New Christmas movies for 2023
The Holdovers (November 10, in theaters)
It’s been almost 20 years since Sideways, but Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne are finally reunited in The Holdovers. A cranky Barton Academy teacher (Giamatti) is put in charge of students stuck at school over Christmas break 1970, including one grieving the loss of his father. At 96%, Rotten Tomatoes calls The Holdovers “beautifully bittersweet,” and it’ll likely be streaming by December.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (November 16, Netflix)
Fun. With. Punctuation! Netflix movie Best. Christmas. Ever! presents a classic holiday misadventure that brings together former college frenemies Jackie (Brandy Norwood) and Charlotte (Heather Graham) at Christmastime. When a GPS misdirect sends Charlotte to Jackie’s doorstep, her own insecurity drives her to disprove Jackie’s “perfect life.” Will Charlotte and Jackie reconcile for Christmas? You. Know. It!
Dashing Through the Snow (November 17, Disney+)
Social worker Eddie (Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges) takes his 9-year-old daughter to work with him on Christmas Eve at the behest of his estranged wife (Teyonah Parris). There, they meet “Nick” (Lil Rel Howery), a jolly man in a red suit with some not-so-subtle Santa vibes. Soon, the trio set out on a magical adventure that will—here it comes—make Eddie act a fool for Christmas again. (Sorry, Luda.)
Family Switch (November 30, Netflix)
A seemingly innocuous Christmas wish sends beleaguered parents Jess (Jennifer Garner) and Bill (Ed Helms) and their teen daughter and son into a tinsel-tangled tailspin. Family Switch is Freaky Friday times two, with the parents and kids swapping bodies and (hilariously) learning how to cope. Another twist: Jess and Bill’s baby trades personalities with the family dog.
Candy Cane Lane (December 1, Prime Video)
We’ve seen the overly competitive house-decorating trope before in movies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Deck the Halls, but Candy Cane Lane adds the wildcard ingredient of Eddie Murphy. Determined to win a holiday decorating competition, Chris (Murphy) makes a deal with a devilish elf (Jillian Bell), inadvertently throwing the neighborhood into Christmas chaos. Heh-heh-heh!
Silent Night (December 1, in theaters)
They’re not all comedies: Silent Night marks the first American film since 2003’s Paycheck for legendary action director John Woo, and it’s completely dialogue-free. A grieving father (Joel Kinnaman) sets out for bloody revenge for the death of his young son on Christmas Eve, targeting a ruthless East L.A. gang. As if the direction of Woo weren’t enough, Silent Night also comes from the producers of John Wick(!).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (December 8, Disney+)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever finds said Wimpy Kid Greg working tirelessly to be “good” so he’ll receive a cool video game for Christmas. But, after accidentally destroying a snowplow, he and his family become trapped inside their house by a massive blizzard. Worse, there’s no power or internet and, thanks to Greg, no plow to rescue them. Time for old-fashioned family bonding! I know, yuck.
Red One (November/December TBA, Prime Video)
Other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s headliner check ($50 million) and the ace cast (including Chris Evans and J.K. Simmons), little is known about the holiday action movie Red One. Explains Johnson, “Think Jumanji meets Miracle on 34th Street meets Hobbs & Shaw, with a dash of Harry Potter, and sprinkled on top with my all-time favorite Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.” Well, that clarifies everything.
Bill Frost has been a journalist and TV reviewer since the 4:3-aspect-ratio ’90s. His pulse-pounding prose has been featured in The Salt Lake Tribune, Inlander, Coachella Valley Independent, Las Vegas Weekly, and many other dead-tree publications (see BillFrost.tv). In addition to being a Senior Staff Writer at CableTV.com, Bill is a syndicated streaming TV columnist forSalt Lake City Weekly and other alternative weeklies, and host/producer of TV Tan Podcast. By night, Bill cranks a Flying V with his band at the bar.
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