#TBT Is ‘Die Hard’ A Holiday Movie? (YES!!!)
So here's a little "TBT" post for you, or maybe we should call it a "TBF" post?
It may actually be Friday, but because it seems to come up in conversation every year, I thought I'd bring back last year's post outlining why I think "Die Hard" is actually a Holiday movie, despite what naysayers may believe.
Every year people go through their favorite holiday movie lists, and inevitably its all the same; "It's A Wonderful Life," "Elf," "The Grinch," "Rudolph," "Frosty The Snowman," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Home Alone," etc. But the one movie that gets left off the list, all too often, in my opinion is my favorite holiday movie, "Die Hard!"
And usually when I mention that to people, they look at me like I have five heads, and feel the need to tell me that there is no way "Die Hard" is a holiday movie. Well, I am here to make the argument that it most certainly is.
Point #1: The entire movie takes place at a company Christmas party -- albeit it's pretty much the worst company Christmas party in history, but it's still the holiday season! Decorations, Christmas music, and even the utterance of the traditional "Ho Ho Ho" can be seen and heard all throughout the movie.
Point #2: Compare it to the plot of a couple of other undeniable holiday favorites, and I ask you show me the difference. Take "Home Alone" and "The Grinch," for instance. The plot to both of those movies involved unhappy crooks trying to rob innocent holiday revelers of their belongings, only to be foiled by either a cute kid, or an inventive hero (in the case of "Home Alone," Kevin is both!) Bruce Willis's John McClane is the definition of inventive hero in this movie, and Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber is definitely an unhappy crook, especially by the end of the movie.
Point #3: Christmas ornaments are used to save the day in all three movies! Kevin sets traps for Harry and Marv using Christmas tree decorations in "Home Alone." A rogue ornament that pops off the tree wakes Cindy-Lou Who and busts the Grinch. And John McClane used holiday packing tape to strap a hidden gun to his back so [SPOILER AHEAD] he can shoot the bad guys at the end of "Die Hard!"
Nothing gets me in to the holiday spirit more than the dad from "Family Matters" walking Bruce Willis through how to escape Alan Rickman's squad of Euro-disco machine-gun toting bad guys, and seeing things blow up. Merry Christmas!
What do you think? Is Die Hard a Holiday movie? Answer our poll below!