Christmas is less than a week away, and you’ve only got so much time to enjoy a few Christmas movies in advance. We at The Nerd Stash would like to recommend adding these ten underrated Christmas movies to your marathon lineup. Many Christmas movies get better with age, and that’s the case with these movies. However, many of them have been forgotten. While they weren’t all critical or commercial successes, these films are special in their own way and deserve a second chance.
To be clear, most of these films aren’t cinematic masterpieces. In fact, the first film you’ll see listed is a bit of an ironic entry. However, the films are on here because they have a fanbase and give a little Christmas spirit to our hearts. So without further ado, here are the top ten Christmas movies for you to watch.
10. Babes in Toyland (1986)
Did you know that a 22-year-old Keanu Reeves sang in a TV Christmas movie? Yes… John Wick, Neo, Constantine… that Keanu Reeves.
This 1986 TV movie stars an 11-year-old Drew Barrymore as Lisa, a girl who is from Cincinnati and annoyingly proud of it. Anyway, she falls out of a jeep on Christmas eve during a blizzard, hits her head, and wakes up in Toyland, where she meets a group of people (Reeves, Jill Scoelin, and Googy Gress) who look suspiciously like her sister and friends from home. Together, and with the help of a figure known as the Toymaster (Pat Morita), they must stop Barnaby Barnacle (Richard Mulligan) from taking over Toyland.
Okay, when we call this movie underrated, we mean it in a “so bad it’s good” way. The film is a little more than flawed. It’s cheaply made, has lousy acting, and its musical numbers are uninspired and forgettable (other than that annoying “Cincinnati” song that is an earworm you won’t be able to escape). That and the fact that it’s not only a cheap remake of a better movie, but it’s also taking numerous elements from The Wizard of Oz (right down to Barnaby being dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West). However, we loved it as kids, and the fact that we can roast it as adults makes it enjoyable in a different way. And while Barrymore and Reeves poked fun at it during a conversation on her talk show, Reeves acknowledged that the film has a good heart to it that does shine through the messiness. Check it out free with ads on YouTube.
9. Mrs. Santa Claus (1996)
We recently lost a real treasure with the passing of Angela Lansbury. While we know her for Murder She Wrote, and for Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, too few have seen her perfect portrayal of Mrs. Claus in this 1996 TV movie. Getting a bit tired of managing all the toymaking and getting no recognition from anyone, including her husband, Mrs. Claus takes the sleigh out to test out a new route she’s been suggesting. However, things get complicated when she lands in New York City, and an injured reindeer forces her to take up temporary residence. During this time, she blesses the community in numerous ways. She helps a suffragette get women on board to march for voting rights, helps her find love with an immigrant stableman, becomes a role model for a lonely immigrant girl, and fights for children’s labor rights against a hard-hearted toy factory owner. Aside from touching on serious issues, the film’s performances and showstopping musical numbers make it a delight and a criminally underrated Christmas movie. Check it out free with ads on YouTube.
8. Prancer (1989)
If you want to see a Christmas movie that will inspire you to have the same faith, love, hope, and purity you had as a child, look no further than Prancer. Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) has lost her mother and is still trying to hold on to hope and her relationship with her heartbroken and hardened father (Sam Elliott). When she encounters an injured and peculiarly unafraid reindeer in the woods, she becomes convinced he’s Santa’s reindeer Prancer. She goes to extreme efforts to save the creature and get him back to Santa. Those efforts become public knowledge, and she inspires the entire town with her kindhearted deeds. We won’t spoil how the movie ends, but we will say that it’s one of many moments in this movie where you better have a tissue box on hand. You can view it on HBO Max.
7. A Christmas Carol (2009)
6. Last Holiday (2006)
5. Annabelle’s Wish (1997)
4. The Polar Express (2004)
Here is Robert Zemeckis’s second entry on our underrated Christmas movie list. While it’s now considered a classic, audiences and critics were initially thrown off by The Polar Express. Motion capture was relatively new at the time, and for some, the character designs almost seemed creepy. Even today, the eyes are a little terrifying to some. However, the film about a boy who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus until he is taken to the North Pole on a magic train has become a favorite people love to visit year after year. You can hop aboard The Polar Express right now on HBO Max.
3. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
As we said, there have been many adaptations of A Christmas Carol. But there haven’t been nearly enough movies about the man behind the beloved classic. Dan Stevens stars as Charles Dickens suffering from financial hardships after the failures of his last three books. After rejection from his publishers, he sets out to write and self-publish a new book. Garnering inspiration all around him, he ends up writing a story that, unbeknownst to him, will become a timeless classic. While the film takes some liberty regarding history, it’s still a moving and impressive story. Stevens is excellent in the role of Dickens, and the late Christopher Plummer delivers an excellent portrayal of an imagined Scrooge haunting Dickens wherever he goes. This impressive and underrated Christmas movie is available to rent on various platforms.
2. Arthur Christmas (2011)
1. Klaus (2019)
If you haven’t seen this 2-D animated Netflix original, you owe it to yourself to check it out immediately. In this movie, a self-centered mailman named Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) is sent to the cold and hateful town of Smeerensburg, where he must deliver 6000 letters to get out. On his journey, he meets a reclusive toymaker named Klaus (J.K. Simmons), with whom he develops a letter-based delivery system for toys. Initially birthed from selfish intent, the two become friends, Jesper’s selfishness begins to melt, and their actions cause a centuries-long clan feud to start dying. Moreover, through numerous sightings and word of mouth, rumors begin to form among children involving flying reindeer, lumps of coal, and more. All of these rumors eventually form a well-known Christmas mythos. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, Klaus ultimately lost to Toy Story 4, a decision many took issue with. But statue or no statue, the Christmas movie may be underrated now, but it’s destined to become a classic. Check it out on Netflix right now.
Honorable Mention: Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
While many may have heard Jim Varney is the voice of Slinky in Toy Story 1 & 2, he’ll always be slapstick icon Ernest P. Worrell to all 80s and 90s kids. When Santa travels to Florida looking for a successor, he leaves his magic sack in Ernest’s taxi cab. Ernest goes on a mission to get the sack back to Santa. On this mission he manages to keep a Christmas icon from disappearing, helps a troubled teen find herself again, and as the title suggests, he saves Christmas. Dimwitted and clumsy as he may be, Ernest’s kindheartedness makes him a perfect Christmas hero. If you’ve never seen an Ernest movie, go get a good laugh in by heading over to Disney+.
Underrated Christmas Movies
These Christmas movies may have been cast aside, but they deserve a second chance. Give them that honor by adding them to your Christmas movie marathon.