3 Holiday-Themed Movies You Should See This Year

Holiday season is one of the best times of year for the movies. November and December is when many Oscar hopefuls release their films, getting their movies to theaters right before the Academy’s end-of-year deadline hits. But other than Oscar-worthy films, this time of year is also known for the outlandish holiday genre—the category of comedies that show families and friends brought together, ripped apart, and the spats that happen during the holiday quadruple whammy: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve/Day. This year will be no different. Sadly, there’s no new Home Alone or A Christmas Story film on the horizon, but these three flicks are sure to tickle your holiday movie itch.

Love the Coopers (out Nov. 13)
This is your ensemble Christmas movie of the year, as it stars Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Ed Helms, Marisa Tomei, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Anthony Mackie, and more. The movie follows four generations of the Cooper family as they come together on Christmas Eve. Nothing goes as planned and they—shocker—rediscover the meaning of family.

The Night Before (out Nov. 20)
This crazy comedy follows three friends—Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie—as they go through one epic night in New York City on Christmas Eve. Drug-fueled shenanigans ensue, as per the standard in Rogen movies. However, the supporting cast is also worth watching: Masters of Sex’s Lizzy Caplan also stars, as does Michael Shannon, and there are a ton of cool cameos: Be on the lookout for Mindy Kaling, Kanye West, and Miley Cyrus.

Christmas Eve (out Dec. 4 in limited theaters and on demand)
What happens when 20 New Yorkers get stuck in six different elevators on Christmas Eve? That’s the premise of this Larry King-produced comedy, starring Patrick Stewart as a tycoon Scrooge-like curmudgeon, Jon Heder (of Napoleon Dynamite fame) as a just laid-off worker stuck with his ex-boss, Cheryl Hines, and more. This movie sounds like every New Yorker’s nightmare only with an upside—a happy ending.