If you’re looking for a laugh this Christmas, there are plenty of Christmas comedies to get you in the holiday spirit. But you’re a busy person with presents to open and parties to host, so you don’t want to waste your time scrolling the streaming services to find a comedy to watch.
You want to cut to the chase! We’re here to help you do that by highlighting five great comedy movies to watch this Christmas.
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Need more recommendations? We also have guides for the 10 best TV shows to watch on Christmas, the best Christmas movies on Netflix, the best Christmas movies on Disney+, the best Christmas movies on Hulu, the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Christmas movies on Max, and the best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel.
Elf (2003) 66% 66% pg 97m 97m Genre Comedy, Family, Fantasy Stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart Directed by Jon Favreau Watch on Hulu A strong contender for the most beloved Christmas comedy ever, Elf is currently streaming on Hulu and Max. Will Ferrell stars in this modern Christmas classic as Buddy, a grown man who mistakenly fell into Santa’s gift sack on Christmas Eve and was raised as a toy-making elf by Santa’s helpers. Being about 3 feet taller than all the other elves, Buddy can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t belong, so when Papa Elf explains that he’s actually a human, Buddy sets off to find his real dad in Manhattan. Unfortunately, his real dad is basically Scrooge.
A Christmas Story (1983) 77% 77% pg 93m 93m Genre Comedy, Family Stars Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin Directed by Bob Clark Watch on max They don’t really make movies like A Christmas Story anymore. This holiday classic simply tells the story of young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) and his family during one Christmas season in the 1940s. All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun, which is really the perfect gift, but as his parents, teachers, and Santa all tell him, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” But that won’t stop Ralphie from persisting. Now with a sequel and a stage adaptation, A Christmas Story is widely considered one of the best Christmas movies ever. It’s streaming on Max.
Jingle All the Way (1996) 34% 34% pg 89m 89m Genre Family, Comedy, Adventure Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman Directed by Brian Levant Watch on Amazon Jingle All the Way strikes a particular chord of nostalgia that most kids simply won’t understand. It’s a snapshot of a time when Black Friday at department stores was legitimately dangerous and people couldn’t get anything they wanted with a simple click in their browser. In this 1996 cult classic, workaholic Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) misses yet another important event in his son’s life and promises to make it up to him by getting him a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. (Because gifts heal all parenting mistakes.) Unfortunately for Howard, it’s Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. Now, he and all the other last-minute dads are in a race all over town to find the year’s most popular gift. Jingle All the Way is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
The Grinch (2018) 51% 51% pg 85m 85m Genre Animation, Family, Comedy, Fantasy Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson Directed by Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier Watch on Peacock While Jim Carrey’s jaw-dropping turn as The Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a modern classic for many parents, this animated update will probably resonate better with the kids. It’s the same story but with a little less direction from Dr. Seuss and a little more animated magic. Still, The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) is persuaded to leave his Mt. Crumpet cave with his dog Max to steal Christmas from the annoyingly optimistic Whos in Whoville. The Grinch is currently streaming on Peacock.