20 Holiday Movies Starring Comedians

Sure, little Macauly Culkin is the real star of 1990's classic Home Alone, but it's the performance of SCTV veteran Catherine O'Hara that lends the movie any sense of plausibility. O'Hara, a gifted comedic actress, is saddled with the straight role, but at least infuses her worried mother character with a reasonable amount of realism and gravity. Plus, she gets some assistance from comedian John Candy late in the film. Home Alone remains ridiculous, but another on the list of holiday films to be watched year in and year out. O'Hara wouldn't return to the holiday genre until Surviving Christmas in 2004, which was that rare Christmas film released in October (though it's not quite as disastrous as everyone would have you believe).

There's a good idea at the center of the 1996 holiday comedy, Jingle All the Way. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a harried dad desperately trying to buy the love of his son by tracking down the most in-demand toy of the season on Christmas Eve. It's good concept for satire that's thrown away in favor of lame sentiment and nonexistent credibility (without ruining anything, Schwarzenegger eventually straps on a jetpack and flies). Stand-up comic Sinbad is Arnold's nemesis, a frustrated postal worker desperate for the same toy. His part is wholly unnecessary and, to make matters worse, he pitches his performance as broadly as the rest of this misconceived movie. Another comedian, the late Phil Hartman, does score laughs as a slimy neighbor.

Terry Zwighoff's 2003 comedy Bad Santa goes out of its way to be the anti-Christmas movie, but the title is still the best thing about it. Billy Bob Thorton stars as a degenerate department store Santa who takes up with a misfit kid. There are a lot of funny, obscene humor to be found, but the movie's not nearly as shocking as it thinks it is. The late Bernie Mac co-stars as the department store security officer who tries to blackmail Thorton and his partner (played by Tony Cox). Mac is fine, but the movie doesn't make much use of his gifts; it's mostly Thorton's show. Still, as a comedian, you've got to be happy that this is the holiday movie on your resume.

Comedian Katt Williams and his Perfect Holiday co-star, comedian Charlie Murphy (of Chappelle's Show fame) are two guys that deserve a funnier, edgier holiday comedy than this one. Essentially a tepid romantic comedy where Williams is relegated to the sidelines (as the manager of Murphy's rapper character), there is little opportunity for the comedian to show his fast-talking, streetwise side. A more grown-up holiday comedy starring these two comedians could pretty much right itself and would probably resemble something more like The Ref or Bad Santa. The Perfect Holiday doesn't do them justice.

Saturday Night Live veterans Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz play the dimwitted brothers to Nicolas Cage in 1994's dopey Trapped in Paradise. They play three brothers who rob a bank, then find themselves stuck in the town where they committed the robbery due to a snowstorm. Then they learn the true meaning of Christmas. Lovitz fares okay, but Carvey confirms that he shouldn't be acting in movies (a fact later driven home with Master of Disguise) with his obnoxious caricature of a stupid person. At no point does he resemble a real person -- or a funny one. The holidays deserve better. Bill Murray also did the same plot to far, far greater effect in the underrated and non-holiday Quick Change.

Ok, so the real star of 2004's Christmas With the Kranks is Tim Allen, but since he's already represented here with The Santa Clause it only makes sense to recognize another comedian in this holiday film. SNL genius Dan Aykroyd seems to be willing to appear in just about any movie for a paycheck, as evidenced by his participation in Kranks, a comedy based on a book by John Grisham -- who is known for his comedy. He stars as a guy who insists his neighbors (Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) participate in holiday festivities. This is a movie about sociopaths, and Aykroyd is their leader. For every good holiday movie released, there are two or three like Kranks. It's a shame the talented Aykroyd couldn't have found himself in one of the good ones.

A hybrid between crass commercial capitalization on nostalgia and a holiday film based around that obnoxious Chipmunk Christmas song, 2007's Alvin and the Chipmunks boasts a surprising supporting turn from edgy comic David Cross. Cross got into a sort of public debate with fellow comic Patton Oswalt for participating in the movie, which he claims he did so he could buy a house or something. I don't suppose it's really the kind of movie anyone does because they really believe in the project -- especially a comedian like Cross, who can often be too cool for school. This one might entertain non-discerning little kids, but doesn't have much lasting power.

British comedian Rowan Atkinson -- best known for his silent Mr. Bean character -- doesn't have much to do in writer/director Richard Curtis' episodic 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually. In fact, it feels like he was cast (in a small role as a department store salesman) because the movie reads like a who's who of British talent. Sure, he's plays a part in one of the movie's better stories (the marital woes of Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman), but isn't called upon to be very funny. Comedians are usually cast in holiday movies to be funny; Atkinson seems to be on hand for recognition alone. Still, it's a really likable movie and has an original take on the spirit of the holidays.

Back in 2006, comedian Lewis Black took a stab at being a movie star with supporting roles in Accepted and this holiday comedy, Unaccompanied Minors. Essentially a variation on Home Alone set in an airport, the movie finds Black cast as a grouchy airport employee with little tolerance for precocious pre-teens. In short, he was cast pretty much to play himself. You can't blame the guy for trying, but not surprisingly Minors failed to find Home Alone's holiday classic success, and Black didn't do much acting after that. Like David Cross, he may just not be the kind of guy that belongs in kids' movies.

Yes, it's a stretch, but the 1983 comedy Trading Places does take place at Christmas and features at least one very funny scene of Dan Aykroyd drunk in a Santa suit. But, since Aykroyd is already represented here, it makes sense to show some love for Eddie Murphy back when he was one of the funniest guys on the planet. While Trading Places is more a movie that happens to take place at Christmas than an actual Christmas movie, it remains one of Murphy's best and rightfully deserves a place on this list.