As exam season is upon us, explore these holiday films to remove your inner Grinch!
By Aliya Karimjee
Are you or a classmate struggling to feel the holiday cheer? Take a break from exams and discover CanCulture’s festive movie recommendations!
Black Christmas
If Halloween passed by too fast for you, then a must-watch movie for you is Black Christmas (1974)! This beloved Canadian slasher film invites you into a murder mystery where a killer preys upon a college sorority. Being one of the first cited slasher films, it’s interesting to know the real-life Westmount murders inspired this movie in Montréal. If you have ever seen the Scream franchise, you might like this film as it inspired the targeted phone calls concept. Black Christmas will ironically be a dark feature during this festive holiday season. Watch it for free with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Have you dealt with relatives trying to set you up in the festive season? The movie Holidate demonstrates precisely that and the main character Sloane's way of defeating it. She fakes a romantic connection with someone for the festivities, otherwise known as her "holidate," until those feelings might not be so fake. The plot is captivating, and you get to celebrate two Canadian actors. Andrew Bachelor, comedian and actor, played the role of Neil, Jackson's misguided best friend (Sloane's love interest). You might have also seen him rise to fame on Vine. The second Canadian actor, Jake Manley, plays Sloane's younger brother York. You might have seen him in iZombie, A Dog's Journey or The Order. Overall, if you're a bit "anti-love" this holiday season, see if this movie changes your mind! Check it out on Netflix.
Lovehard
Have you ever been catfished? Lovehard is based on a journalist writing about her experiences with dating apps. When she thinks she has met her perfect match, she flies almost 5000 km to meet him, and discovers he isn't everything he advertised… Later, she meets the man whose picture was used, but who will she choose? This Christmas-themed rom-com was filmed in Metro Vancouver with Canadian star Nina Dobrev, known for her leading role in The Vampire Diaries. Suppose you want to support a majorly Canadian film and relate to some funny dating experiences. In that case, this Netflix movie is for you!
Happiest Season
This movie is so endearing, considering there aren’t many holiday rom-com starring LGBTQ2S+ couples—especially ones backed by big Hollywood studios. Many queer audiences can resonate with this story in terms of the main character’s coming out journey. The plot revolves around Canadian actress Mackenzie Davis, playing the role of Harper, as she's conflicted between coming out to her “traditional” family versus getting engaged with her partner, Abby (Kristen Stewart). Dan Levy, a Canadian actor playing Abby’s best friend, John, is also a very funny and supportive character in this film. Watch this movie on Netflix.
The Holiday Calendar
Do you enjoy counting down the days till Christmas? An advent calendar-inspired film is the perfect way to do so. This movie, filmed in Niagara-On-The-Lake, shows the adventures a photographer experiences after she inherits an antique holiday advent calendar that can predict the future. Will this calendar lead to the love of her life? See for yourself on Netflix.
Christmas Wedding Planner
Planning weddings can always be chaotic. However, how weird is it if a private investigator tries to shut down a wedding planner's biggest wedding yet? The bride’s ex, Connor, shows up as a secret private unvestigator at the engagement party to find something to expose the groom. What if this private investigator distracts the wedding planner? What if he catches her eye and turns her world upside down? Will she get her love story, cancel another's, or end up in tears? Watch this Canadian movie on Netflix.
Elf
The movie Elf is a funny Christmas-comedy guaranteed to lift your spirits! Filmed in Vancouver, the production team persevered in building the large sets for Santa’s village by utilizing public-use hockey rinks. Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City, hoping to meet his dad. Unfortunately, his dad does not know he exists and is not exactly in the Christmas spirit. Watch this movie on Amazon Prime.
The Christmas Chronicles
Were you in Toronto in 2018? Some city residents were lucky enough to find Kurt Russell dressed in a Santa Claus suit. The Christmas Chronicles revolves around two kids celebrating their first Christmas since their dad passed away. However, they end up stuck in Chicago (AKA Toronto) on an adventure with Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Watch out for some spots you might recognize in the GTA! St. James Gate in Etobicoke, Tiffany & Co. or Louis Vuitton in Yorkville, and other spots in Leslieville or downtown. Check it out on Netflix.
Falling for Christmas/A Snow Capped Christmas
Broadcasted as "Falling for Christmas" in the United States, the Canadian version, A Snow Capped Christmas, is a movie about an injured skater's experience in rehab in the weeks leading up to Christmas. While resting, she meets a former Canadian hockey player who now runs a local ice fishing shop. As he teaches her how to fall in love with winter without skating, she might find herself in her own love story. Filmed in British Columbia, we see pretty views as we uncover the skater and an ice fisherman's love story. Watch the Canadian version on Amazon Prime and the American version, differing slightly through skiing, on Netflix.
The Knight Before Christmas
The final movie on our list was filmed in Orillia, Ont. and Bracebridge, Ont., two Canadian cities over 150 km from Toronto. As the name suggests, you should watch The Knight Before Christmas the night before Christmas. A 14th-century knight is given an unknown quest before midnight or he will never be a proper knight. On that same day, in 2019, he discovers the quest was to find love as he meets a science teacher. Discover this love story across centuries as a 14th-century night falls in love with a 21st-century science teacher. Available on Netflix.
Now remove your resting Grinch face and watch these tree-mendously funny or romantic Christmas movies!