Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
- Every holiday season, the question of whether Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie is inevitably asked. My son Spencer (no relation) and daughter Faith Moore weigh in on the ongoing debate.
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#DieHard #ChristmasMovies #Christmas
Regardless of what Bruce Willis said it's absolutely a Christmas movie. It's literally happening to the nakatomi Christmas party that happened on December 24th. A man travels across country to be with his family for the holidays. He brings Christmas gifts and there's a Redemption arc. Absolutely a Christmas movie
Yet this story does not need Christmas as a central part of its plot, and those themes could be applied to nearly any other story. Is Iron Man 3 a Christmas film? Hell is Die Hard 2 a Christmas film?
And McClane literally tries to go down the elevator shaft. Like Santa going down the chimney, anyone?! 😏
@@TheJmlew11If you remove Christmas elements from any Christmas movie, dont you do the same thing? Rudolph could be about FedEx if you remove Christmas.
A christmas movie is all of those things mentioned above, during Christmas, with references to Christmas. If it isnt during Christmas, it isnt a Christmas movie it is just a movie.
Gremlins is also a Christmas movie
@@SC-mf1gc I don't understand what a deer with a red nose has to do with Jesus. If Rudolph gets to be Christmas, then Die Hard gets to be Christmas.
Christmas is as important to the plots of Die Hard and Lethal Weapons as it is to Home Alone. The McCallisters could've been leaving on a ski trip in mid January, having nothing to do with Christmas, Kevin could've been left behind, and the story could've played out exactly the same way. They are all Christmas movies.
No debate. DIE HARD is a Christmas movie.
☑️Christmas Party
☑️Christmas trees
☑️”Have a very Merry Christmas” mentioned in first 2 minutes of the film.
☑️ Takes place on December 24th, Christmas Eve.
☑️Stockings, Rudolph and Frosty are all mentioned in the film.
"Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho"
It is definitely a Christmas move. A humble singular man will arise on that day to defeat all evil singlehandedly.
Nailed it.
@MassageSamurai definitely not
@MassageSamurai wow. That was easy.
@MassageSamurai 😆 🤣
@MassageSamurai ahhh man, I thought I was being persuasive. I am still an idiot. Shucks.
Die Hard is not only a Christmas movie, it is the most Based Christmas movie! John McClane performs a primary role of the man in a relationship, by protect his family.
The problem modern society is I'm watching cities, communities around the country intentionally changing from Bedford Falls with George Bailey to Potterville without GB. Very disturbing.
It is a Christmas movie. They score the movie with jingle bells. Okay, i don't know what the hell a jingle bell actually is, but i know that if you played the musical score for the scene on which he's trapped in the duct and being shot at and gave people 3 guesses as to which movie it's from, they'd answer "Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and The Nightmare Before Christmas."
It opens with a Christmas song, it closes with a Christmas song, it has a ton of Christmas dialogue, and the sequel takes place on Christmas Eve.
There is no debate. It's 100% a Christmas movie.
"Why does it matter" is such a great, Klavan-y question to start things off with some clarity!
Die Hard takes place during the Christmas season. John is at a Christmas Party. The movie uses Christmas verbiage and Christmas decor. Die Hard is a Christmas Movie!
Nope. The movie could take place at any other time of the year. Any party for any reason would work for the plot. It being Christmas is convenient, but not essential.
@@stevek917if it took place at any other time. It wouldn’t be a Christmas movie
@@roughneck2204 Correct. But the plot would still work.
@@stevek917 people wouldn’t be at a Christmas party any other time of the year.
@@stevek917 But the movie didn’t take place at some other time of the year. The movie takes place during the Christmas season and that makes it a Christmas movie.
It's actually refreshing to see the great Andrew Klavan can be wrong occasionally!
For real.
Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Although it is an action movie, it also has Christmas themes in it. It has a lesson in greed. It has a Christmas miracle ( albiet courtesy of the FBI when they shut off the power, allowing the thieves access to the vault). It has Christmas music, trees and a Christmas party. Christmas saves the day, in the form of the Christmas tape, John McClain uses to tape his pistol to his back to deceive, surprise and shoot the bad guys. It has a family reunion. Redemption. Snow, in the form of the white office paper/bearer bonds documents falling from the floors above. And, McClain's wife is named, Holly. And, it's a feel-good mood at the end ending with the Christmas song, "Let It Snow".
One more thing, the bad guys deliberately chose to spring their scheme on Christmas Eve, during the company's Christmas party because they knew that the building would be closed to the public and have a small manageable group of people ( hostages) that they needed in order to have them go to the roof where they would have detonated the explosives, fooling the authorities in thinking the bad guys were also on the roof and died along with the hostages while they would have made their escape inside the fake ambulance van that was in the garage, which they brought in the back of the moving truck they rode in.
I almost forgot the most important theme... it's about family reunion during Christmas time.
This comment should be pinned!
Christmas party? Check! Christmas music? Check! The words "Ho!Ho!Ho!"? Check! THAT my friends is a Christmas movie!
You guys have it all wrong. The reason it’s important is that there are family arguments over what Christmas movie to watch and us men want to include Die Hard.
Christmas doesn’t start until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi.
There’s no debate.. yes. Period.
Klavan should tweet this so he can see the ratio and his error.
It’s a Christmas movie. The setting is a Christmas party, Christmas is main plot point throughout the movie, the main character fights to reunite with an estranged wife and family which is common theme in Christmas movies, the soundtrack is full of Christmas songs like “Let it Snow” and “Winter Wonderland” to say nothing of the music in the limo, the movie has a message of hope and redemption, it has a heart warming ending and the protagonist even dons a Santa hat and writes “HO HO HO” on one of the bad guys shirts.
It's a Christmas movie you can enjoy all year long. It's the first movie I watched as an adult after years of not going to the theater. When it came out on video I watched it about 100 times.
It's clearly a Christmas movie:
1. It takes place on Christmas Eve
2. John WRITES "Ho ho ho," and Hans SAYS it
3. Most of the characters attend a Christmas party, even if temporarily
4. Theo does a rendition of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" when the SWAT team shows up
5. John asks Argyle: "Don't you got any Christmas music?" Argyle responds with: "This IS Christmas music!"
6. Argyle says (at the end of the movie): “If this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's.”
7. Die Hard 2 is ALSO set at Christmas, continuing and reinforcing the idea that the SERIES is a Christmas "franchise."
Bonus: John's wife's NAME is *Holly* Gennaro.
When you attempt dissect and analyze a movie like Die Hard as if it's a Shakespeare play... you're WAY over thinking it.
It takes place at Christmas, during a Christmas party, and has Christmas music... it's a Christmas movie.
To further the point, saying Die Hard isn't a movie is like saying Christmas Vacation isn't a Christmas movie.
What "It's A Wonderful Life" values does Christmas Vacation extol?
Next thing you know Drew will try to argue that Trading Places isn't a Christmas movie.
AND a New Years Eve movie!
For once Klavan, you are wrong. Die Hard IS a Christmas movie.
Definitely qualifies.
Not just because the Christmas music is used extremely well but because the plot is built around Christmas.
Unlike Lethal Weapons, for example, Die Hard must take place at Christmas or the plot makes no sense. Not just for the Christmas party that makes the building near vacant, but because it is the only time that McClane would leave NY and visit his wife.
The plot could just as easily worked if it took place during another time of year.
Sheesh! By these definitions "Miracle on 34th St" isn't a Christmas movie...Y'all gotta lighten up. Tis the season after all.
I get your point of what a Christmas movie needs, though I agree more with Spencer. Harry Potter and LOTR capture this magical and selflessness mystery that can only be described as Christmas-like even when the story doesn't specifically address Christmas all the time. BUT Die Hard IS Christmas movie for 3 reasons: 1 - there are Christmastime elements and holiday spirit components woven throughout the film, including snow, coats, music, parties, colors, and a sense of the super fantastic. 2 - Through the nature of this debate over the years at Christmas, Die Hard has become a tradition. It's a tradition even if just to debate, but it's a joyful, happy tradition, and a debate filled with good will and it happens with a full heart at Christmastime.... hence it has become a Christmas Movie, even if it originally wasn't made to be one. 3 - the good values Christmas highlights, are highlighted in the movie. Family, friendship, coming together to work towards "saving innocents", the overall battle of good vs evil, the battle of materialism vs not is greatly emulated in the struggle between Bruce's over devotion to his job to the detriment of his family vs that perfect balance families strive to achieve. Also, love conquers in the end and good wins, the savior character comes through in the end the evil character is clearly bad which is rare now, so in a very Christ like way, life gets whittled down to "HAVING WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING IT ALL" , which I thing Faith would agree with
Is Home Alone a Christmas movie? Because they've essentially have the same plot. It's basically Die Hard for kids
If “last Christmas” is a Christmas song than Die Hard is a Christmas movie
Agree
It's as much of a Christmas movie as It's a Wonderful Life is, it's just that the violence in Diehard blinds people to the fact that it is a Christmas film
It does matter!!! It is to be watched annually right before Christmas. Your Kids and grandkids should watch this movie.
Gremlins...is the greatest Christmas movie of all time
Batman returns is a Christmas movie, since it’s set during Christmas.
If Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie then neither is It's A Wonderful Life
Yes, it's a Christmas movie, no doubt about it.
This isn't a debate, it's a Christmas movie or you're wrong. Without listing every element the sole ****ing recent the event takes place is because he's going to a Christmas party. At Christmas. With Christmas trees everywhere. While Argyle pumps out Christmas movies.
Own Die Hard? Now you have a Christmas movie ho-ho-ho.
Andrew, how can I put this? There are 2 kinds of people. those who believe Die Hard is Christmas movie...and those who are Commies.
😂
People love lists; that is why it matters.
To answer the actual question: it is the best because it shows people reconnecting (2cops over a phone) (husband and wife) (driver and purpose) (fbi and incompetence) all within a simple story that could take place.
Die hard… surpasses all genres… it’s Christmas, it’s a love story, it’s drama… I mean was “over the top” just an arm wrestling movie? NO, sly was battling for the custody of his son… and arm wrestling!!!
It's the story of a flawed man trying to reconnect with his estranged family at Christmas. The fact he has to kill a bunch of euro-trash bad guys to achieve his worthy endeavor, doesn't make it any less of a Christmas movie.
Enhances it, really
Plot "a man has worked hard all year to see his estranged family and reconnect over Christmas. On his way he gets caught up in circumstances beyond his control and must figure a way to solve the issue and make it home for Christmas"
Sounds like a Christmas film to me
Christmas story = how one person (the right person, uniquely equipped to handle the evil ruining the world) will change the world, make everything right even though evil is winning when the story opens, bringing hope to those in a land of great darkness.
The Christmas story is a hero's story -- and Jesus is the ultimate hero we all need.
if die hard is a Christmas movie, then , ergo, so is lethal weapon.
The Klavan doesn’t fall far from the Klavan.
It's not Christmas till Hans takes the plunge.
Merry Merry!
Yes, of course it is.
The young lady was a bit of a humbug.
This issue detracts from the deeper question of why Die Hard is a Christmas movie but Lethal Weapon is not.
For me, it's why people--like Drew, in this case--would argue It's A Wonderful Life is a Christmas Movie but Die Hard (or Lethal Weapon, if you like) isn't: Wonderful Life could just as easily been set on Easter Week, with the resurrection/rebirth theme of that time of the year, "and nothing would change."
Listening to three Klavans arguing the Christmas credentials of Die Hard is a present in itself. Merry Christmas!!
More evidence that Die Hard is a Christmas movie...wife's name is Holly.
Yes it is, no need to debate.
Die Hard: The origin story of Andrew getting his hair blown off.
It's a gun guy's movie as well as a Christmas Movie. Gee's Hans Gruber's Hand Gun of choice is the H+K P-7! If you know anything about Guns that pistol is a collector item. And its the only movie I can recall were the main villain so ably played by Alan Rickman shot one. I keep kicking myself for not buying one back in the day. They were very expensive for the time.
If a movie includes enough Christmassy elements that I don’t watch it outside of December; it’s a Christmas movie
I have watched "It's a Wonderful Life" outside of December
By that logic, Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie. I watch it at any time of the year.
It's not about Christmas yet it takes place during Christmas. So we attribute it to Christmas. Christmas movies in this way don't necessarily have to be about Christmas. Gremlins is a great Christmas movie also.
He literally brings Christmas gifts for his family and there's a Redemption Ark not to mention it happens on December 24th during a Christmas party.
I cant stand this question. It takes place during advent/Christmas. Yes, it's a Christmas movie.
I like Spencer. Glad to see him on here again.
More of a Christmas Movie than Its a wonderful life fight me. Every facet of Die Hard depends on John Mclaines survival and self discovery to atone for his shortcomings and reunite with his family for Christmas.
Lotr is a Christmas movie as well it has elves and came out in time for christmas
I hate those comments that always start with “I agree with this person on most things. However, blah blah blah.”
That being said, I agree with Andrew Klavan on most things. However, he’s super wrong here. Especially if LotR and Harry Potter are Christmas movies.
Well so is Lethal Weapon
Even the guy who wrote it stated it was a Christmas movie.
This is the first time I've seen Faith Moore, but somehow I knew she'd be a petite woman with a bob cut
It’s set at Christmas, but isn’t about Christmas… so it’s not a Christmas movie
What does "about Christmas" even MEAN?
What about The Poseidon Adventure? It’s the biggest allegory of the Christian life since the Pilgrim’s Progress. Only those who follow the preacher up the Christmas tree are saved…
Those two people bear a striking resemblance to andrew purely coincidental I assume
#NoRelation 😇
Hohoho, now I have a Christmas movie.......
Now I have a machinegun Ho-Ho-Ho
Even though its usually shown around Christmas I never thought of it as a Christmas movie just a film that's shown on Christmas
Boo
There's a difference? 🤔
As long as you dont think home-alone is a Christmas movie
It is. So is long kiss goodnight
@@normantompkins1252 i agree that it is, but i also think die hard is.
It is a Christmas movie and anyone who says otherwise is wrong
Also if you look in the police station during the movie First Blood you'll see Christmas trees so that's also a Christmas movie
Not only is Die Hard a Christmas movie. So is First Blood.
Well, okay.
I am deeply offended by this take and may need to seek a safe space.
DIe Hard is a movie I only watch at Christmas. 😊
Yes it is. So is Batman Returns and Lethal Weapon
Gremlins is a Christmas movie
Seriously if you have to ask. Then re watch the movie.
Just saying.
Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie?? 😱
Yes, it is
Yes & so is Lethal Weapon.
We have this same debate in my house about the movie, "The Family Man" and "Home Alone". Both happen *during* Christmas, and they're about family and values (and we watch them both every year at Christmastime), but is that enough to make them "Christmas movies"?
Yes. Home Alone barely works as a movie with the parents not noticing, and the police telling them to " count their kids again"
Without Christmas making the whole street vacant, and all flights being booked, etc, the movie cant happen.
The only other time it might work would be a Japanese remake during Golden week, but Japanese wouldnt be so absent minded, and the police would t be so dismissive.
It only works in America on Christmas.
Home Alone 1: How could people be that way? Suspend belief about a series of bad events, beurocrats, flights booked, bad parents, bad police, etc.
Home Alone 2: Oh it is NYC, enough said
@@SC-mf1gc , all fair and logical points. There are lots of parts of Home Alone that are "fragile" from a logic/plot standpoint, but the plot does almost require it to happen at Christmastime. So I guess HA is more a Christmas movie than Family Man, but neither are *about* Christmas in the same way Elf or Klaus is.
@@pauladams9313 I think there are 2 types of Christmas movies. Ones about the human experience of Christmas, the spirit of it, family etc. And those literally about Santa. Elf does both, Rudolph does both....come to think of it most of the Santa ones do both. Id say Die Hard and HA are the former, and definitely Christmasy in spirit and message.
Both Die Hard 1 and 2 are Christmas movies. Family is the central theme to both films.
Christmas party means Christmas movie. Wife watches halmark and gac christmas movies all the time and the only difference is people die in die hard. Meets the criteria . No Jesus no Christmas.
Its a better Christmas move than Elf... uuugh i'm so tired of that one!
Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. Neither is "It's a Wonderful Life".
I agree with Faith. Thank you for asking what many women want to ask. "Why does it matter?"
It's a practice in discerning the philosophical underpinnings of cultural touchstones and in which contexts those touchstones are important and why. It's a conversation about the propagation of culture, especially extremely popular cultural messaging and themes.
Why does it matter what everyone wears in the family picture?
I joke about Die Hard being a Christmas movie, even though I have yet to see it. But I would rather watch Die Hard than the saccharine-laced excrement collectively called "Christmas movies."
It's my favorite Xmas movie.
It's a Wonderful Life was never meant to be a Christmas movie either.
Thanks for answering my question! To be honest, I don't see why a film that has Christmas as a prominent element could not be considered a Christmas movie. (Frankly, Drew's criteria also disqualifies every braindead Hallmark Christmas Movie in existence, and probably even Home Alone. But then, it could disqualify pretty much any movie.😂)
Welcome to the party pal
"Finally!! The 35-year-old question has been *_resolved!_* Whew!, that was close!"
There's a Christmas tree in it.... It's in December.... It's a Christmas film
Its not a Christmas movie. It's an action film that occurs at Chrismas. It would have been the same film if it was any other occasion with a company party at his wife's job.
Except the actions and inaction of law enforcement is specifically because it is Christmas, not just any old day. The same goes for the building being so vacant, and Bruce being there. It has to be on Christmas.
It wouldnt work on any other holiday in the USA.
"I cant shut down the whole grid, it is presidents Day!"
"Gonna just fly across the country to see my ex and my kids for Halloween, and have a nice Halloweeny family character redemption arc"
Yes! 100%
Now, is Stalag 17 a Christmas movie?
Correction. It is a "Holiday" movie.
Yes.
I watched all four Christmas day......
LOTR is a Christmas trilogy, imo. the Fellowship leaves Rivendell December 25th