Best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video
Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video are a mixed bag. On the one hand, subscribers have a ton of standard Hallmark style movies to mix through. On the flip side, they can also stream It’s A Wonderful Life, possibly the best Christmas movie ever. So what is it worth to be seen as you prepare for the big day? Here are our tips for the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video. We’ll also be adding movies from Amazon’s free iMDB TV channel to this list.
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Best Christmas Movies on Amazon Prime Video
- It is a wonderful life
- Noel
- An American Christmas story
- The Christmas switch
- The Nutcracker
- RiffTrax: Christmas circus with Whizzo the clown
1. It’s a wonderful life
Not much needs to be said about this film. Published in 1946 and directed by Frank Capra, it’s hard to believe that It’s A Wonderful Life wasn’t a big box-office hit. It only became popular when local television networks kept reissuing the film in the 1970s. Beyond the Christmas themes and setting, this film is also all about how one person can affect the lives of so many other people. Jimmy Stewart’s portrayal of George Bailey is true to the core. George is a humble man who is always on the lookout for others in Bedford Falls town. One fateful Christmas Eve brings George over the edge, however, and it’s up to a helpful angel named Clarence to show him that his life is truly wonderful.
Oh, and let’s not forget one of the greatest movie villains of all time. Lionel Barrymore is perfect as opposite George Bailey, the super rich Henry Potter who tries his best to defeat George.
You can watch the classic black and white version of this movie, but Amazon Prime has a colored version to stream too.
2. Noel
This is a more serious Chrismas movie released in 2004 and directed by Chazz Palminteri. Five people with their own stories and problems spend Christmas Eve in New York City and meet as the film progresses. The film shows Susan Sarandon as a woman trying to take care of her sick mother. Penélope Cruz and the late Paul Walker play a couple with their own problems. Alan Arkin portrays a man who is looking for his dead wife. The late Robin Williams also appears in an interesting role.
3. An American Christmas story
Back when he was the biggest TV star in the world as The Fonz on Happy Days, Henry Winkler took the chance and played the guy in this TV movie in 1979. Based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Winkler put on a lot of makeup to play Benedict Slade. This US version of Scrooge is no less mean and malicious at the start of this film. However, Slade goes back and forth in time when he’s visited by three ghosts who show him he doesn’t need to feel this way.
4. The Christmas counter
Even Santa Claus feels old sometimes. That’s the premise of this 2014 film, in which Santa feels like he’s taking over someone else. All he really needs is the body of a young man to get through the Christmas delivery time. For some reason, he chooses a young card player named Eddie to make this move. Eddie agrees, for a million in cash, and the body switch takes place. So what happens when Santa is in a young man’s body? What happens to Eddie when he realizes that life is more than just money? You just have to watch the movie to find out.
The Nutcracker
This is an adaptation of the 1993 Christmas-themed musical that featured the New York Ballet. This film is notable because MacAulay Culkin, still a major movie star at the time, was cast in the lead role of the toy nutcracker who turns into a real boy. Kevin Kline also serves as the narrator. This is a great way to introduce young people to ballet through a Christmas classic.
5. RiffTrax: Christmas circus with Whizzo the clown
For our recent Chrismas films on Amazon Prime, we have something that is really off the beaten path. It’s a strange movie called Christmas Circus with Whizzo the Clown. It’s about a clown named Whizzo who takes some children to the North Pole on his magic carpet to meet Santa Claus. Before you run away, you should be gone. This is a RiffTrax version of that strange movie. Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, all formerly of the Mystery Science Theater 3000, also speak about this film. If you need a fun riffing this Christmas this is the perfect choice.
Here’s how we watch the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video. And if you want to see more, here’s a list of even more Christmas favorites across all streaming platforms. We hope you have a nice and safe vacation streaming your favorite movies.
