For a romantic Christmas film, choose The Holiday if you want escape, While You Were Sleeping for a cosy romcom, or Last Christmas for a contemporary London romance. Love Actually suits a night of arguing over favourite storylines, and Single All the Way is the pick for friends who might be more than friends.
"Romantic Christmas film" covers a lot of ground. It can mean enviable houses, a family getting in the way, or a relationship that sends you for the tissues. So these five are sorted by the evening you want, not by which one wins Christmas.
| Your ideal evening | Film | UK certificate | The appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escaping somewhere lovely | The Holiday (2006) | 12A (cinema) | A transatlantic home swap |
| A classic romcom setup | While You Were Sleeping (1995) | PG | A misunderstanding and a whole family |
| Several stories to talk about | Love Actually (2003) | 15 | Interlinked couples in London |
| A London romance with a life to sort out | Last Christmas (2019) | 12A (cinema) | A shop job and a stranger who helps |
| Friends becoming something more | Single All the Way (2021) | 12 | An abandoned fake-dating plan and meddling relatives |
The Holiday: for the evening you want to disappear into
The Holiday · Film guide →Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmas after romantic disappointments. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet lead, with Jude Law and Jack Black, and Nancy Meyers directed. It scores 52/100 Festive Factor.
Put it on when the setting is half the point. The home-swap premise hands you an easy conversation afterwards, too: whose escape would you take? Allow 2 hours 16 minutes. The BBFC rated it 12A in cinemas for infrequent strong language and moderate sex references.
While You Were Sleeping: for romance tangled up with family
While You Were Sleeping · Film guide →Sandra Bullock plays a Chicago railway ticket clerk who saves a commuter from the tracks at Christmas. While he is in a coma, his family take her for his fiancée, and she does not correct them. Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher co-star. Jon Turteltaub directed the 1995 film, and it is rated PG.
Choose it if you like a romcom built on a misunderstanding that grows more awkward by the scene. The Christmas appeal is as much about being welcomed into a family as it is about the couple.
Love Actually: for people who like comparing favourites
Love Actually · Film guide →Richard Curtis's ensemble follows a string of interlinked couples in London in the run-up to Christmas. Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson and Bill Nighy are among the cast. It scores 83/100 Festive Factor.
It is a good pick when half the evening is the discussion afterwards: which story you would happily watch more of, and which one annoys you. Do not mistake the Christmas setting for a family recommendation. The BBFC rates it 15 for strong sex and language.
Last Christmas: for a contemporary London romance
Last Christmas · Film guide →Emilia Clarke plays a young woman with a habit of bad decisions who is working as a shop elf when she meets a stranger, played by Henry Golding. Paul Feig directed, Emma Thompson co-wrote the script with Bryony Kimmings and also appears, and the film is set in London over the festive season.
Choose it for London lights with a bittersweet edge; keep detailed plot summaries closed before watching. The BBFC rated it 12A in cinemas for moderate sex references and language.
Single All the Way: for matchmaking and old friendships
A man plans to pass his best friend off as his boyfriend on a Christmas trip home, until his mother sets him up with someone else. Michael Urie and Philemon Chambers lead, with Jennifer Coolidge and Kathy Najimy in the supporting cast. Michael Mayer directed the 2021 Netflix film, rated 12 for sex references and language.
This is a gay Christmas romcom with a familiar shape. The question is less what will happen and more when two people will admit what everyone else can see.
Decide the mood before you open the app
For escape, The Holiday. For a family-shaped romcom, While You Were Sleeping. For something that will keep you talking, Love Actually or Last Christmas.
Agreeing the mood takes less time than watching five trailers.
