Roger Ebert’s Favorite Holiday Movies

For decades, film critic Roger Ebert was one of the cinema’s most respected and entertaining voices, having worked for the prestigious Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 up until his sad passing at 70 in 2013. Ebert’s refreshingly honest thoughts and opinions and insightful commentary on some of Hollywood’s most famous productions garnered immense adoration from his peers and fans, with fellow critic and Chicago writer Neil Steinberg astutely declaring him “without question the nation’s most prominent and influential film critic.”

The recipient of numerous accolades like the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Criticism and Gotham Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award, Ebert reviewed some of the silver screen’s most adored holiday classics from A Christmas Story to Elf, with only a select few earning his greatest praise. Let’s check out Roger Ebert’s favorite holiday movies.

12 ‘Last Holiday’ (2006)

Ebert’s Score – 3/4 Stars

Rappers and actors extraordinaire Queen Latifah and LL Cool J teamed up to star in the romantic dramedy Last Holiday, which follows the introverted and compassionate department store assistant Georgia Byrd as she finds herself breaking out of her shell and embracing life to the fullest after she is told she only has a few weeks to live, prompting her to head on a lavish European vacation. Georgia’s co-worker and secret crush Sean chases after her to proclaim his love and finally reveal his true feelings.

Queen Latifah Brings the Humor & Heart

Queen Latifah was praised for her charismatic performance in the wholesome flick, though it ultimately underperformed at the box office and attracted lukewarm reviews, with many deeming it inferior to the 1950 British original it was based upon. However, Roger Ebert appreciated Last Holiday for its lovable good nature and called it both “funny and charming,” astutely expressing that as moviegoers “we must be open to movies that have more modest ambitions: They only want to amuse us, warm us, and make us feel good. Last Holiday plays like a hug.”

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11 ‘The Family Stone’ (2005)

Ebert’s Score – 3/4 Stars

Touting a star-studded ensemble cast of Hollywood greats including Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rachel McAdams, The Family Stone takes place over the course of the Christmas season in a small New England town where the Stone family’s eldest son Everett (Dermot Mulroney) brings his uptight girlfriend Meredith (Parker) home for the holidays to spend, hoping to get their blessing to propose. The anxious career woman Meredith faces an uphill battle connecting with the laid-back, Bohemian clan.

Keaton & Nelson Bring the Intimacy

The Family Stone went on to become a commercial success, grossing over $92 million against an $18 million budget with Parker garnering a Golden Globe nod, despite critics giving the picture a mixed-bag response. Ebert acknowledged that though it heavily leaned into screwball territory with the colorful family hijinks, he commended the many contrasting characters and their distinct personalities, while singling out the long and loving marriage between Sybil (Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) and the effortless intimacy they shared as the heart of the film.

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10 ‘The Polar Express’ (2004)

Ebert’s Score – 4/4 Stars

Robert Zemeckis ventured into unexplored territory when he directed the visually stunning holiday adventure The Polar Express, an adaptation of the popular children’s book of the same name that takes place on Christmas Eve and follows a young boy as he embarks upon a wondrous journey on the titular train to go and visit Santa Claus in the North Pole after growing skeptical of his existence, where he meets a kind-hearted conductor (Tom Hanks) who changes his perspective.

A Visual Feast For the Eyes

Zemeckis brilliantly used both live-action and motion capture to create the animation in the enchanting film, with the revered director truly creating a technological triumph on the silver screen. The Polar Express was divisive upon its release, with some deeming it a new classic and others deeply unsettling, both points-of-view Ebert acknowledged in his four-star review. The famed critic said it “has a haunting, magical quality” and agreed it was a bit creepy animation-wise, but added, “it will become a perennial, shared by the generations.”

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9 ‘Bad Santa’

Ebert’s Score – 3.5/4 Stars

Billy Bob Thornton delivered a one-of-a-kind performance when he appeared as a rude and crude professional thief in the black comedy classic Bad Santa, which follows the sex-addicted alcoholic Willie T. Soke as he once again poses as a department store Santa Claus along with his partner-in-crime Marcus (Tony Cox) in order to rob the different mall stores at night. Willie finds his bleak outlook on life changing after he befriends a dimwitted-yet-sweet boy, prompting him to try and seek redemption.

Thornton Knocks It Out of the Park

The Coen brothers developed the concept for Bad Santa before handing the reigns to director Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World), and its script was passed on by Universal Pictures because of how disgusting, misogynistic, and crass it was, all of which enticed Miramax to green-light the project. Ebert gave major props to Thornton for agreeing to tackle the controversial and edgy role as well as Zwigoff for helming the gutsy farce, which he described as a “demented, twisted [and] unreasonably funny work of comic kamikaze style.”

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8 ‘Elf’ (2003)

Ebert’s Rating – 3/4 Stars

Undeniably one of the most cherished Christmas hits of the twenty-first century, Jon Favreau’s Elf features comedic legend Will Ferrell in all his zany glory, as he winningly portrays Buddy, a human raised by elves in the North Pole who sets out to New York City in search of his biological father after discovering he was actually adopted. Buddy must work hard to connect with his cynical businessman father Walter (James Caan), as he also falls in love with toy store employee Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).

Ferrell’s Charming & Unforgettable Portrayal

Hailed for Ferrell’s delightfully uninhibited performance, endearing storyline, and amusing humor, Elf was a smash hit and grossed over $228 million while being lauded as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. In his review, Ebert revealed his initial reservations about the comedy and felt it would be too clunky and over-the-top, yet it took the critic just a few seconds to realize the magic that is Will Ferrell. He praised the off-beat casting choices and declared that it “has a heart, a brain, and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece.”

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7 ‘Love Actually’ (2003)

Ebert’s Rating – 3.5/4 Stars

Another Christmas staple of the 2000s that completely enchanted audiences all across the world is the romantic comedy Love Actually, which takes place over the course of the holiday season in London as nine interconnected stories explore the many complexities and highs-and-lows of love. With countless famous faces appearing in the flick like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Keira Knightley, the rom-com is must-see viewing during the festive cozy season.

Captivating Stories Unfold on Screen

All the dynamic characters and their respective storylines are loosely connected and fans couldn’t help but become emotionally invested in their complicated love lives in the five-week lead-up to Christmas. Many remember the iconic cue card scene from the beloved picture, which went on to earn two Golden Globe nominations and rake in over $250 million. Ebert praised director/writer Richard Curtis’ (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary) engrossing screenplay and the film’s winning concoction of poignancy and cheer.

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6 ‘The Ref’ (1994)

Ebert’s Rating – 3/4 Stars

Arguably one of the more underrated and overlooked holiday films is the black crime comedy The Ref, in which comedian and Rescue Me star Denis Leary hilariously plays a cat burglar is forced to take a perpetually bickering couple (Kevin Spacey & Judy Davis) hostage on Christmas Eve after a heist goes awry. Gus finds himself acting as the squabbling pair’s romantic referee as more and more things go wrong for the sly criminal, including the appearance of the couple’s colorful family.

The Power of a Good Script & Stellar Cast

Though it failed to make a splash at the box office, The Ref did garner widespread appreciation for Leary’s seasoned comedic performance and the hilarity that Spacey and Davis brought to their roles as the constantly at-odds married couple. Many felt it was the ultimate grown-up Christmas flick and Ebert agreed that the success of The Ref hinged on the writing and its execution by its cast, singling out the fun and spirited banter between Spacey and Leary as its finest asset.

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5 ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ (1992)

Ebert’s Rating – 3/4 Stars

Roger Ebert certainly knew a good movie when he saw it, and like many of his fellow peers and curious viewers he was completely blown away by the magical musical The Muppet Christmas Carol, which wonderfully brings the celebrated Charles Dickens classic to life with the help of the kooky puppet characters. Cinema legend Michael Caine brilliantly stars as the greedy, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge, as he is visited on Christmas Eve by the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Caine Dazzles & Delights as Scrooge

Initially just a modest box office success yet a critical darling, The Muppet Christmas Carol‘s reputation has only grown in the more than thirty years since its release and it is now a fan-favorite holiday staple. The wholesome picture truly thrives because of Caine’s straight-faced approach to the iconic character and chaos going on around him, with Ebert commending the musical’s technical achievements and toe-tapping tunes, but also feeling as though it could have benefited from more merrymaking.

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4 ‘Prancer’ (1989)

Ebert’s Rating – 3/4 Stars

Another relatively unknown-yet-nonetheless enchanting holiday film is the fantasy drama Prancer, which tells a spellbinding yuletide tale centering on eight-year-old Jessica Riggs (Rebecca Harrell) as she refuses to give up on the existence of Santa Claus, a belief that is only intensified after she discovers a wounded reindeer and believes him to be Prancer. With the help of a compassionate veterinarian, Jessica attempts to keep the animal a secret but attracts the unwanted attention of her father (Sam Elliot) and town locals.

A Spirited Performance by a Young Talent

Ebert was completely blown away by the sensational performance of the earnest and extremely talented Harrell, who received a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture. The famed critic highlighted Harrell’s star-making portrayal and her character Jessica’s defiant and fearless attitude, describing the heroine as “a plucky schemer who figures out things for herself and isn’t afraid to act on her convictions.”

3 ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1987)

Ebert’s Rating – 4/4 Stars

Comedy heavy hitters John Candy and Steve Martin made for the ultimate dream team when they shared the screen in John Hughes’ epic road trip farce Planes, Trains and Automobiles, following the tightly-wound businessman Neal Page (Martin) as he attempts to make it back home to Chicago for his family’s Thanksgiving dinner, only to have his flight rerouted. Neal is forced to become the travel companion to the overzealous-but-well-meaning salesman Del (Candy), with misadventures plaguing the mismatched duo.

Another Adored Hughes Classic

Hughes was the recipient of immense praise for successfully branching out of the teen comedy genre, and the effortless and hilarious chemistry between Candy and Martin helped make Planes, Trains and Automobiles a beloved box office hit. The comedy was included in Ebert’s “Great Movies” collection, writing that it “is perfectly cast and soundly constructed, and all else flows naturally. Steve Martin and John Candy don’t play characters; they embody themselves” and that is full of “heart and truth.”

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2 ‘A Christmas Story’ (1983)

Ebert’s Rating – 4/4 Stars

A certified holiday staple that’s been gracing small screens all across the country for over forty years, the sensational comedy A Christmas Story tells the famous story of the rambunctious nine-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) as he daydreams about his ultimate Christmas present, a glorious Red Ryder air rifle, all-the-while trying to outrun a cruel neighborhood bully and deal with his family’s many misadventures during the formative winter of 1940.

A Nostalgia-Fueled Timeless Tale

Universally regarded as a cherished classic and an annual Christmas great, the wholesome comedy continues attracting new fans both old and young, with Ebert initially awarding the movie 3 out of 4 stars before amending his score to a 4 and adding it to his “Great Movies” list. Ebert knew there was something special in the young Billingsley, whom he called “a sly combination of innocence and calculation,” while also appreciating the heart and nostalgia aspect A Christmas Story presents, depicting a simpler time in America.

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1 ‘Comfort and Joy’ (1984)

Ebert’s Rating – 3.5/4 Stars

Scottish film, theater, and television superstar Bill Paterson served up a hilarious performance when he headlined the ’80s comedy Comfort and Joy, in which he appeared as Glasgow radio disc jockey Allan “Dicky” Bird, who finds his easy-going life completely turned upside down after his girlfriend suddenly leaves him right before Christmas, leading to a series progressively bizarre mishaps to occur as he becomes embroiled in a perplexing mob war over the ice cream trade.

A Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

Comfort and Joy premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and topped the UK box office upon its release, while also earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay for director/writer Bill Forsyth. It is currently one of the few prestigious films to hold a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, with Ebert appreciating the wonderfully off-kilter storyline and quirky characters, calling the comedy “… one of the happiest and most engaging movies you are likely to see this year.”