens to destroy Kathleen’s family business.
2 Bridget Jones’s Diary
Miramax Films/Universal Pictures
Bridget Jones is a woman in her 30s, who, tired of feeling bad about herself and failing at relationships, decides to take control of her life, give up smoking and drinking, lose weight, and find her perfect match. Soon, things get complicated as two very different men are competing for her attention: her attractive boss Daniel and Mark, an old and boring childhood friend. Bridget Jones’s Diary is a 2001 film directed by Sharon Maguire and inspired by Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. It stars Renée Zellweger alongside Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. The huge success of this production kicked off a franchise that was followed by two more films in 2004 and 2016. Last October it was confirmed that there will be a new sequel to the franchise.
1 Love Actually
Love Actually ranks at the top of this list as the most memorable Christmas rom-com in cinema, which keeps growing more and more fans every holiday season. This 2003 production was written and directed by Richard Curtis, with an ensemble cast of stars such as Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley, and Rowan Atkinson, among others. Set a few weeks before Christmas, the film features ten different stories with characters that connect with one another, exploring different aspects of love. Love Actually was extremely popular with audiences and became an absolute box office hit.
