With the holiday season around the corner, it's time to get cozy with holiday film favorites. There's no shortage of movies centering on the ups and downs of the holidays, from austere family dramas to heartwarming rom-coms. However, for those looking for a film off the beaten path of traditional holiday fare, there are a number of highly rated movies they might not be aware of.
Metacritic is a review aggregation website dedicated to helping audiences find the best content. The site uses critic and viewer reviews to give films a number grade score out of 100, ensuring a fair and accurate rating. Using their rating system, Metacritic has found the best critically reviewed films of the holiday season.
10 About A Boy Is An Odd Couple Holiday Standby
2002's About A Boy is a poignant dramedy about a misanthropic and immature bachelor who strikes up an unlikely friendship with an unpopular young boy. The movie stars Hugh Grant as listless loner Will and Nicholas Hoult in one of his first roles as the schoolboy who seeks his aid and friendship. Both characters are forced to grapple with their lots in life and their attempt to mature, leading to a bevy of comic misunderstandings and genuine emotions.
Based upon Nick Hornby's novel, the film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Peter Hedges and director Christ Weitz. The heartwarming winter favorite also features standout performances from Toni Colette and Rachel Weisz.
9 2046 Is A Christmas Eve Drama From An Auteur
Wong Kar-wai is one of the most celebrated auteur filmmakers of his time. The Chinese writer and director is known for his atmospheric, romantic dramas, including Fallen Angels (1995) and In the Mood for Love (2004). His 2004 film 2046 acts as a soft sequel to In the Mood for Love, as it continues to follow Tony Leung's leading man in his unfolding affairs of the heart.
The film has a loose Christmas connection as the inciting incidents occur on Christmas Eve. The drama is broken into four parts and spans multiple timelines as the hero reflects on his past while he pens a story about a science fiction-inspired future.
8 Christmas, Again Is A Holiday Critical Darling
Christmas, Again is a lesser-known indie drama, but it's one that has received critical acclaim. The 2014 flick's reviews have been so favorable that it made its way into Metacritic's own top ten.
Christmas, Again follows a lovelorn Christmas tree salesman, Noel, in New York City struggling to recover from past heartbreak. He spends day and night on his urban Christmas tree lot, mentally falling apart. However, with some unexpected outside intervention, Noel may be able to turn his life back around. This quiet film captures the often poignant emotions of the holiday season.
7 Tuesday, After Christmas Is A Drama From Romania
For audiences looking to dig deeper into international cinema, critics sing the praises of Tuesday, After Christmas. The film is by Romanian director Radu Muntean and is set in Bucharest.
Tuesday, After Christmas takes place before the titular holiday and focuses on the emotional unraveling of a family. When the husband's long-time affair is exposed, his wife is devastated and wants him gone. However, with Christmas only days away, they decide to postpone publicly ending their marriage for the sake of their young daughter.
6 Eastern Promises Brings Crime To The Holiday Season
David Cronenberg's 2007 Eastern Promises is probably not the first film fans associate with the holidays. However, the violent gangster drama takes place during London winter against the backdrop of the Christmas holiday.
Eastern Promises follows a midwife's quest to find the family of a baby girl she delivers from a teenage sex worker. Her mission winds up taking her into the heart of the Russian mafia, where she becomes inadvertently embroiled in their inner politics. On the way, she becomes unlikely allies with a mob hitman as she attempts to protect the newborn baby. The chilly drama stars Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen and received widespread critical acclaim, with Mortensen garnering an Academy Award nomination.
5 A Christmas Tale Is A French Family Dramedy
A Christmas Tale is a Christmas-centered dramedy out of France. The film stars iconic French actress Catherine Deneuve as Junon, the matriarch of a large family who is plagued with secrets, estrangements, and resentments.
When Junon discovers she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transfer, she assembles her adult children and grandchildren, hoping to find a match. The family comes together in the days before Christmas and is forced to confront their myriad squabbles and betrayals in the wake of their mother's illness.
4 Tangerine Brings Christmas To Los Angeles
Tangerine broke barriers in 2015 for its depiction of transgender characters and for being filmed entirely on an iPhone. The film follows a transgender sex worker who attempts to hunt down her unfaithful boyfriend on Christmas Eve in Los Angeles. As the night goes on, her relationships and friendships are tested by what she learns.
The film was lauded for its casting of transgender actresses Kitana Kiki Rodrguez and Mya Taylor in the leading roles, with Taylor going on to win an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress In A Supporting Role. Tangerine was directed by Sean Baker, who went on to helm 2017's critically acclaimed The Florida Project.
3 Little Women Is A Beloved Holiday Classic
Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Little Women was originally published in 1868 and has been a Christmas favorite for its warm portrayal of the holiday. The story of the four March sisters growing up in Concord, MA, in the aftermath of the Civil War has been adapted numerous times for big and small screens.
However, director Greta Gerwig's recent 2019 adaptation of the work has earned the highest ranking on critics' lists. The film remixed the original story by jumping between timelines, bringing a modern twist to a classic. Little Women was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and starred Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, and Timothée Chalamet.
2 La La Land Is A Musical Holiday Favorite
Musicals have long been a staple of holiday viewing, and the best-reviewed Christmas-related musical of this century is La La Land. The sweeping contemporary musical follows an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and up-and-coming jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) as they follow their dreams and hearts in Los Angeles.
Although LA may not be the most obvious choice for a winter-themed film, La La Land boasts an extended pivotal scene against the backdrop of a cozy restaurant decorated for Christmas Eve. The film was a critical darling for its return to well-loved Hollywood tropes and the magnetic chemistry between the two leads.
1 Carol Brings Romance To The Holidays
2015's Carol is a sweeping romantic drama set during the winter holidays. The film takes place in 1950s New York City, where a young shop girl (Rooney Mara) begins a clandestine relationship with a chic divorcee (Cate Blanchett). Carol is originally based on the novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith and was brought to the big screen by director Todd Haynes.
The film was renowned for its beauty, depth of emotion, and powerhouse performances from leads Blanchett and Mara. Haynes is known for his romances depicting queer love stories, and his adaptation of Highsmith's work earned the film six Academy Award nominations.