The best Christmas movies for adults are Die Hard, Batman Returns, The Thin Man, Trading Places, Scrooged, Bad Santa, The Ref, The Night Before, The Holdovers, The Family Stone, Tokyo Godfathers, and The Apartment. They cover action, comedy, and drama, all set at Christmas.
These are Christmas movies made for grown-ups. There's action, comedy with an edge, and a few quiet dramas. Six are rated R, and we've labeled them.
Christmas action and mysteries
Die Hard (1988)
A cop, played by Bruce Willis, is visiting his estranged wife at a Christmas Eve party in a Los Angeles skyscraper when terrorists take over the building. Alan Rickman plays the man in charge, and John McTiernan directed it. It's rated R, and it's based on Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever.
Batman Returns (1992)
Tim Burton's sequel is set during Christmas in Gotham City, where Batman takes on the Penguin and a corrupt businessman while Catwoman wants revenge on the businessman. Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Christopher Walken star. It's dark, strange, and full of snow.
The Thin Man (1934)
A retired detective and his wealthy wife, Nick and Nora Charles, are in New York for Christmas when a case pulls him back in. William Powell and Myrna Loy trade quips over cocktails. It's based on Dashiell Hammett's novel, and it was nominated for Best Picture.
Christmas comedies with an edge
Trading Places (1983)
Two rich brothers make a bet and swap the lives of a commodities broker and a street hustler over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy star, and John Landis directed it. It's rated R.
Scrooged (1988)
A cynical TV executive, played by Bill Murray, is producing a live A Christmas Carol when a string of ghosts visits him on Christmas Eve. Richard Donner directed it. It's Dickens as a dark comedy.
Bad Santa (2003)
Every year, a con man takes a job as a department store Santa so he and his partner can rob the mall on Christmas Eve. Billy Bob Thornton plays him, with Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, and Bernie Mac. It's rated R, and it's as mean as the title sounds.
The Ref (1994)
A burglar on the run, played by Denis Leary, takes a bickering couple hostage on Christmas Eve and ends up stuck in the middle of their fights. Judy Davis co-stars, and Ted Demme directed it. It's rated R.
The Night Before (2015)
Three childhood friends reunite every Christmas Eve in New York, and this year they're hunting for an exclusive party. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie star. It's a stoner comedy, rated R.
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Christmas dramas for a quiet night
The Holdovers (2023)
In 1970, a strict teacher at a New England boarding school has to look after the students with nowhere to go over Christmas break. Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph star, with Dominic Sessa in his film debut, and Alexander Payne directed it. It's rated R for language, some drug use, and brief sexual material.
The Family Stone (2005)
A son brings his tightly wound girlfriend home to his big, opinionated family in New England for Christmas, planning to propose. Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, and Claire Danes star. It's funny, and then it's sad.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Three homeless people in Tokyo find an abandoned newborn at Christmas and set out to find her parents. Satoshi Kon wrote and directed this animated film. It's made for grown-ups, and it's warmer than it sounds.
The Apartment (1960)
An insurance clerk, played by Jack Lemmon, lets his bosses use his apartment for their affairs. Then he falls for an elevator operator, played by Shirley MacLaine, and it all comes to a head over Christmas and New Year's Eve. Billy Wilder directed it, and it won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
Where to start
For a big night in, start with Die Hard or Trading Places. For something darker and funnier, try Scrooged or The Ref. For a quiet night after the house empties out, put on The Holdovers.
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Frequently asked questions
Die Hard, Trading Places, Scrooged, and The Holdovers are all set at Christmas and made for grown-ups. For something older, try The Apartment or The Thin Man. Die Hard, Trading Places, and The Holdovers are rated R.
Die Hard and Batman Returns are action movies. Bad Santa, The Ref, and The Night Before are comedies, all rated R. The Holdovers and Tokyo Godfathers are dramas.
Yes. The whole movie happens during a Christmas Eve party in a Los Angeles skyscraper. It's rated R.
Die Hard comes from Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever, and The Thin Man from Dashiell Hammett's novel. Scrooged is inspired by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
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