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Flick Critique: Stay away from these bad Christmas movies

The holidays are soon approaching, and with them are an assortment of movies, both good and bad. Christmas has surrounded many movies of all genres — ranging from comedy to horror — meant for everyone. Nonetheless, that does not mean that there have not been some movies over the years that have fallen flat and disappointed audiences. Here are five movies that took out all of the holiday spirit out Christmas:

First on the list is the early 2000s rom-com “Surviving Christmas.” When a rich man is all alone during the holidays, he rents out a family just so he can have a normal Christmas, making this storyline extremely illogical and bizarre. With an all-star cast including Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate and Bill Macy, the movie falls flat due to its complicated and unrealistic plot, as well as its awkward dialogue.

Next on the list is “Jack Frost,” a movie that is meant to be a children’s movie, but is perhaps one of the scariest and creepiest Christmas movies ever. Jack Frost, a popular musician, spends most of his time away from his family, neglecting his son even during the holidays. However, after he passes away during a car accident, he somehow comes back the next year as a snowman. It soon becomes a race against time, as Jack Frost has to make it up to his son before he melts. Evidently, the movie is tragic beyond belief, and the plot is pretty creepy. With its dark plot, this movie hardly fits the audience it was directed toward, as children will likely leave this film scarred for life.

“Deck the Halls” comes next on the list, starring Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick. After a lazy scammer moves in next to an uptight and highly meticulous man and his family, both neighbors embark on a competition to one-up each other during Christmas. While their families form strong bonds, DeVito and Broderick cannot get along due to their massive differences, as they continuously try to create the greatest light show in their front lawn. With a ridiculous and predictable plot, this movie is often regarded as one of the worst holiday films ever.

Next is “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever,” with Aubrey Plaza voicing Grumpy Cat. It goes without saying why this movie is absolutely awful, as the name probably takes care of that. However, it is shocking to see how a meme managed to score a Lifetime movie and how the beloved “Parks and Recreation” actress was convinced to participate in this atrocious film. Grumpy Cat’s overplayed lack of interest soon gets boring.

Closing off this list is the third installation of the infamous “Home Alone” saga, “Home Alone 3.” This movie falls flat for many reasons, but the switch from beloved Macaulay Culkin to another protagonist is probably the movie’s initial faux pas. Additionally, the increase from two to four villains and the complicated North Korean terrorist plot make the initially unrealistic plot far too unbelievable. While the “Home Alone” saga is comprised of five movies, only two of which are actually good, this movie was the first offender and the most famous of all the ones not starring Culkin. While replacing characters sometimes works for film series, when the protagonist is the primary appeal or recognizable feature of a movie, switching out the character will surely result in failure.

With the approaching holidays, it is time to start preparing for Christmas with holiday films. Nonetheless, it is important to stay away from some movies that manage to take away the joy and cheer from the holidays.





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My name is Victoria Lara and I am a sophomore Biomedical Engineering student on the Pre-Medical track. I love watching films and I am passionate about social change. Follow me on Twitter @victoriaa_lara.

One Comment

  1. Maybe you should stick to pre-med and Bioengineering. You clearly have no sense of humor. Maybe try some research papers. They’d be a better fit for your boring and dry writing style.