Every year, a familiar debate pops up: is Die Hard a Christmas movie? While having none of the trademarks of a Christmas classic, the movie itself is set during Christmas, with the siege of Nakatomi Plaza taking place on Christmas Eve. Christmas movie purists might see labeling Die Hard a Christmas film as an almost sacrilegious offense, while defenders of the movie’s status just enjoy a decent action film they can watch around Christmas time.
A quick Google search will provide you with numerous lists of films that are set during Christmas while not making it their primary focus, but for some reason, Die Hard is the movie that inspires such spirited defense of its right to be a Christmas film. No one is going to bat arguing that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a Christmas film. Why does Die Hard inspire such passion?
For sure there’s an element of people just liking an action film compared to what could be seen as less exciting Christmas films. Die Hard has a complex and nuanced villain and a hero whose back is against the wall, forced to use his ingenuity and wit. It’s a story about an ordinary man put into extraordinary circumstances and his “barefoot” grit to overcome and save the day. It’s also the quintessential “dad movie”—you know, the one where he says he doesn’t have time to sit down but he ends up watching the whole thing anyway.
Die Hard is rated “R” for a reason, and we here at Axis are not recommending it for families. But every year when Christmas rolls around, this film almost always has a cultural moment.
We won’t solve the Die Hard debate here, but it does point to a reality that many people can become exhausted with the standard fare of Christmas every year. Sometimes people just get tired of what can feel like a pressure to be jolly and happy and joyful during the Christmas season. While the sweetness of traditional Christmas movies is in no way bad, let’s not grieve our friends (or fathers) who find their own Christmas joy in watching John McClaine thwart the siege of Nakatomi Plaza every year.
Conversation Starter: Do movies set around Christmas count as Christmas movies?