Ep. 24 - Ranked! Top 20 Christmas Movies!

This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] J.J.: Welcome back to another episode of "Back to the Movie Theater" with J.J. and Olaf!

[0:30] Olaf: Hey everyone!

[1:00] J.J.: Today, we have a festive episode lined up for you as we dive into our top 20 Christmas movies!

[1:30] Olaf: That's right! It's the season to be jolly, and what better way to celebrate than with a good ol' ranking of our favorite holiday films?

[1:32] J.J.: Absolutely! And this time, it's my turn to rank my favorites!

[1:34] Olaf: Wait, I thought it was my turn!

[1:36] J.J.: No, no, no! You had your chance last year!

[1:38] Olaf: Oh, right! I guess I’ll just have to sit back and enjoy your list then!

[1:40] J.J.: Exactly! So, let’s get started!

[1:42] Olaf: I can't wait to hear your picks!

[1:44] J.J.: Alright, coming in at number 20...

[1:46] Olaf: Drumroll, please!

[2:06] J.J.: ...is "The Holiday"!

[2:36] Olaf: Great choice! I love that movie!

[2:38] J.J.: It’s such a feel-good film, and the chemistry between the characters is fantastic.

[2:40] Olaf: Plus, who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy during the holidays?

[2:42] J.J.: Exactly! Now, moving on to number 19...

[2:46] Olaf: What do you have for us?

[2:48] J.J.: "Home Alone"!

[2:50] Olaf: Classic!

[2:52] J.J.: It’s a holiday staple! Kevin McCallister’s antics are just hilarious.

[2:54] Olaf: And it’s a movie that never gets old!

[2:56] J.J.: For sure! Now, at number 18...

[2:58] Olaf: Let’s hear it!

[3:00] J.J.: "A Christmas Story"!

[3:02] Olaf: Oh, that’s a must-watch every year!

[3:04] J.J.: It really captures the essence of childhood during the holidays.

[3:06] Olaf: And who can forget the leg lamp?

[3:08] J.J.: Right? It’s iconic!

[3:10] Olaf: What’s next on your list?

[3:12] J.J.: At number 17, we have "Elf"!

[3:14] Olaf: Love it!

[3:16] J.J.: Will Ferrell is just perfect as Buddy the Elf.

[3:18] Olaf: It’s such a fun movie!

[3:20] J.J.: Definitely! Now, moving on to number 16...

[3:22] Olaf: I’m excited!

[3:24] J.J.: "The Santa Clause"!

[3:26] Olaf: Tim Allen is fantastic in that role!

[3:28] J.J.: He really is! It’s a great mix of humor and heart.

[3:30] Olaf: What’s next?

[3:32] J.J.: At number 15, we have "Love Actually"!

[3:34] Olaf: A romantic classic!

[3:36] J.J.: It’s such a beautifully woven story with multiple love stories.

[3:38] Olaf: And the holiday spirit is definitely present!

[3:40] J.J.: Absolutely! Now, at number 14...

[3:42] Olaf: What’s your pick?

[3:44] J.J.: "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"!

[3:46] Olaf: A hilarious choice!

[3:48] J.J.: Clark Griswold’s holiday mishaps are unforgettable.

[5:00] Olaf: And the family dynamics are so relatable!

[5:02] J.J.: Exactly! Now, moving on to number 13...

[5:04] Olaf: Let’s hear it!

[5:06] J.J.: "Miracle on 34th Street"!

[5:08] Olaf: A timeless classic!

[5:10] J.J.: It really captures the magic of Christmas.

[5:12] Olaf: And the message is so heartwarming!

[5:14] J.J.: Definitely! Now, at number 12...

[5:16] Olaf: What do you have for us?

[5:18] J.J.: "The Muppet Christmas Carol"!

[5:20] Olaf: Such a fun adaptation!

[5:22] J.J.: The Muppets bring a unique charm to the classic story.

[5:24] Olaf: And the music is fantastic!

[5:26] J.J.: For sure! Now, moving on to number 11...

[5:28] Olaf: I’m on the edge of my seat!

[5:30] J.J.: "Scrooged"!

[5:32] Olaf: Bill Murray is brilliant in that role!

[5:34] J.J.: It’s a clever and funny take on the classic tale.

[5:36] Olaf: Absolutely!

[5:38] J.J.: Now, we’re getting into the top 10!

[5:40] Olaf: Exciting!

[5:42] J.J.: At number 10, we have "Frosty the Snowman"!

[5:44] Olaf: A childhood favorite!

[5:46] J.J.: It’s such a nostalgic film for many of us.

[5:48] Olaf: And it’s perfect for the holiday season!

[5:50] J.J.: Definitely! Now, at number 9...

[5:52] Olaf: What’s your pick?

[5:54] J.J.: "The Nightmare Before Christmas"!

[5:56] Olaf: A unique choice!

[5:58] J.J.: It’s a great blend of Halloween and Christmas!

[6:00] Olaf: And the animation is stunning!

[6:02] J.J.: Absolutely! Now, moving on to number 8...

[6:04] Olaf: I can’t wait!

[6:06] J.J.: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"!

[6:08] Olaf: Classic stop-motion!

[6:10] J.J.: It’s such a beloved story that everyone knows.

[6:12] Olaf: And the songs are so catchy!

[6:14] J.J.: For sure! Now, at number 7...

[6:16] Olaf: What do you have for us?

[6:18] J.J.: "A Charlie Brown Christmas"!

[6:20] Olaf: A heartwarming tale!

[6:22] J.J.: It really captures the true meaning of Christmas.

[6:24] Olaf: And the music is iconic!

[6:26] J.J.: Definitely! Now, at number 6...

[6:28] Olaf: I’m excited!

[6:30] J.J.: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"!

[6:32] Olaf: The animated version, right?

[6:34] J.J.: Yes! It’s a classic that never gets old.

[6:36] Olaf: And the message is so important!

[6:38] J.J.: Absolutely! Now, we’re in the top 5!

[6:40] Olaf: This is getting intense!

[6:42] J.J.: At number 5, we have "It's a Wonderful Life"!

[6:44] Olaf: A true classic!

[6:46] J.J.: It’s such a powerful story about hope and redemption.

[6:48] Olaf: And it’s perfect for the holiday spirit!

[6:50] J.J.: Definitely! Now, at number 4...

[6:52] Olaf: What’s your pick?

[6:54] J.J.: "The Polar Express"!

[6:56] Olaf: A magical journey!

[6:58] J.J.: It really captures the wonder of Christmas.

[7:00] Olaf: And the animation is breathtaking!

[7:02] J.J.: Absolutely! Now, at number 3...

[7:04] Olaf: I can’t wait!

[7:06] J.J.: "Die Hard"!

[7:08] Olaf: A controversial choice!

[7:10] J.J.: But it’s a holiday movie for many!

[7:12] Olaf: It’s definitely a fun action film!

[7:14] J.J.: Now, at number 2...

[7:16] Olaf: What do you have for us?

[7:18] J.J.: "White Christmas"!

[7:20] Olaf: A classic musical!

[7:22] J.J.: It’s such a beautiful film with great performances.

[7:24] Olaf: And the songs are timeless!

[7:26] J.J.: Absolutely! Now, finally, at number 1...

[7:28] Olaf: The moment we’ve all been waiting for!

[7:30] J.J.: "Christmas Vacation"!

[7:32] Olaf: A perfect choice!

[7:34] J.J.: It’s the ultimate holiday comedy!

[7:36] Olaf: And it never fails to make me laugh!

[7:38] J.J.: That wraps up my top 20 Christmas movies!

[7:40] Olaf: Great list!

[7:42] J.J.: Thanks for joining us, everyone!

[7:44] Olaf: Happy holidays!

[7:46] J.J.: Don’t forget to subscribe and follow us on social media!

[7:48] Olaf: See you next time!

[12:34] Olaf: Top 20 Christmas movie list. It's not even making an honorable mention. I mean, I love Sinbad, but Arnold.

[12:41] J.J.: No, and this is like pre Star Wars episode 1 for Jake Lloyd.

[12:46] Olaf: But now see here's how I know that I'm going to be okay because I've just mentioned a movie that most people would argue should be on the top 20 list and you're saying it doesn't even deserve an honorable mention. So you're already creating controversy. And it's not even your list. That's okay. This to me, this feels like already, already. I am over here going, you know what everybody for the sake of all of us, I might have to create my own list just so I can defend somebody and I'm not saying it's gonna happen and I'm not saying I already don't have one. I'm just saying based off of Jingle all the way not making his top 20, which is thank you, but at the fact that it's an honorable mention I could list 25 other movies that I would put before that Christmas movie.

I've got 20 Christmas movies ready to go that I love and Jingle all the way makes an honorable mention because I know so many people love that movie. That doesn't mean it should be on the list. I like that movie, so I give it an honor.

[13:50] J.J.: So you're playing to the crowd because I like that movie, but I also know how much other people enjoy it.

[14:04] Olaf: Well, this is your list. You're right. This is your list. What you think of these movies? We're not saying that these are the greatest movies of JJ's already trying to hijack it make his own list. No, you're fine. We got to speed this up here. We're not even a number 20 here. All right. All right, another honorable mention kiss kiss bang bang Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, written and directed by Shane Black. It's so fun. It's so funny and it's all during Christmas. It's great. That's that is a great movie.

[14:32] J.J.: But just I don't even associate that movie with Christmas because it has nothing to do with Christmas. That movie is just so fun.

[14:40] Olaf: Yeah.

[14:41] J.J.: Val Kilmer is great in this movie. They all are. They're fantastic. Shane Black has written so many great scripts and made a lot of great movies. He's made some bad ones too, but he nailed it with this movie and I just really enjoy it and a lot of his movies take place during Christmas.

[15:00] Olaf: Yeah, yeah, but so that's an honorable mention and then my last honorable mention is Gremlins.

[15:05] J.J.: Yeah, that's that's a tough one because that to me could go either way they could make a top 20. It almost, you know, and my number 20 movie I love it very much and I know that I'm gonna be one of the few who does love it as a Christmas movie. So they could have almost been interchangeable, but I had to go with my gut so Gremlins makes the honorable mention list.

[15:29] J.J.: Well, I mean those are solid ones, minus of course the Jingle all the way which I think anybody else would be upset that it's not in the top 20. I myself am upset that it's just even mentioned in this conversation.

[15:41] Olaf: But I'm shocked by the hatred coming at me because of Jingle all the way because it is a fun movie. Sinbad's great. Arnold is fun and you know, yeah. Without dwelling on it too much, let's actually get to your top 20. I'm ready. I'm intrigued actually as to your 20 position and Gremlins sort of interchangeable. So I'm curious.

[16:03] Olaf: So we are getting now into my top 20 list and I mean, I'm gonna say this now only because JJ said it over and over and over and over and over again with his lists. I love all of these movies. So when I tell you where a movie goes just know that I love it. I don't need to say it's at the bottom of the list and then wax poetry about how I love this movie.

[16:31] J.J.: Basically what he's saying is that even though he loves, he loves it so much that he put it at number 20 or he loves it so much that he has it at 17 when it really should be out and maybe number 12 or something.

[16:44] Olaf: Let's see what you won't hear is after I tell you the name of a movie how much I love it because he's already said it everybody. He's already told you at the beginning that he loves all these movies. Of course you do. That's why it's on the list. But again, it goes back to my point of when you go first in class, you're going up there totally vulnerable not knowing what to expect and you're laying it all out there and so by the time it's your turn to go up and you're like second or third and you've heard a couple of presentations you can then go, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna tell everybody at the beginning that I love all these movies so they won't be as disappointed or angry when one of theirs is at number 19.

[17:34] J.J.: You, who hurt you?

[17:53] Olaf: Man, and sadly everybody there is no Mr. Baseball's Christmas. So now there is fortunately.

[18:01] Olaf: All right, so the bottom five I'm just gonna list them off and then we can talk about them if you want. Number 20, 1992's Batman Returns.

[18:06] J.J.: Okay, I mean I would have put Gremlins above Batman Returns.

[18:09] Olaf: Of course you would because you all but we're gonna talk about after you list. We'll go ahead and list 19 through whatever. All right number 19, The Nutcracker Ballet featuring Macaulay Culkin as the Nutcracker.

[18:23] J.J.: Hmm. Yes some thoughts. I know he doesn't like it.

[18:29] Olaf: It's a movie. Oh man, the fact that this is above any of these honorable mentions what is killing me already? What is it? What's more Christmas than The Nutcracker? Number 18? Oh my gosh number 18 is 2022's Spirited with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell's version of A Christmas Carol.

[18:46] J.J.: Okay, 17 number 17 is 2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey as Grinch directed by Ron Howard.

[19:05] Olaf: What? Oh, I'm gonna stop you right there. Just just give you 16 and then we're gonna go back. This is insane already. What is 16 and number 16 is 2004's The Polar Express.

[19:17] J.J.: Oh man directed by Robert Zemeckis starring Tom Hanks in multiple roles.

[19:26] Olaf: Okay. All right, everybody. Here we go. If you thought Olaf was on your side by trying to coax you with well everybody I'm putting Jingle all the way as honorable mention because people like it. Well, guess what people love? The Polar Express and the fact that you have The Polar Express in your bottom five is insanity. The fact that you have How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey just one step below it is even more idiotic to me because look all right.

[20:03] J.J.: Wow, Spirited. I'm gonna give you Spirited. I love Spirited. It's become one of the newer Christmas movies that I'll watch every year. I think it's fantastic. I think it's a great spin on the story on the Christmas Carol story. It was very refreshing and I do enjoy Ryan Reynolds a lot and I'd love Will Ferrell, but when I went into this movie I was kind of hesitant and I was really surprised by just how heartwarming it was and right it's really well done. It's very special.

[20:31] Olaf: I agree completely. Let's just go back to Batman Returns. I would have put Gremlins above Batman Returns only because Batman Returns is the sequel to a movie that's much better, but Gremlins is Gremlins and it's gotten to be more big, more of a Christmas feel. I mean if we're gonna, I love that we're also talking about movies that aren't traditional Christmas movies like Gremlins isn't a traditional Christmas movie.

[20:54] J.J.: Right, but I would have put Gremlins above that. I would have put Batman Returns in an honorable mention.

[20:59] Olaf: Yeah, and I said that they could be interchangeable, right? It's just at the end of the day I am such a huge Batman fan and I love Batman Returns. So Michelle Pfeiffer is fantastic as Catwoman one of the best of the five. I like Danny DeVito's Penguin of the five that you have here Nutcracker with Macaulay Culkin. That's great. It's Christmas. I sure there are so many other Nutcracker movies. I would have put that at 20 if you're gonna have it in your bottom five put it at 20 and put Gremlins at 19.

[21:31] J.J.: Now see with The Nutcracker when I was a kid growing up I was exposed to a lot of classical music and our schools would go on field trips and we'd see ballets and stuff like that. So The Nutcracker score is amazing. It's so iconic and it's so beautiful and when I hear it, I immediately think of Christmas. So I couldn't not include this because I do enjoy sitting down watching this ballet and it just happens to have Macaulay Culkin as the Nutcracker and you know, he's not a ballet dancer and it's fine because everything around him is so beautiful and so well choreographed and you've got the iconic music. I really enjoyed it really helps me get into the spirit. So yeah, I had to put it on the list.

[22:22] Olaf: I would have definitely had it at number 20 if it's gonna be anywhere in this bottom five. It's bit the bottom.

[22:28] J.J.: Well, the reason why it made 19 instead of 20 is a point you made was you don't feel that Batman Returns is as Christmassy as other movies and right Nutcracker made 19 over 20 because Nutcracker is way more Christmassy, man.

[22:45] Olaf: Okay, so we have 15 more to go and already Polar Express which I will agree has got some issues. I've got some problems with it, but you're talking about a timeless movie. It's great. Now again, there are every year you're getting a flood of new Christmas movies and so there are a lot to pick from so I get absolutely so I am very picky with my Christmas movies because I have a tradition every year. I watch these movies leading up to my top three favorites right around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and it's really hard for me to add in new ones. I have to be very very picky.

[23:28] J.J.: I'm just saying and I know that so I'm going to remember that as we start climbing up this list that you have. We're only in the bottom five, but you have Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey at 17.

[23:43] Olaf: Okay, you're just as surprised as I am because let me really am I because you made this list.

[23:52] J.J.: How am I just as surprised as you are?

[23:55] Olaf: Well because like I said, I don't make lists so having to sit down and make this list to find out that I had to put that so far down the list because I have always been a fan of the Jim Carrey Grinch.

[24:07] J.J.: You used to 50 of 16 movies above it.

[24:15] Olaf: Yeah, but remember everybody he loves all these movies. He loves The Grinch so much he quoted it verbatim so much that it's at 17. He's like the Heat Miser.

[24:22] J.J.: So easy to fall into that villain. That was a little nugget of things to come. I think you just mentioned the Heat Miser. What's at 15?

[24:28] Olaf: Well, I've already told you that TV specials don't make this.

[24:34] J.J.: Oh, that's true. You did mention that. I forgot he saved himself by putting in that little note at the beginning.

[24:40] Olaf: All right. So number 15 we have 1994's The Santa Clause with Tim Allen, David Krumholtz.

[24:50] J.J.: So upset already.

[24:52] Olaf: 15 yeah, so for everybody that's listening your childhood is only as good as 15 everybody. This movie is a Christmas classic.

[25:08] Olaf: Questionable sequels and an okay TV series, but this particular movie I would consider at this point now a Christmas classic. And I don't think I am the only one who thinks that.

[25:20] J.J.: Probably not. So smug, so smug.

[25:26] Olaf: Oh boy. Alright, so number 14. We are number 14. 1987's Lethal Weapon.

[25:35] J.J.: Oh man. This is where the divisiveness of the crowd and the list are going to come into play.

[25:43] Olaf: This is such a great Christmas movie. It's just action galore and it's so fun. It's written by Shane Black because he loves Christmas. It's fantastic. The whole movie takes place during Christmas. The movie opens up with Christmas music. They've got Christmas trees. They've got a fight in front of the Christmas lights. The car drives through a Christmas tree and the presents. I mean, it is Christmas everywhere you look. It's all about Christmas. A little Jingle Bell Rock at the beginning and the opening credits.

[26:19] J.J.: It is a Christmas movie.

[26:21] Olaf: Is it a Christmas movie?

[26:23] J.J.: Yes, absolutely. The whole movie is Christmas everywhere. It's got Christmas trees. It's got Christmas parties. It's got Christmas songs. The police station has guys singing Christmas carols.

[26:35] Olaf: This one thing is what I'm enjoying about this list so far is that these are some non-traditional movies that are on this list.

[26:41] J.J.: Some of them. Yes, absolutely.

[26:44] Olaf: Because don't get me wrong. I love a good traditional Christmas movie, but there's so many. I like thinking outside of the box and there's so many creative things outside of the box that you can enjoy. Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie.

[27:00] J.J.: Yes. I mean, I love Lethal Weapon. Would it have been in my top 20? Maybe. Would it have been around here? Possibly, because I would have sort of fallen prey to traditional Christmas movies that if I wanted to put Lethal Weapon on the list, it might have ended up around here, so I'm okay with it. I don't know if I would put it above the Santa Claus in terms of Christmas movies, but then that's the traditionalism coming into play.

[27:25] Olaf: That's fair. Number 13, 1992, Home Alone 2, Lost in New York.

[27:33] J.J.: Okay. Okay. I think there's a lot of people that are going to love you for that one. I mean, really. See, I think this movie sometimes gets an unfair rap. I think some people don't like this movie as much. They're like, it's a repeat or it's not as original, but this movie cracks me up. It's not quite as inspired as the first one, but man, does it make up for it with funny.

[28:02] Olaf: I would agree. I would agree. I feel like it is a bit of a rehash of the first one.

[28:08] J.J.: Sure. That is a very fair criticism. I totally get that, but oh boy, it makes me laugh so much. My favorite scene of this whole movie is when they chase him to the new house that he's going to torture them in, and there's so many good laughs just in that, but just when they're outside the house, they haven't even gone in yet, and Kevin McCallister's up on the roof, and you got Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern just on the street yelling up at him, and he starts throwing bricks, and all of the bricks are hitting Daniel Stern in the face, and it's so absurdly brutal, and it's so funny. I die when I watch that. It's so, so funny, and Daniel Stern sells it so well. Those bricks look so real. The impact feels so real, and it kills me. So, this movie just absolutely cracks me up.

[29:09] Olaf: Yeah. So, I had to put it on the list. And again, I understand. I understand why, but to me, it just felt like this is a rehash of the first movie. They are recycling some of the jokes. I do love the fact that it is set in New York City, so it does get that extra love from me, but okay. I mean, obviously, no spoilers here, but if the second Home Alone movie is on this list, that 13, I'm assuming the first one will be showing up somewhere later on.

[29:33] J.J.: Yeah, and another one last thing about Home Alone 2 is it also still gets you in the feels.

[29:43] Olaf: It does. They still do a great job with having heart and getting you a little misty-eyed there.

[29:50] J.J.: Yeah. No, I agree. They do a good job there. Alright. Number 12, 2009, Disney's A Christmas Carol, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman. Jim Carrey plays several roles.

[30:07] Olaf: Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey, and Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey plays a few different roles. Gary Oldman plays a couple different roles, and they use the same technology that they use for Polar Express, but they've made a lot of advancements on it. It's a lot more traditional to the book, A Christmas Carol, like just the opening scene with Marley is dead and his corpse is there, and it just feels dark and brooding. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this version a lot because, I mean, we've already covered A Christmas Carol a couple times. We're going to cover it a few more times on this list because there's so many versions of it.

[30:46] J.J.: I'm surprised that this one's made your list or made it this high on your list because when I think of A Christmas Carol and all of the versions that are out there, I don't know if this one would have even made my top 20.

[30:57] Olaf: It's done well. Jim Carrey is great. You're right. It's the same. It's Zemeckis. He did Polar Express, the technology. It's all the same team. I think what Polar Express for me has over this particular version of this movie is that there are so many versions of this movie.

[31:24] J.J.: Sure. I mean, Spirited is one of them. We already mentioned that. I know you're going to mention a few more because I would also, and I've got a feeling I know which ones you're going to mention, rightly so. I think this would have been an honorable mention for me.

[31:38] Olaf: Interesting. Yeah. It's impossible to make a top 20 list and not have multiple versions of A Christmas Carol. It's one of the most famous Christmas stories out there, and there's so many different versions of it. There's just a lot to enjoy of those different versions.

[31:55] J.J.: Yeah, no, absolutely. I was blown away by the performance capture, and it's got some great music. Polar Express, you got Alan Silvestri playing the music, and it's fantastic. It's one of my favorite children's books, The Polar Express. You got Tom Hanks playing seven roles.

[32:11] Olaf: Yeah. I mean, did some of that movie get a little silly because they had to pad it out because it's a short children's book? Yeah. That's why Disney's Christmas Carol gets a little bit more of a bump because not only is the technology better, I just thought it was a little bit more well-constructed. I think Polar Express does a great job of capturing the book, but then it kind of gets away from it when it has to add in all this extra stuff, so you kind of lose a little bit there. This one sticks fairly faithfully to the actual story, and no, I really liked it.

[32:48] J.J.: Okay. Alright. Well- That brings us to number 11.

[32:52] Olaf: Number 11, the top of your bottom 10. We are getting so close to the top 10 list. I would have loved to have put this in my top 10.

[33:02] J.J.: Here we go.

[33:05] Olaf: But here's the thing. If we were including TV specials and movies, this just would have gotten moved farther down the list, but man, it's a favorite of mine. Number 11, 1988's Scrooged, starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane, John Forsyte, Alfre Woodard.

[33:30] J.J.: Wow. I'm surprised this did not make your top 10. Now, that says a lot about your top 10.

[33:36] Olaf: I am also surprised. I'm feeling a little bit more comforted going into your top 10 because I know it's going to be filled with a bunch of bangers. Now, it's going to be more about where they would fall because this, I really thought, would be in your top 10. This is the third, was it one, two, your third Christmas Carol versioned movie on this list. Like I said, it's the most well-known, most famous Christmas story out there, and we've made countless versions of it, and there's so many bad ones, but this one, oh gosh. Bill Murray is just epitome of Bill Murray, and you've got amazingly wonderful comedic people surrounding him.

[34:18] J.J.: I mean, Carol Kane beats the crap out of him the whole movie. It's so great.

[34:23] Olaf: Buster Poindexter as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Let me tell you, I quote him all the time.

[34:29] J.J.: You do. Niagara Falls.

[34:31] Olaf: Niagara Falls. Whenever somebody's crying, he's like, Niagara Falls, and I use that all the time. And Bill Murray's brothers are in this movie?

[34:41] J.J.: Yes. A few of them.

[34:42] Olaf: The Carol Kane Ghost of Christmas Present scene, it's hilarious. It's still great. You watch it now, and there's nothing cheesy or dated about it. It's just great physical comedy. Carol Kane is a genius. And this whole movie, they all did such a great job of working with him because he's at the height. He's doing all of these things, and for everybody to keep up with him is great. And Alfre Woodard putting up with Bill Murray, and she's playing the straight man in this, and she does such a great job of not getting just completely overshadowed by Bill and everyone else around her. She does such an amazing job as the Bob Cratchit of the story.

[35:31] J.J.: Right.

[35:32] Olaf: She deserves all the accolades. She does a lot of heavy lifting. She portrays such an honest character that doesn't get enveloped by all of the absurdity that's going on in the movie.

[35:46] J.J.: Well, and they also, just the way they tell this story, and this one in Spirited, I feel like Spirited is the child of Scrooged, and it's even referenced in Spirited.

[35:57] Olaf: Oh, yeah.

[35:57] J.J.: You get that same vibe where in Scrooge, they're doing this live version of A Christmas Carol on TV, this big production. So you get all of these stars of that decade, Jamie Farr, and Buddy Hackett was playing Scrooge, but people knew him because of the stuff he'd done in the 60s, 50s. Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim. I mean, all of it is so great and well cast.

[36:27] Olaf: Yeah. So that's the bottom half of the top 20.

[36:31] J.J.: That's okay. I mean, if you're going to have a number 11, that's a great 11 because it's so close. It should be a 10. It's like my money ball of the baseball list. It's like it could have been at number 10, but money ball landed at 11.

[36:47] Olaf: I love how he's trying so hard to justify the insanity of his baseball list.

[36:55] J.J.: It's kind of sad.

[36:56] Olaf: Now you understand because Scrooge is one of your go-tos, I feel like.

[37:02] J.J.: Yeah. It's an absolute delight. I never get tired of it.

[37:05] Olaf: And there it is at 11, knocking on the door, wondering why it can't come to the top 10 party.

[37:17] J.J.: So this brings us to our top 10 Christmas movies. Now you look back at the first 10 and they're all not that old. I mean, I think the oldest movie that I gave you was 1980, 1990, or something like that. And I think it's a really good movie.

[37:42] Olaf: 1987's Lethal Weapon. So far that's the oldest Christmas movie that I've given you.

[37:50] Olaf: So we're hitting number 10 with our first traditional as well as classic as well as considered old Christmas movie. 1954's White Christmas. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen. What a classic. It's almost like you can't have Christmas without this movie.

[38:15] J.J.: No, and that's a tough one because it does belong in the top 10. And as we get closer here, like I said earlier, now it's just going to be, okay, well, who's jockeying for positions here? Because if you had had White Christmas not in the top 10, I would have been like, hmm, what are you doing? So the fact that it is at 10, now I'm just even more curious as to what is above it because it's a good spot for it. I mean, that's a good spot for it.

[38:41] J.J.: What a great movie. The music in it is just fantastic. You've got a lot of classic tunes and then you've got Bing Crosby being Bing. I mean, he sings White Christmas. He's got his dance numbers. They're fantastic. Danny Kaye is just the best. He's so fun to watch. He's so funny.

[39:04] Olaf: Yeah, I've always enjoyed him.

[39:08] J.J.: And for those that, I mean, I'm assuming there might be some people out there that just don't know Danny Kaye. This guy was an amazing dancer, for starters, but also just an amazing actor, singer.

[39:14] J.J.: I would almost say that Danny Kaye was the Jim Carrey of the 50s.

[39:20] J.J.: Okay, that's pretty good. That's a pretty good comparison. He's got kind of a rubber face. He's always clowning around. He's got tons of energy. I mean, I've always enjoyed Danny Kaye. He's so fun to watch and everyone in this is just fun and great and, boy, they really start hitting you in the feels there at the end, too.

[39:44] J.J.: Yeah, I mean, it's got a little bit of everything. I know there are a lot of people and they love White Christmas. White Christmas is, that's what it's about.

[39:52] J.J.: Yeah, so there we go. Number 10, White Christmas. All right, number nine, 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

[40:00] J.J.: Number nine.

[40:06] J.J.: Yeah.

[40:08] J.J.: Now, this movie for me, this was difficult because it's such a banger.

[40:13] J.J.: It is.

[40:15] J.J.: There's a lot of times where my brain is like, this is not a Christmas movie, this is a Halloween movie. And then I'm like, but it is a Christmas movie. It's all about Christmas. It takes place on Christmas. Halloween is already finished. The whole movie starts with they've just finished Halloween and now they're going on to Christmas. I mean, there's so many great things to say about this. The stop motion animation is just fantastic. It still holds up today.

[40:42] J.J.: I agree. And I'm sure you've seen it. They did a special a few years back on Netflix, like how these movies were made and how this one, they did a really good job telling you how this movie almost didn't get made. And we've talked about it before, Danny Elfman scoring the film. He ends up doing the singing voice of Jack as well.

[41:01] J.J.: Yeah, so fantastic. The music is so good. Danny Elfman scored this, but also wrote the music and it's just so good. The lyrics are amazing.

[41:15] J.J.: It's pretty timeless. And I think now as our generation, because we were anywhere from 12 to 15 when that movie came out, it seems to have over the last decade gotten this resurgence of life because when it came out, it didn't. It wasn't knocking down the doors. I mean, people saw it, it came and went.

[41:31] J.J.: It kind of bombed at the box office.

[41:36] J.J.: Yeah. But then over time, it just sort of got this new life.

[41:42] J.J.: It grew and it's now a huge thing. It's everywhere.

[41:47] J.J.: Everywhere. And it gets the added benefit of being played on Halloween all the way through Christmas. Like it's one of those that gets three months of airtime.

[41:52] J.J.: And you've got such an incredible voice cast, Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, the list goes on. And then I have to say, because some people might not realize this, this was directed by Henry Selleck.

[42:06] J.J.: Correct. And what an amazing job he did. This was not directed by Tim Burton. He was a producer. He was very much a creative force on it. A lot of the visuals are based off of his drawings and his designs, but Henry Selleck directed this and he did a fantastic job.

[42:24] J.J.: Yeah. Nightmare Before Christmas would definitely have been on my list. So would have White Christmas. I'm not mad at Nightmare Before Christmas being above White Christmas. And I think that's just due to appreciation and age. It's not like White Christmas is great. I mean, we just talked about it, you know.

[42:40] J.J.: And I think something that I've established is I'm not a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas movies.

[42:45] J.J.: No, clearly as this list will show. And as we move into the top eight here, I know we're going to veer off of that traditional platform again a few times. I'm just thinking of what's left. It's going to be sprinkled with a little bit of both.

[43:03] J.J.: So that brings us to number eight, personal favorite of mine. And honestly, it is how I kick off every Christmas season. Started with a bang, 1988's Die Hard.

[43:16] J.J.: And I'm not over here. I'm not one of those people that's like, Die Hard's not a Christmas movie. No, no, no, no, no, no.

[43:26] J.J.: This movie is such a Christmas movie. Again, it opens with sleigh bells. You've got Christmas music playing all the time. The whole plot takes place during a Christmas party.

[43:43] J.J.: Exactly.

[43:43] J.J.: On Christmas Eve.

[43:43] J.J.: Now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho.

[43:51] J.J.: Ho, ho, ho. You've got so many references to Christmas. Relax, Theo. It's Christmas. It's the time of miracles.

[43:56] J.J.: It's the season of miracles. You got any Christmas music? Man, this is Christmas music. I mean, it is quintessentially a Christmas movie. It is one of my faves.

[44:07] J.J.: And they end the movie in the credits with Let It Snow.

[44:15] J.J.: Yeah. Die Hard, it's a fantastic Christmas movie. I would consider it a perfect movie in itself. John McTiernan just absolutely hits a home run with this. So many things came together to make this.

[44:21] J.J.: Alan Rickman's first movie, American movie, his introduction.

[44:28] J.J.: I was saving him for last. You can't say enough good things about Alan Rickman. He knocks us out of the park.

[44:33] J.J.: He does.

[44:39] J.J.: Yeah. And like I said, I watched this at the start of every Christmas season. It is how I get going for the holiday season. This brings us to number seven, 1983's A Christmas Story. Peter Billingsley is Ralphie. Melinda Dillon from Close Encounters from Harry and the Hendersons, Darren McGavin.

[45:03] J.J.: You have this at seven.

[45:10] J.J.: I do.

[45:10] J.J.: See, this is where I'm jockeying for position. I would not have this this low.

[45:15] J.J.: Sure, sure. And that's very understandable. And I think part of that is because TV and marketing and all that usually run this 24 hours the day of Christmas.

[45:23] J.J.: Christmas Eve. They start on Christmas Eve and they, yeah.

[45:27] J.J.: I think just a lot of people just put it at the top of their list because they're just accustomed to it's running all day long, Christmas Day, and it's on in the background while you're opening up presents and stuff like that.

[45:39] J.J.: You're right. There is a whole generation of people, of adults now, young adults, that associate it with being a 24-hour marathon, because I think they started doing that 20 years ago for the 20th anniversary of the movie, TBS, TNT, that's when they started doing this. So I can understand that idea of, of course it's Christmas, it's in the title, and then they run it for a whole 24-hour period. So they almost like, you're supposed to, this is a great movie and you're supposed to think it's a great movie. And it is. Seven.

[46:05] J.J.: It's really special to me because even though this takes place in a time long before I was born.

[46:20] J.J.: Oh, you mean when it's set? Yeah.

[46:22] J.J.: Yeah. Like even though it's taking place a couple decades before, it reminds me of when I was a kid at Christmas Inn. I just love that feeling, that nostalgia that it brings back, despite, you know, it taking place in like, what was it, the 50s or 60s?

[46:42] J.J.: Late 50s, 60s. Well, there's this, I think it's the 60s, but there's, it just goes to show you there is a simplicity that was still existed in the early 80s.

[46:49] J.J.: Yes.

[46:50] J.J.: That was easy to tap into.

[46:53] J.J.: Technology and stuff had changed, but as far as a kid in your childhood, that hadn't changed that much. There was still a lot of innocence.

[47:02] J.J.: Right. Well, there was something special about getting a toy rocket, which is what Randy gets. One of his gifts is like a toy rocket ship. There was something that even getting that as a kid in the 80s, you still would have been like, this is amazing. Same with the red rifle, the BB gun that Ralphie wants.

[47:19] J.J.: Yeah.

[47:19] J.J.: And they shoot this in Ohio. You're from there, so I can understand that too. You're getting that sort of feel of the time.

[47:23] J.J.: Yeah. Everything about it. And then when they go to buy their Christmas tree, and it's a lot, and they got the snow, and they've got the oil drum with the fire, and it's just all the trees, and they're haggling over the price. I've done that. I've experienced that. And I think about that type of stuff when it is Christmas, and I love it, and I miss it.

[47:46] J.J.: But you have it at seven. See, this is where I'm not going to be as irate as you probably would have been, as you have been in previous Lists episodes. I'm just shocked that it's at seven, because you love this movie so much, and it hits you on so many levels that clearly there are six movies that take much more priority for you than this movie, and this movie has an impact on you.

[48:11] J.J.: Yeah, absolutely.

[48:13] J.J.: Okay. I mean, this movie is great. And they made a sequel a few years back, where Ralphie is now older, which I thought, and they brought everybody back, except Melinda Dillon. Julie Haggerty plays the mom in the sequel. Christmas Story Christmas is what it's called, where Ralphie is older, and he's bringing his family back to his hometown. And it sort of makes you forget about the other sequels that they tried to do to A Christmas Story.

[48:39] J.J.: Yeah. Those were all like straight to video.

[48:41] J.J.: Yeah.

[48:42] J.J.: I honestly haven't watched it yet. It's because of the previous disasters that were sequels or whatever, I've kind of avoided it, because again, this is special to me, and I don't...

[48:56] J.J.: And I can understand the hesitancy. It's actually, they did a really nice job of trying to keep that magic and that simpler time, because it is Ralphie bringing his wife and kids home to the same house, and everybody's back. They got everybody, Scott Farkas and all the friends. But no, I love Christmas Story. I mean, there's so many great things about it. Do I need to watch it 24 hours straight? Absolutely not. But it is definitely one that I'll watch every year and check it off the list, because it's part of the DNA, right?

[49:31] J.J.: Yeah. And when I was making this list specifically, I started just by listing movies so that I could sort them out. And I mean, it was at the top. It was like one of the first couple that I thought of when I was writing them down. It's just, then I have to look at each one of these and go, what's this mean to me? It was funny watching it move. Right. It's like when you're in Olympics or if you're first out of the gate, you're in the one spot before anybody else competes. And then all of a sudden you start, oh, it's off the podium. It's a time trial, and they're divided by 0.1 second or whatever.

[50:10] J.J.: Yeah. At a certain point, Christmas Story was on the podium, and it got knocked off and ended up in seventh place.

[50:17] Olaf: So that brings us to number six and number six I would be surprised if a lot of people even know about this movie. I think in the last couple of years, it's become more visible, but I know when it first came out nobody knew about it. I didn't even know about it. And when I sat down to watch it, I sat down kind of like half-heartedly like I'll be on my phone or something and sort of pay attention to it, but I was quickly drawn into it and by the end of it, I was so surprised at what this movie was because I thought it was something else and I was so taken back by it. I was actually kind of emotional by how beautiful this movie was. It's not just how beautiful it looks but how beautiful the story was and how original it felt and how traditional this movie was put together.

[51:16] J.J.: Wow, for me you've built this up like I have no idea what you're about to say, but clearly this movie which didn't mean much to you at the beginning is number six for you.

[51:21] Olaf: This is number six and I had to have it in my top ten because I was so profoundly moved by it. I'm talking about 2019's Klaus.

[51:30] J.J.: Okay. I think there's more people that have seen this than you think. It was Netflix, is that correct?

[51:39] Olaf: Yeah, Johnny loves it. It's such a beautiful movie. I mean this movie in 2019 was hand-drawn which is like not really done anymore, unheard of. And I seriously, you go into it and you really don't know what you're getting into, right?

[51:56] J.J.: Yeah, it presents itself one way and then by the end of the movie you're like, oh my gosh, you're watching kind of an origin story and you don't even realize it. It's so fantastic.

[52:08] Olaf: You've got Jason Schwartzman, JK Simmons, Rashida Jones, and the late great Norm Macdonald amongst other wonderful voice actors in this. It is so well done. The artwork is so good. Yeah, the story is beautiful. I have nothing but amazing things to say about this movie. It had to make my list and it kind of fluctuated between being in the top five and being number six, but yeah, that would have been tough.

[52:39] J.J.: Yeah, for me I think the traditional side of me would have put Christmas Story above it. Like I would have put Christmas Story in my top five or even at six and I would have had Klaus probably in there because of everything you said, but because it's only five years old Klaus, you know, as opposed to Christmas Story that's got some history and it's more embedded into my, you know, who I am. But no, Klaus is great. It's one of those that you're right. I mean, it's not on everybody's list. I don't think a lot of people have seen it because it's a Netflix, it's newer, it hasn't had time for people to get to it.

[53:17] Olaf: Well, 'cause I'm an artist, I draw and I have such a deep appreciation for art and there was just something so beautiful and special about Klaus and yeah, I love this movie and I know I wasn't gonna be JJ and wax on about how much I love a movie after I place it, but if you've not seen it, please watch it because it is so special.

[53:42] J.J.: But five more that are slightly more...

[53:45] Olaf: Yep, and that does bring us to my top five Christmas movies. Top five, it's very exciting.

[53:51] J.J.: Yeah, all right, this is definitely a classic and a lot of people's favorite. 1992's Muppet Christmas Carol.

[53:59] Olaf: Yes. Oh, absolutely. And I knew this was coming. I knew this movie was gonna make this list in terms of where it is based on what I feel is left, but again, I don't know Muppets Christmas Carol. I'm okay with five. I mean, if it was gonna be in my top five, it probably would have landed here at five. I don't know if Christmas Story would have been below Muppets Christmas Carol for me, but that's just me.

[54:24] J.J.: Yeah, for a lot of people, this is their favorite version of a Christmas Carol.

[54:31] Olaf: That is true and rightly so. This was the first Muppet movie to come out after Jim Henson passed.

[54:37] J.J.: Yeah.

[54:37] Olaf: It was the last movie that he had any kind of creative input on, which was in the early stages of production and pre-production and all that stuff before he passed away. His son Brian Henson directs the movie and we get Michael Caine who this is one of his favorite movies that he's done and it shows he has so much fun and he told the Muppets, look, I'm going to do this like I'm doing Shakespeare. I'm not winking at the camera. I'm not doing any of that and they're like perfect, right? It wouldn't have worked if he had.

[55:14] J.J.: Oh yeah, he has to play it like he's doing Dickens, like George C. Scott did it or Patrick Stewart does it later or any of these people that have played Scrooge before?

[55:25] Olaf: Yeah, absolutely. And he does such a great job in that role. Like he's a fantastic Scrooge. The music's great. The Muppets are the Muppets which, you know, they're hard not to love. They got some great jokes in it. Kermit as Bob Cratchit, fantastic. But I gotta tell you, I think my favorite choice that they made for this movie and I think it was brilliant was having Gonzo and Rizzo as the narrators of this movie because they are so funny, the jokes are so good and it really helps move it along.

[56:01] J.J.: Yeah, let me ask you this. Do you feel like this movie, this particular version of the movie, the kids of this generation would latch onto it? Because clearly our generation did and still does. It still holds that place as we've gotten older. Do you feel like kids now would hook into it the same way or just in any sort of way?

[56:22] Olaf: Because the Muppets were such a part of our DNA when we were kids that when this came out, it just seemed like the most logical choice.

[56:26] J.J.: Yeah, the Muppets are gonna do a Christmas Carol. Absolutely.

[56:31] Olaf: Yes, I think kids would still latch onto it because you still have Sesame Street, so the Muppets are still a part of a lot of kids' development. So yeah, I don't think this would hit any less than it did.

[56:47] J.J.: Yeah, it's special. It's well done. It does make me sad though because it is without Jim and you know, he's gone and he is such a figure in my life that I've looked up to in entertainment and sense of humor because like the Muppets Show.

[57:07] Olaf: Oh yeah. I loved the Muppets Show. I ate that up and that, you know, that was all him. That was his jokes and, you know, absolutely sensibilities and yeah, I just latched onto that stuff. So yeah, so I do love this movie, but it does come with a little bit of a heavy heart just because I know that he's gone and it's a reminder of that. But man, do they do such a great job with it? Like if this was going to be a farewell to Jim, they nailed it.

[57:36] J.J.: I agree. All right, so that brings us to number four.

[57:41] Olaf: 2003's Elf.

[57:47] J.J.: Now, okay, I know not know this was coming.

[57:53] Olaf: I had not mentioned it yet.

[57:56] J.J.: No, no, I knew it was coming. I assumed it would be a little higher and again, there's only four movies left, right? So again, it's one of these where is it gonna go and I know of at least two other movies that haven't been mentioned that should be mentioned. I'll be I'm curious as to what your top three are because Elf I think Elf would have been in a top three, so maybe my reaction was a little over the top. I just wasn't expecting it at four.

[58:16] Olaf: Okay, but I was expecting John Favreau directed this now classic Christmas movie. Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zoey Deschanel, Ed Asner is Santa, Mary Steenburgen, Faizon Love as Wanda.

[58:34] J.J.: Yes, because Wanda Sykes was supposed to play that character and she couldn't do it, so they just kept the name Wanda.

[58:42] Olaf: Oh man, it's a classic. It's so funny. Will Ferrell, I've always been a fan of his. There have been times where he's kind of pushed the limits of my enjoyment, but his humor is so absurd and broad and also subtle at times that he just cracks me up.

[59:01] J.J.: Well, it's hard to believe that they didn't even want him originally for this movie.

[59:04] Olaf: Yeah, because he wasn't a big star yet. He was still on SNL or just left SNL or he was around, that's right around that time.

[59:10] J.J.: Yeah, and they didn't know what they had. They didn't know if this was gonna be good or not. He's running around in yellow tights in New York City, but man, it's so good. It's so funny.

[59:20] Olaf: Will nails this childlike character, just the exuberance of his love for Christmas and all of that stuff.

[59:30] J.J.: So Peter Dinklage is in it too. Call me Elf one more time.

[59:37] Olaf: He's an angry elf.

[59:40] J.J.: Yeah, oh man. No, and much like a Christmas story is now getting that I think TBS does a 24-hour of Elf now on a different day.

[59:49] Olaf: Yeah, probably. I don't know anybody who doesn't really like this movie. I mean, it's so well done. It's so heartfelt and sincere and quotable. A lot of people caught this movie too, and there's endless memes from this as well. It's so good.

[1:00:04] J.J.: You.

[1:00:17] Olaf: All right, top three Christmas movies. Here we are, we've arrived. I feel like I've got your top three. I just don't know what order. So here we go. I'm ready. I'm now I'm nervous because what will three be and I've got a feeling I know what three will be. I will say that it was tough to exclude the TV movie special shorts because there's five for me that would have been in this list and most of them in the top ten if not the top five and they are it would have greatly changed this list. So if you want I'll mention them right now.

[1:00:45] J.J.: Mention them now real quick.

[1:00:55] Olaf: Number one was A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965. I watched that every year on Christmas Eve without fail. I love it. The music, Vince Guaraldi, the story, just everything about it is so well executed and it's so special to me and I have to watch it every Christmas Eve without fail. Number two, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 1966, the original Boris Karloff, all of that just fantastic. Number three, 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol. I watched that every year when I was a kid and now again because it's available, good. Love it. It is a tight 22 minutes, like 22 minutes. They get the whole thing in.

[1:01:37] J.J.: Yeah, absolutely. I do and it doesn't feel rushed either. It really does.

[1:01:44] Olaf: Wild. Then we get to number four, Frosty the Snowman, the original 1969 cartoon. I grew up with that cartoon. It's very special. And then my last one, number five came out in 1982 and it is adapted from a book. There's no dialogue in this short. I want to say it's like 25 minutes long. It is called The Snowman. The whole thing is just beautiful artwork.

[1:02:12] J.J.: Oh, yeah.

[1:02:12] Olaf: I think I've seen this. This snowman comes to life one night and the kid who built him sees it. They fly, the snowman flies and they like Superman and Lois Lane and they fly over all of the town and across the countryside and they land in a forest where there's other snowmen and they dance and have a party and then he lies back and then the next day the kid wakes up and the snowman's melted and it's all music and artwork and it's beautiful and I highly recommend it if you ever get to see it. So those are my top five TV movies.

[1:02:50] Olaf Adso: That would have been in this list if we were including those, and that would have changed the landscape of my main list. Oh, sure. Yeah, that's tough. There's a lot to say. Christmas, man, there's a lot of different movies and specials. I also want to give a quick shout out to what a lot of people are probably yelling at me about, is you can't have Christmas without the Rankin/Bass stop-motion TV specials. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Baby New Year, all of those, yeah. Yeah, they're classics, got to mention them. Absolutely. All right, so we're in the top three. Number three, 1990's Home Alone.

[1:03:30] J.J. Gonzalez: Okay, and that's exactly what I was expecting.

[1:03:36] Olaf Adso: Yeah. Classic, Christopher Columbus, Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern. I mean-

[1:03:42] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, the original crew.

[1:03:43] Olaf Adso: Fantastic. It's hilarious. It's heartwarming. I definitely get the feels by the end of the movie. It's so well done. Christopher Columbus just nails it. There's not much else you can say about Home Alone. It's a classic. Everybody knows it.

[1:03:59] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, you get a little John Candy. I wouldn't even call it a cameo, but he wasn't even supposed to be in the movie, and he-

[1:04:04] Olaf Adso: And he nails it. I mean, he's so good in it, and they have a little heart-to-heart, him and Catherine O'Hara in the truck, and beautiful. There's so many things that are so right about this movie that all come together. Macaulay Culkin is great. He had just done Uncle Buck with John Candy the year before. Classic. And so he was given an opportunity to be one on the call sheet, and he's great. His little brother is in it as the cousin, Kieran Culkin. All of these things about this movie that even today are still very timeless and magical.

[1:04:36] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah. And don't forget the amazing music by John Williams.

[1:04:42] Olaf Adso: By John Williams. And a lot of the soundtrack is now classic Christmas music.

[1:04:47] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, it is. And again, that's why I knew this was coming, especially when Home Alone 2 popped up earlier at number 13, which is- Could you imagine if I just had Home Alone 2 on this list?

[1:05:03] Olaf Adso: That would be crazy. This would have been the very last episode we ever did, because nobody else would listen to this if you left Home Alone off this list. But no, I would have had Home Alone in my top five, no doubt. I don't know if I would have had it at three, but it would have been in my top five for sure.

[1:05:18] J.J. Gonzalez: Okay. So you would have had Elf higher than Home Alone.

[1:05:22] Olaf Adso: I might have had Elf higher than Home Alone. I probably would have had Elf at three. And again, at this point here, we're interchanging. They're just jockeying for position, so I think they would have just been switched.

[1:05:35] J.J. Gonzalez: Okay, that's fair. All right. Number two, 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

[1:05:40] Olaf Adso: It's definitely one that should be right where it is.

[1:05:46] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, because it's like one of your favorites, if not your favorite.

[1:05:50] Olaf Adso: It is definitely a movie that is in my top two as well. My wife and I have shirts. Her shirt says, why is the carpet all wet, Todd? Mine says, I don't know, Margo. It's great. It's another timeless classic. It's 35 years old. It is definitely one of those that was unexpected coming off of the European vacation that came out in '85. And because that one was so bad, you just didn't know. And this movie checks every box.

[1:06:14] J.J. Gonzalez: Yes, it does. Of the vacation Chevy Chase movies, this is the best of all of them. An argument could be made about the first movie as well, because that movie is awesome and it's a classic as well. But because this movie is Christmas and because the execution of it is a home run, yes, it is considered the best one of all of them.

[1:06:33] Olaf Adso: The opening credit sequence, I love that song. Christmas Vacation by Mavis Staples. I mean, I could just picture her in the studio just singing to the back row, the backup singers. I mean, the whole thing from beginning to end, you get Randy Quaid back as cousin Eddie.

[1:06:52] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah. And he's given so much more to do than in the first movie.

[1:06:58] Olaf Adso: It is great. The movie is so quotable. It's so memorable. It hits every joke. You've got every character contributing and it's not only funny and it's not only outlandish, but it almost makes you go, yeah, I've got that person in my family.

[1:07:15] J.J. Gonzalez: Sure. I've got.

[1:07:16] Olaf Adso: Well, there's no wasted moments. It's so everything is so tight, like every scene knows exactly what its intention is. So it's like boom, boom, boom, moving on. Boom, boom, boom, moving on. The only moment that it feels where it slows down is when he gets trapped in the attic and he's watching the home movies. But even that moment is still done very well because it's pulling at the strings for him, because we've always known this about his character, at least in the first movie. He just wants to give his family the best vacation. He just wants to give his family the best Christmas. And so the foundation of that is there.

[1:08:05] J.J. Gonzalez: So, yeah. And that need, I think, really taps into a lot of us when we're watching it. Like, yeah, we want that too.

[1:08:09] Olaf Adso: And yeah, especially as you get older.

[1:08:11] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah. You know, and it just makes it funnier because you almost feel like, yeah, if it wasn't for this movie telling me to cool it, I would also maybe go a little too hard or a little over the top. And I feel because you are a real Christmas tree guy, you would take a chainsaw and you would chop down a tree in the front yard if someone burned down yours or something. You're like, well, we needed a Christmas tree. And so we got a Christmas tree. A lot of sap. A lot of sap in here.

[1:08:41] Olaf Adso: Yeah, just just the best. And yeah, so I knew that would make you happy.

[1:08:46] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh, yeah. Save the neck for me, Clark. Now, number one, you may have already guessed what it is, but despite all of these movies that we've talked about, for me, there was never any doubt. There was never any hesitation. There was no deliberating. This is, for me, my quintessential Christmas movie. I cannot it's not Christmas without this. I will watch it on Christmas Eve right after I watch Charlie Brown. And then I go to bed and I go to bed in a pool of tears because by the end of the movie, Niagara Falls.

[1:09:21] Olaf Adso: Yeah, no, it is so special to me. I've always loved it. It blew my mind when I found out years ago that this movie was a flop.

[1:09:28] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah.

[1:09:29] Olaf Adso: And has only become a cult classic. You already know what it is.

[1:09:34] J.J. Gonzalez: I already know what it is. And I think there would be riots in the street, especially at this point in the list, because if it's not in this spot, it's not on the list. Number one, 1946, It's a Wonderful Life.

[1:09:45] Olaf Adso: There you go. Jimmy Stewart directed by Frank Capra. It is the Christmas movie for me. This is the movie that if your other movies and you're wanting to make the podium and then this movie walks into the room, you're going, oh, well, this movie right here that just walked in is going to be sitting at the top of the podium, because like you said, there isn't Christmas without this movie.

[1:10:11] J.J. Gonzalez: And yeah, it's crazy that this movie flopped or wasn't a success when it came out. And yes, thanks to NBC mainly, because they're the network that would show it every year. And I think they still do. But now it's like you have to find out when it is.

[1:10:28] Olaf Adso: Yeah, it's weird now. It's kind of like disappeared.

[1:10:30] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah. This movie, even now, almost 80 years old, standing the test of time. And then you would hope that it will continue to do so because this would have been my number one.

[1:10:39] Olaf Adso: Yeah, I'd hate to see it go away.

[1:10:41] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, this is my number one also. So it's almost like Field of Dreams for people. This is their Field of Dreams.

[1:10:49] Olaf Adso: It really is. I think it's so special. And I think back and I'm like, as a kid, I don't think I could have appreciated it or latched onto its themes. But it spoke to me then. It speaks to me even more now. It was always that last half hour because that last half hour, that theme of, well, if I wasn't here, what would life look like? They would use that theme in other shows and in other movies, especially growing up.

[1:11:14] J.J. Gonzalez: Absolutely.

[1:11:15] Olaf Adso: That you're like, oh, what is this from? And then you would watch It's a Wonderful Life. And so for the longest time for me with It's a Wonderful Life, it was really just about that last 30 to 45 minutes.

[1:11:28] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah.

[1:11:29] Olaf Adso: But this movie is there's so much more that gets you to that place that then I was like, as I was growing up and then watching it the next year, the next year going, oh, let me see. Let me see this from the beginning and get to that point where Clarence shows up and he gets, you know.

[1:11:46] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh, man. Henry Travers as Clarence. Fantastic.

[1:11:49] Olaf Adso: And man, I tell you, when he comes back to his life and, you know, I'm starting to get emotional, but then he gets home and the whole town shows up. Oh, my gosh. This is one of the reasons why I do not watch this movie with other people, because we get to the last few minutes of this movie and I am a mess. It's a beautiful mess.

[1:12:09] J.J. Gonzalez: Absolutely.

[1:12:10] Olaf Adso: But you got to share that, man. You got to share that.

[1:12:15] J.J. Gonzalez: Get away from me.

[1:12:16] Olaf Adso: No, no. And we talk about, I hope this still has legs and longevity. And I mean, it's almost 80 years old, so it clearly has done that and has nothing to prove. There's a reason why. And again, as you get older, you start to appreciate what he's going through.

[1:12:31] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah.

[1:12:32] Olaf Adso: Just the core need to want to travel and explore and live your life and you can't. Something keeps getting in your way and is holding you in place. Like speaks to me as someone who's moved my whole life. It speaks to me a lot.

[1:12:50] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah. So that's my number one.

[1:12:53] Olaf Adso: That's a solid, like I'm saying, you're top five. I've got no issues with your top five. Not even have issues with your top 10. It was really the back half of this list. And you didn't even have that big of a problem.

[1:13:06] J.J. Gonzalez: For a while here. I think because you didn't know the rest of the list, I think the bottom five really came at you.

[1:13:12] Olaf Adso: Well, the bottom five were a shock. There's a lot of movies in your bottom 10 that wouldn't even have been on my list.

[1:13:15] J.J. Gonzalez: Wow. Merry Christmas, everybody.

[1:13:18] Olaf Adso: Batman Returns, no. But there are movies and I'm kind of surprised that didn't make your list at all. But overall, I think this is a solid list.

[1:13:23] J.J. Gonzalez: Thank you. Well, I'll leave you with some advice I was given by you. Make your own list.

[1:13:32] Olaf Adso: Oh, this is inspiring me to create my own top 20 and maybe I'll dish it out next year. So that is my top 20 Christmas movies list. I hope you enjoyed it. We had a great time doing this. But before we go, I just want to say, because it is the Christmas season, I just want to say that I am thankful for J.J., my friend. We've known each other for a long time and doing this podcast together is super special. And it means a lot to me and Johnny, our editor extraordinaire. I couldn't be more grateful for you guys and this thing that we are doing together. So from my side of things, love you guys and Merry Christmas.

[1:14:21] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh, well, thank you. And it is the holiday season. And like I said, this is my favorite time of year. Knowing Olaf for as long as we've known each other, finally deciding to do this podcast has been an amazing journey so far. One that I hope continues for a while because this has been a lot of fun so far. And I can't wait to see what other things we're going to be talking about moving forward and look forward to seeing you guys next time.

[1:14:49] Olaf Adso: Yeah. And as always, to be continued.

[1:15:00] Johnny Clay: Back to the Movie Theater is hosted by J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adso. Produced by me, Johnny Clay, J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adso. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Back to the Movie Theater and find us on YouTube at Back to the Movie Theater with J.J. and Olaf.