MovieChat Forums > Die Hard (1988) Discussion > THIS IS THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVE...

THIS IS THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVER


Just my opinion, love its Christmas message and love its Christmas athmosphere.

I'm not a kid so I don't need santa in it (at least not one without a machine gun- ho-ho-ho)

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I don’t count Die Hard as a Christmas movie. It was released in June or something.

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So was Miracle on 34th Street. No one doubts that is a Christmas movie.

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Good point.

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Although I should point out that when they released it, the producers tried to hide the fact that Miracle was a Christmas movie because they were afraid it would hurt the box office.

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And half the Halloween movies have been released in August, what's your point? I guess you judge by release, I judge by plot

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Right on.
Also, release date is futile in the modern world.

Most of the viewings happen on TV, not cinemas.
So if you play it on Christmas time, there you go.
Fixed it.

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New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve.

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Home Alone is not bad either.

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Annndddd... another fucking idiot saying this is a Christmas movie (even though it definitely isn't) only to piss people off.

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I remember some christmas cheer watchin this

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The studio that made the movie begs to differ with you...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wi28Vsi_ZU

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« The studio that made the movie begs to differ with you...»

.... NOW, after all the buzz. It’s a marketing process. -.-

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First, your original response was really uncalled for.

Second, does it take place during Christmas? Yes. Does it take place during a Christmas event? Yes. Do we hear Christmas music? Yes. Are there references to Christmas throughout? Yes. So I don't see how they're claiming it is "after all the buzz."

Saying this isn't a Christmas movie is like saying Avengers isn't a comic book movie because it has nothing to do with comic books, even though Die Hard actually has Christmas elements to it.

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One could argue as well that every hallmark christmas movies are just their usual rom coms set at christmas because of buzz.

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They kind of are. A lot of them are Christmas movies that aren't about Christmas at all. They're just there to put you in the spirit.

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They kind of are. A lot of them are Christmas movies that aren't about Christmas at all. They're just there to put you in the spirit.

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New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him.

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It uses Christmas in the same way that Home Alone does. If you consider Home Alone a Christmas film, Die Hard has to be considered as well.

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Exactly. I don't understand when people say "it could take place at a birthday party and nothing would change". I mean, it's the setting. They would have to change the entire tone of the movie, remove the Christmas decorations, remove the music, remove the references throughout. That's like saying "This is Spinal Tap" isn't a movie about rock because you could change them to a country band. I mean, yeah you could, but that doesn't mean that it's still not a movie about a rock band.

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I mean in Home Alone that whole family could've just left for summer vacation as opposed to Christmas vacation.

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Yes, but then you would have to remove the Christmas music, decorations and the references throughout. The entire tone changes.

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I thought Home Alone was about the adventures of a young Jigsaw.

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What I'm getting at is that neither movie is about the meaning of Christmas. Christmas is just a backdrop and it a means to get characters from one place to another.

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Exactly. It's not about Christmas, it just is a Christmas movie. It's the same way Fargo isn't about snow, it just is a snow movie.

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Whatever float your boats, I'm done arguing about this particular matter. I never considered Die Hard as a Christmas movie and I won't change my mind. I don't feel the need to watch it on Christmas because I don't get the Christmas spirit out of it. It's an awesome action flick that I can watch at any time of the year, unlike other movies that really have a significance during holyday season for me.

On another hand, I can definitely argue on the case of Home Alone because, indeed, it kinda have the same ''issue'' as Die Hard: it could had been set at any time of the year and still work. I realize that the fact that they are both set around Christmas time can make you relate them to Christmas movies. So yeah, it's a bit tricky and I can see how the same case could be made about both.

HOWEVER, I personally DO feel the need to watch Home Alone on CHristmas, and very rarely at any other time of the year. My reasons are simple: I mostly consider Christmas movies the ones that are made for family viewing when the whole family gather together to watch them and feel Christmas joy out of them, that Christmas decorations are all around the place, that Santa does at the very least have some presence in the story and that I can relate to the feeling of the Holiday season. I get that from Home Alone, but not from Die Hard.

Die Hard is a movie I watch for all the thrill I get from all the amazing action, all the adrenaline I feel out of the gun fights, the outstanding visual effects (if you are interested to know some interesting facts about the production and the visual effects, I really suggest to watch the episode about Die Hard of the new Netflix series The movies that made us), the explosions, the tension, the chlaustrophobic feeling of being trapped on the last floor of a tall building taken by the terrorists, etc. I couldn't care less about the fact that it happens during a party on Chrismas eve.


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Die Hard has a plenty of christmas references and it has fun with the season, maybe you just didn't notice it.

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Put this on another thread but it's worth repeating:

Last night my wife and I were out with friends. we got into this very conversation and one of my buddies just let off into this:
'Tis the season to watch Willis
Fa la la la la, la la la la (fa la la la la, la la la la)
Then there’s Rickman. He steals the show.
Fa la la la la, la la la la (fa la la la la, la la la la)
Troll the Nakatomi tower
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I wonder how far he would have gone if we all didn't start laughing so hard.

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Que in special agent Johnson,
fa la la la la, la la la la

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Que in another agent Johnson.
fa la la la la la la la la

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And a fat sergeant eating twinkies
fa la la la la la la la lahhhhhhhhh

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Thornberg is annoying
Fa la la la la, la la la la (fa la la la la, la la la la)

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D.C. better watch out next year.
Fa la la la la, la la la la, la la la la

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.

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Time to watch it again!

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Well, that Dish Network commercial showed us it's Santa's favorite, so, I'd say greatest Christmas movie is a sound argument. :D

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the first time I saw it was on VHS around thanksgiving so its definitely a christmas movie to me

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This and Lethal Weapon make for a fun festive double bill!

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If anything can show how far America has lost its sense of what constitutes 'Christmas Spirit' ....

It is the argument that 'Die Hard' is a Christmas movie...

It used to be 'Its a Wonderful Life'


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See my reply above. Even the studio that made the movie sez it's a Christmas movie...

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It would be the first 'R' rated Christmas movie ever. I guess the studio is ok letting 7 year olds view it.

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I watched it when I was 9 around december.
Awesomest Christmas movie experience!

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Now that's just bad parenting! 😉

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Who decides what constitutes "Christmas Spirit"?
Not every Christmas movie has to have some profound message like "It´s a Wonderful life". Quite a few very popular ones don´t.

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Ok then... please tell me how does this movie light the Christmas spirit in you, which is generally defined as charity, peace and goodwill toward man. Perhaps it was when Nakatomi was shot point blank in the head in cold blood.

Seasons greetings...

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Halloween movies don't have to be scary so why do Christmas movies have to be cheerful?

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Nice straw man, already implied quite a few popular Christmas movies don´t have a message of "Christmas Spirit". Die Hard included.

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Christmas spirit is at the heart of the definition of a Christmas movie. You just admitted that Die Hard lacks this spirit.

Given your broad definition of a Christmas movie ( one without Chirtmas Spirit) several horror and porn films that use Christmas as a backdrop would qualify.

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I didn´t even give a definition of a Xmas movie. I just said Die Hard was one. Keep up the straw manning though.

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