Arthur Christmas
Aardman doing Christmas at scale, and the scale is the joke: a military-grade delivery operation with a…
Festive Factor 95 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Let it all go wrong
Christmas comedy films for when it all goes wrong
Festive mishaps, family farce and some decidedly grown-up disasters.
- 12 films
- 89–132 minutes
- U to 15 certificates
Why these belong together
Chosen for the same kind of night.
Christmas on screen at its loudest: wrecked houses, collapsing school nativities, a delivery operation off course and an office party that goes very badly indeed. Scored on how festive they actually are, and they run from a U for the whole family to a 15 for later, so read the notes before you press play.
Make tonight a good one
Find tonight’s film.
Showing all 12 films
Scrooged
The angriest Carol and, in its middle hour, the funniest. A PG in name only: sour, sometimes frightening, and best from twelve.
Festive Factor 89 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Home Alone
The premise is a child's daydream — the empty house, the freedom, the shopping — and the film is smart…
Festive Factor 88 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Fred Claus
A sibling grudge with a sleigh attached. Loud, a little long, and warmer than you expect.
Festive Factor 88 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Nativity!
A primary school nativity at full shambles, largely improvised and far warmer than anything this shambolic should be. Fine for all ages.
Festive Factor 87 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
The same film again in a bigger city, which works better than it has any right to.
Festive Factor 83 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
More plot, more shouting, and David Tennant with no dignity whatsoever, which is most of the fun. Watch the first one first.
Festive Factor 82 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?!
The formula has thinned, but the classroom scenes still carry it. Only if the first two went down well.
Festive Factor 82 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Jingle All the Way
A film about the specific horror of Christmas Eve shopping, which is a better subject than it usually gets…
Festive Factor 74 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Die Hard
An office Christmas party that goes about as badly as one can. Yes, it counts. No, it is not one for the family: a 15 with a body count.
Festive Factor 63 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Gremlins
Half snowbound small-town comedy, half creature feature, often inside the same scene. Rated 12, and it means it.
Festive Factor 54 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.
Trading Places
A revenge comedy set over Christmas and New Year, sharp and properly funny. Rated 15, and one sequence has aged very badly. Adults only.
Festive Factor 46 out of 100: A different kind of Christmas.Festive Factor measures Christmas spirit, not film quality or age suitability. How we score →
Chaos is what these share, not a certificate. Some are made for a room full of children and some very much are not, so each note says who the film suits.
They run from films for the whole family at the top to late-night 15s at the bottom. For a family night, stay near the top, and check the notes anyway: a PG does not always mean what it says.
Another kind of night?
