13 Unpopular Christmas Movie Opinions (According To Reddit)

Christmas movies seem to be a divisive thing. Widely beloved Christmas classics are hated by some (typically for being too schmaltzy), and some under-appreciated movies are heralded as classics by a small, select few. And then there are the more non-traditional Christmas movies like Die Hard that result in endless discussion in debate, as people constantly argue over their merits as Christmas movies.

And while the classics and their qualities have seemingly been set in stone, one look at Reddit proves that that is certainly not the case. There are many unpopular opinions out there, nonetheless.

UPDATE: 2022/12/24 11:00 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

Every year, there are Christmas movies that come out that often leave fans underwhelmed. However, they still find an audience. Whether it is Lindsay Logan in the new Netflix Christmas movie Falling for Christmas or a killer Santa Claus in Violent Night, there is something there for everyone to love and hate. However, when it comes to Christmas movies, there are some things that most people universally agree on. In those cases, there will always be a dissenter popping up somewhere like Reddit to throw some holiday coal into the festivities. This kind of debate makes the social media site a perfect place for movie lovers and haters alike to debate the joys of Christmas movies.

The Christmas Movie Genre is Overrated

Every year, Christmas rolls around and people flock to their televisions to watch old Christmas movies with the family. However, not everyone loves this and some have a disdain for Christmas movies altogether. Redditor corkelwhale wrote that most Christmas movies are “cheesy movies that really serve no purpose other than making money,”

They don’t hate all Christmas movies, but feel nothing is new in the genre and that just makes Christmas movies overrated as a whole. It remained unpopular as the thread was filled with people listing all the great Christmas movies that came out over the last few years, showing that this might just be one person’s opinion.

Depressing Christmas Movies

If there is one thing that most people want in their Christmas movies, it is festive spirit and holiday cheer. However, there are some people who hate that part of the genre altogether. RedSonGamble wrote on Reddit that they want something a lot less cheerful during the holiday season.

“I’d like a depressing Christmas movie for once,” they wrote. “Where he doesn’t get the girl. He doesn’t make amends with his family or wife.” One Redditor mentioned Bad Santa, but the OP said that even had a happy ending. They just want a sad Christmas movie where the holiday doesn’t even help dreams come true.

Fred Claus is a great Christmas movie

It might have been just the fact that Vince Vaughn had overstayed his welcome as a major movie star, but his Christmas movie Fred Claus mostly fell flat upon release. The movie with Vaughn as Santa’s cranky older brother has a lower 5.6 rating on IMDb and a rotten 21 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, not everyone hated it.

One Redditor named mrf0520 said it was “pretty d**n underrated. A trie Vince Vaughn heater.” while others agreed it wasn’t as bad as people remember, they still preferred Four Christmases for Vaughn Christmas movies.

Old Black And White Movies

When it comes to the “Christmas classics,” a bunch of old black and white films are typically held in high regard. It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and the 1951 Scrooge film are all classics, and they’re all in black and white.

Unfortunately, this distinction gets on the nerves of this Reddit user (whose name has since been deleted), who states, “I don’t like the old black and white Christmas movies. Whew, feels good to get that out lol.”

The Rankin/Bass Movies

Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment became well known for their stop-motion animated TV specials/movies. These include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.

Most of these are considered animated Christmas classics, and they are continuously aired every single year on TV. Much to the chagrin of Reddit user Weiner365, who claims, “I don’t like any of the Rankin-Bass stop-motion Christmas movies at all. There’s something about the atmosphere in those movies that bums me out.”

Jingle All The Way Is A Great Movie

Redditor SuperMario1313 has numerous unpopular opinions when it comes to Christmas and Christmas movies. One of them is that “Jingle All The Way is a great movie.” This may not seem unpopular for those basking in ’90s nostalgia, but the fact remains that Jingle All the Way is not a widely beloved film.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It stands at just 19% on Rotten Tomatoes (with an audience score of 38%), and its 5.7 IMDb rating is quite low when compared to other widely beloved Christmas films.

A Christmas Story On TV

Continuing with SuperMario1313‘s post, they believe that “Christmas Story doesn’t deserve to be aired 24hrs straight on Christmas Day.”

This may prove particularly controversial, as TNT and TBS’s annual airings of A Christmas Story is one of the most beloved aspects of the holiday season. The airings continue to draw very strong ratings on TV, and its repeated airings have helped make A Christmas Story a Christmas classic.

Jim Carrey’s Grinch

While the TV special remains a classic to this day, the live action Jim Carrey movie proves a bit more divisive. This opinion is represented through this Reddit user (whose name has since been deleted), “I don’t think Jim Carrey’s Grinch is any good at all. I hard pass on it every year.” However, this opinion may not prove as unpopular as they believe.

The movie received two Razzie awards, sits at a middling 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 6.2/10 on IMDb. Not horrible scores by any means, but it’s not like the movie is widely beloved.

Can’t Stand Elf

Perhaps a more unpopular opinion would not be liking Elf. Unlike the live action Grinch, Elf is widely enjoyed. It sits at a very respectable 7.0/10 on IMDb, an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes (with an audience score of 79%), and it grossed $222.9 million at the box office – a staggering amount for an original Christmas movie.

However, Reddit user sewingshadows isn’t sharing in the love, declaring, “I can’t stand the movie Elf. Never have, never will.”

Die Hard Is Not A Christmas Movie

The famous Die Hard debate may never end. Is it a Christmas movie, or is it not? Can action movies be Christmas movies? Does a movie being set at Christmas automatically make it a Christmas movie, or does it need to have some type of “Christmas personality”?

This question may be answered by Reddit user SquidThumbs, who claims, “To say Die Hard is a Christmas movie makes as much sense as saying 7 Years in Tibet is a WW2 movie. Just because a movie is set during a time frame doesn’t mean the movie is about that time frame.”

Die Hard IS A Christmas Movie

On the flip side is the argument that Die Hard is indeed a Christmas movie. Redditor Mettelor had a few good arguments, like, “It happens on Christmas. The movie is set on Christmas Eve/Day, and it takes place in part during an office Christmas party” and “In 2018, both Die Hard and A Christmas Story appear to follow roughly the same trend in relative frequency throughout the year.”

However, these arguments are seemingly countered by Wilhelm_Van_Astrea, who claims, “Bruce Willis literally said it’s not a Christmas movie.”

Klaus Is The Best Christmas Movie In 15 Years

People are always on the lookout for the next great Christmas movie. One Reddit user (whose name has been deleted), claims that “Klaus (on Netflix) is the best new Christmas movie of the last 15 years.” They further elaborated, “I really tried finding something better and had to go back to Elf to find a better Christmas movie.”

They may be on to something here, as Klaus currently holds an exceptional 95% on Rotten Tomatoes (with a 96% audience score) and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Love Actually Is Terrible

Love Actually is considered a modern Christmas classic, aided in large part by its stellar British cast. Many people seem to enjoy the movie judging by its very respectable 7.6/10 score on IMDb. However, it is hated by Reddit user Raidden, who bluntly claims that “Love Actually is a terrible movie.”

User merikus strongly agrees, stating, “I’m starting to have some real problems with Love Actually. Even considering writing an article on it because it’s so insidious.”

NEXT: The 10 Best Christmas Movies Of The 2020s (So Far), Ranked According To IMDb