Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

[payn]

It’s what?!?!

I thought it was a story about a guy shoot a bunch of terrorists!

(Yes I know they’re thieves not terrorists or are they at Christmas maybe they’re both who knows let’s just make it all up!)

John is trying to reconnect with his family and his ex wife Holly. "The bomb brings us together", as Morrisey likes to say.

 

[Parmandur]

It’s what?!?!

I thought it was a story about a guy shoot a bunch of terrorists!

(Yes I know they’re thieves not terrorists or are they at Christmas maybe they’re both who knows let’s just make it all up!)

The terrorists are an externalized metaphore for what is holding back John McClane, and he has to go through a transformative journey by murdering the crap out of his inner demons.

 

[FrogReaver]

It was a summer action movie, released in the summer, which is not Christmas. Does anybody really think people were going out to watch a ‘Christmas movie’ in July?

I mean it has Christmas in it. It has an elevator in it, but it’s not an elevator movie. Or a helicopter movie. Or a cigarette movie. Or a movie about clouds. It’s a summer action movie.

It’s not what I personally would call a Christmas movie either, though I can understand the other perspective.

But more importantly - you and I are dangerously close to agreement here. That cant bode well

 

[Deset Gled]

It’s what?!?!

I thought it was a story about a guy shoot a bunch of terrorists!

(Yes I know they’re thieves not terrorists or are they at Christmas maybe they’re both who knows let’s just make it all up!)

Die Hard: When his wife is confronted by a smooth-talking stranger at her company's yearly Christmas party, one man will stop at nothing to reunite with her and save their troubled marriage.

Wizard of Oz: An attractive woman breezes into a new town and murders the first person she meets. The femme fatale then travels across the land in an attempt to assassinate her victim's only remaining heir to ensure that she can keep the goods she stole during the murder.

 

[James Gasik]

The real question: "Is Lethal Weapon a Christmas movie?". (Hint: Yes, it is).

 

[Tonguez]

The movie is about a man wanting to reconnect with his family for Christmas - which is the whole point of ‘christmas’ - but his intention to be with family is blocked by a grinch who wants to ruin everyones fun (its a classic christmas complication)

Die Hard is one of the best Christmas movies ever made.

(compare Its a Wonderful life, which is about a man who becomes suicidal after stuffing up, has the victims fix his mistake, while the wealthy perpetrator gets off scot free so the status quo can be maintained)

 

[Gradine]

I voted "No" but a younger me would've said yes. The real answer, though, is whether it's a Christmas movie for you and the people you call family. Christmas is about traditions, and traditions are deeply personal.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Technically, yes. It has a few Christmas references. "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho."

It has dozens of references.

Hans explicitly refers to Christmas as the "season of miracles" when opening the vault. Theo quotes "Twas The Night Before Christmas" when monitoring the security cameras. Christmas music is both played in the film and explicitly discussed by John and Argyle. At the end of the film, Argyle explicitly refers to the events at Nakatomi Plaza as how the McClanes celebrate Christmas.

And the entire plot engine is John McClane going to Los Angeles because it's Christmastime.

But, the tone and the plot emphasis are all wrong. It's an action hero movie, the start of a franchise, and I voted "no".

Is Bad Santa a Christmas movie? Krampus? How about Silent Night, Deadly Night? Gremlins? Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Black Christmas? Christmas knows no genre.

And, as I've said previously, the structure of the film -- lovelorn figure makes long trip and reunites with lost love, overcomes seemingly insurmountable challenges to discover true love once again -- is the outline of 99.9% of Hallmark Christmas movies.

 

[Maxperson]

In the Matter of is Die Hard a Christmas movie we have the following:

For the Defense:
It takes place with a Christmas party
Christmas carols weave in and out of the score (a couple bars of "Winter Wonderland" are heard when John tackles Tony down the stairs, John whistles "Jingle Bells," Theo quotes "The Night Before Christmas," and Powell briefly sings "Let It Snow.") Sleigh bells are also heard every now and then throughout the score.
Numerous Christmas decorations
Numerous references to it being Christmas

For the prosecution:
Die Hard's original release date was July 22, 1988
Bruce Willis himself has stated it is not a Christmas movie
it was never intended to be a Christmas movie.
It can be argue that the office party could have happened at any other holiday of the year.

Now it is up to you the jury to take make your decision.

Counter to the prosecution. It's not really relevant what was intended or what the actors say, Die Hard has transitioned in to being a Christmas movie.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean it has Christmas in it. It has an elevator in it, but it’s not an elevator movie. Or a helicopter movie. Or a cigarette movie. Or a movie about clouds. It’s a summer action movie.

Point of order. It was filmed in and around Century City in Los Angeles in the late 1980s. Those aren't clouds -- that's smog.