Film historian settles the debate over whether 'Die Hard' is a Christmas movie

[@cloudstrife4897]

I love how every year Tapper makes it a point to let the world know that Die Hard IS a Christmas movie

[@shepardbook]

So’s Lethal Weapon.

[@FiveNumberJonny]

Don't forget Batman Returns, The Long Kiss Goodnight

[@JaneDoey]

Wow you liberals are such high intellect people

[@Welverin]

Meanwhile, Rich Eisen attempts the opposite. Jerk.

[@lilPopper]

@@Welverinnot just jerk….Jerk Weed :P

[@bigdopamine9343]

It’s a story about a man trying to get his family together for Christmas and the friends he meets along the way.

[@thetvbaby83]

😂😂😂

[@MNAHN-T.GOF-NN]

lol

[@Sofia.K.CheerYT]

That's such a positive outtake 😂 that's how I describe my life ommiting all the struggles

[@jeffreymark475]

It was released in July though

[@Jaslath]

@@jeffreymark475 A Miracle on 34th Street was released in May. Gremlins was released in June. It's a Wonderful Life didn't have a wide release until Jan.

[@trailrunner72]

My wife has not watched Die Hard. When asked what I want for Christmas this year, I said for the two of us to have a Die Hard movie night at home 😂

[@bev9708]

Did she love it? I went along to the cinema to see it when it came out only as an act of love and solidarity for my hubby, I'm not an action fan at all, and I loved it!!!

[@mikekolokowsky]

And she rushed out and bought some car batteries.

[@trailrunner72]

We watched it on Christmas. She agreed it was a Christmas movie and the story moved along nicely. A bit too much violence for her preference 😂 She was actually more invested in Al’s safety. “You can’t kill Carl from Family Matters!” 😅 Her rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

[@jesustovar2549]

​@@trailrunner72You should convince your wife that Die Hard has similar plot points with Home Alone, also both movies being produced by 20th Century Fox within 3 years of difference, each one got 4 sequels (most of em are inferior to the original).

[@jesustovar2549]

​@@trailrunner72Btw Bonnie Bedelia (Holly McLane) is the aunt of McCaulay Culkin.

[@johnnyexplains]

“Die Hard” is such a legendary movie. Love that it’s locked in the late eighties, such a different world. The building was so beautiful, the interior sets with Japanese influence just amazing. The music, top notch. It definitely made two legends, Alan Rickman and Bruce Willis.

[@msjackson6131]

It’s become a tradition in my family arguing if Die Hard is a Christmas movie 😂😂😂 The majority always wins🎉🎉 And we watch it every year ❤❤❤

[@Brakdayton]

Goes to show that the popular vote should prevail. Die Hard, IMHO is *not* a Christmas movie. It’s a movie that takes place at Christmas but has nothing to do with else to do with Christmas.

[@early_crypto_investor4451]

Same here

[@tonyclemens4213]

There are two types of people; those you say Die Hard is a Xmas movie and those who are wrong.

[@rozzie101]

XMas... ass

[@jonathansantiago5327]

1. The movie makes me feel jolly. 2. It has the music. 3. It has the “comming home for Christmas” aspect.

[@dlanska]

I think Jake Tapper is the kind of person we need doing a very wide range of news stories: interesting, knowledgeable, articulate, thoughtful, and principled. This is obviously one of the fluffier pieces he has done, but here he doesn't blow off the interview. He comes at it with a surprisingly deep background knowledge set, very respectfully interacts with his guests, and sets up an interesting dialogue.mWe are lucky to have him in his role.

[@QuantumOfSolace1]

Pathetic journalism - Tapper is such a D Leaguer!

[@andersfant4997]

I beg to differ. Tapper has done many shitty, shallow and preconceived interviews. Likeable guy though.

[@samrodriguez9653]

Did Jake Tapper write this?

[@cutehumor]

Tapper wife wrote that comment. Tapper is just another guy

[@nedludd7622]

"Principled" is not a word one can associate with Tapper. He is just a shill for the corporate agenda.

[@gandydancer823]

Why is the first Lethal Weapon not considered a Christmas movie

[@IanWillbond]

Funny thing is, it's a Christmas movie by proxy. The house that Roger Murtaugh's family lives in is actually the same house that is owned by the neighbours ofbthe Griswolds in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. 😆

[@gandydancer823]

@@IanWillbond the song that opens the movie is jingle bell rock. Also there was a Christmas tree up in Roger's house and Riggs refers to Christmas as "the silly season" to the jumper.

[@AFKHotline]

​@gandydancer8234 But does having it set at Christmas, actually make it a Christmas movie? If Ridley Scott decided to put a Christmas tree in the nostromo and have jingle bells playing in the opening scene of Alien, would that make it a Christmas movie?

[@Elwaves2925]

It is considered a Xmas movie though and for many of the same reasons Die Hard is.

[@JJj-sb5pz]

​@@AFKHotline Yes

[@chrisgeorge2023]

"Welcome to the party pal" the most iconic line

[@minimaker5600]

The only reason I have seen Die Hard more than once is to see a young Alan Rickman, one of the best actors EVER!

[@romeobaboi3905]

Agreed. And the fact that Hans Gruber was his very first movie role is just baffling to me.

[@minimaker5600]

Like so many Brits, he had vast stage experience.@@romeobaboi3905

[@aishabintabubakr4944]

Die Hard is amazing

[@alor5009]

Yes love him… RIP Alan 🙏

[@jesustovar2549]

Harry Potter fan? Seriously, every Potterhead should watch Die Hard, at least for Alan Rickman.

[@glennwelsh9784]

I think what makes Die Hard a Christmas movie is the hopeful spirit that the movie embodies - good miraculously triumphing over evil against all odds on Christmas Eve.

[@Shasha-yg1mm]

Thank you!! That is exactly what I've been saying for years!

[@QuantumOfSolace1]

You are kidding right?? It was story that just happened in December -

[@Shasha-yg1mm]

@@QuantumOfSolace1 No, the story is about a man traveling from New York to California to be with his wife for Christmas. The events happened on Christmas Eve at a company Christmas party. Everything about the story revolved around Christmas. It's just not a kid friendly movie.

[@QuantumOfSolace1]

@@Shasha-yg1mm Its not a Christmas Movie - it just took place during Christmas!

[@Shasha-yg1mm]

@@QuantumOfSolace1 Ok, so explain to me what is a Christmas movie.

[@bjt81366]

He travels to LA to spend Christmas with his family There is an actual Christmas party going on. They rock Christmas in Hollis Kills first guy a puts Santa hat on the guy They end the movie noting it's Christmas The movie closes with "Let it Snow". Best action movie ever!

[@88detour]

I don't know if Lethal Weapon has ever entered the conversation whether it's a Christmas movie. It takes place during the holidays. The opening credits has Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms and the ending credits has I'll be Home for Christmas by Elvis Presley. There's references of Christmas throughout the movie. The character Martin Riggs has a redemption arc. Lethal Weapon was also released a year before Die Hard both films produced by Joel Silver.

[@bipolarminddroppings]

I think that's the next one we have to campaign to be added. Disney+ put Die Hard in their Xmas Movies Collection, so that's done now.

[@Fakeaorta]

Shane Black frequently uses Xmas as a back drop for his movies. Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Iron Man 3.

[@CathyLTate]

Yes! Lethal Weapon Is a Also a Christmas Movie.

[@coreyc5982]

Yup, Lethal Weapon is just as much of a Christmas movie as Die Hard.

[@pdzombie1906]

Exactly, great example. It's one thing when a movie revolves around Xmas an another with the backdrop of Xmas, and only the first one IS a Xmas movie!!!

[@GulDukat479]

This is not a debate. It's always been a Christmas movie 🎬🎄

[@KieranBriggs-f8o]

I think you only believe that because you either want to be different or you want to argue with people

[@Hydrograd57]

​@@KieranBriggs-f8o No, it's because it is literally a Christmas movie

[@Anon54387]

@@KieranBriggs-f8o That's exactly it. Those who claim that it is a Christmas movie are either trying to get them to read their blog or article, trying to get views on a YT video or a response to a comment or just flat argue with people. That a movie takes place during Christmas doesn't make it a Christmas movie. By that standard, The Godfather is a Christmas movie.

[@JeffKelly03]

Jeb Stuart, the guy who literally wrote the movie, said it’s a Christmas movie. Case closed. When the guy who created it (I realize it’s loosely based on a book. Loosely.) says he intended it to be a Christmas movie, you really can’t argue.

[@BGatts666]

You can, people are only humans and bound to misdjugement so we can say the writer was *arguably* wrong. Then prove our points using *arguments*.

[@KieranBriggs-f8o]

Yes, I really can.

[@pjnicolas7]

Die Hard 1 & 2 will always be my Christmas movies!

[@KieranBriggs-f8o]

Die Hard 1 is not a Christmas movie. Die Hard 2 may or may not be, but I don't care enough to argue about it, since I think that movie is a terrible sequel. Die Harder is whatever you want it to be

[@dustinhogle3844]

LITERALLY takes place on Christmas Eve, at a company Christmas party. Christmas decorations. Guy came to Los Angeles from NYC for Christmas with his family. Christmas decorations everywhere, Christmas music mixed in with the score(R.I.P. Michael Kamen). Despite Bruce Willis saying it’s not a Christmas movie, he’s wrong.

[@clays1507]

Just saw it again on the big screen at AMC last week. Laughed at all the great lines. (There was a gas station in the foreground at one point .74 a gallon)

[@MrJayehawk]

According to Bruce Willis himself, Die Hard s NOT a Christmas movie...although that didn't stop me from watching it this Christmas.

[@veve_janny]

"Now I have a machine gun ho-ho-ho" (with a santa hat) Christmas music throughout the movie, Christmas party, Christmas time. Yes die hard is a Christmas movie.

[@Talks-Movies]

No. its not. Die Hard is not driven by a Christmas message, not Jesus, not Santa Claus. Take out the decorations, the snow etc and it could happen at anytime of the year like Halloween or Thanksgiving!!

[@KieranBriggs-f8o]

No, it's a movie that uses Christmas as a comedic undertone. Christmas itself plays no role in the plot of the movie or how it plays out

[@skpwilson]

I've seen Die Hard hundreds of times and it's an absolute favorite Christmas movie. Two others: for LAUGHS and HEART = The Ref; and for pure Christmas joy and growth = A Muppet Christmas Carol. Both (all three!) are perfect!

[@qjinx1]

If it takes place at christmas and is about people just trying to get through whatever they are dealing with at christmasstime, its a christmas movie. If you always watch it during the season, its a christmas movie. Period.

[@felixdaass]

The screenwriter included the Christmas holiday into their screenplay. Thus making Die Hard a Christmas movie.

[@drew8958]

It has taken me 20 years to convince my Wife Die Hard is a Christmas movie! This movie is educational as well... it teaches people outside the USA what the ingredients of a Twinkie are too !🤣😎

[@Sofia.K.CheerYT]

Very good points 😂❤

[@liberalman8319]

I’m still trying to convince mine…

[@Landshark9]

Only in America…

[@JaneDoey]

Wow another liberal genius in the comment section, bunch of geniuses in here

[@larryo6874]

@@JaneDoeyYup!

[@MEBoisv]

It tackles a very common 80s Christmas tradition, the office Christmas party.

[@marvinbetts8113]

You could tell Jake is a true super fan of Die Hard 😂

[@Sofia.K.CheerYT]

I love how geeked up this gets 😂❤

[@clintbrew]

Just like jake peralta from Brooklyn 99

[@reneeboyd80]

Always viewed it as an action Christmas movie. It takes place at an office Christmas party. Christmas music is played several throughout the movie.

[@DieHard0]

Considering the screenwriter, director, and even the studio itself declared that it was officially a Christmas movie, there really shouldn't be any lingering debate. The only point I would disagree with Jeremy Arnold over in what he said is that this movie could NOT have taken place at any other time of the year. Christmas is the only day of the entire year that virtually all companies shut down, leaving everything sparse enough for something like this to take place. Any other day there would be more complications with other people in the building on different floors, possibly more security, police would probably respond faster, (even though they are portrayed extremely bad in the movie, other than Al.) Besides the obvious aspects that would only happen at Christmas, there are a whole bunch of subtle things that are integrated specifically into the movie that really only make sense on Christmas. Then of course all the themes at the heart of the movie are pretty much everything that makes up standard Christmas movies, just with the twist that there is some incredible action thrown on top. I've never understood how people see it as a simple action movie, when there is a huge amount of depth if you look past that layer. Honestly, how can someone consider Home Alone a Christmas movie and not Die Hard? Every person has their own ideas of what makes a movie a certain type of movie, but as far as I am concerned, it ticks every box that any other Christmas movie hits, and then some.

[@joe-edward]

Crazy watching Jake Tapper explain the premise of Die Hard.

[@Neonmirrorblack]

Serious, professional personalities still have their own thoughts and opinions outside of work. Think of how boring his home life would be to those around him if he was always in "professional" mode. And besides, this is kind of newsworthy since it's been a debate since the film first launched, and I'm sure the start of many fights on December 25th around the table. 😆

[@MemphiStig]

The one thing overlooked about this movie imo is Bonnie freakin Bedelia. She's the reason for the season! She makes my spirits bright! She puts the... you get it.

[@MrMercadier]

Its not Christmas until Hans falls from Nakatomi Plaza.

[@kalphil4385]

'Now I Have A Machine Gun, Ho,Ho,Ho'.

[@SidewalkCitizenLA]

Thank you for showing the b&w version of "It's A Wonderful Life"! I hate colorization

[@SpinDoc420]

it needs a Disney reboot...

[@Hydrograd57]

​@@SpinDoc420 No tf it doesn't!

[@chrismcgrath522]

My buddies and I have this debate every year. Out of 6, we are split. I am on the side it’s not. But here is a spin. The fact that we have this debate every Christmas, have I now contributed to making it a Christmas movie against my own belief?

[@tonyphelps6723]

but why is it not a christmas movie? were the reasons Jeremy Arnold gave not valid?

[@finch2213]

From a friend, (hope this helps): If we’re really going to ask “Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?” let’s begin by figuring out what makes a Christmas Movie in the first place. Instead of categorizing all the different types of Christmas movie (The Protagonist Learns a Lesson, Santa is Seriously Injured and Must Be Replaced, The Reclamation of Family, The Reclamation of Family but it’s actually a Return to Home, The Reclamation of Family plus Protagonist Learns a Lesson, Time Travel Ghost Story plus Protagonist Learns A Lesson, A Return to Home plus Show-Stopping Musical Numbers, We’re in Love But Pretending Like We’re Not Oh Wait It’s Christmas, We’re in Love But Pretending Like We’re Not Oh Wait One of Us Is An Angel, Something About the Innocence of a Child Saves The Day But Honestly It Got Confusing There Toward The End, etc, etc) I thought we could maybe just answer the question What makes a Christmas Movie a Christmas Movie and go from there. So: What make a Christmas Movie a Christmas Movie? It’s maybe not as easy as ‘What makes a Christmas song sound like Christmas?’ (a minor subdominant chord with an added 6) (no, for real) but I bet there’s some stuff basic we’d agree on. Like: 1)The filmmakers intended it to be a Christmas Movie 2)It’s set at Christmas 3)There’s Christmas music (especially at the finale) 4) Something has to happen in time for Christmas (or for Christmas to be saved) 5) It has sort of has a vaguely anti-capitalistic pro-Christmas message and 6) One of the characters has a Christmas-related character detail or motivation- like say for example the wife of the protagonist is named HOLLY. (Seriously why do you think Die Hard ISN’T a Christmas movie? It literally does all six off the above things we all agree are Christmas Basic. Is it because you don’t think a Christmas story should feature a blue collar fellla slowly running out of cigarettes at a party with unlimited booze while he and his wife are being distant because they never finished this fight in July that eventually crescendos into violence and explosion after explosion? Because if that’s not Christmassy to you, maybe you just haven’t been to any Irish Catholic Christmases.) (And if the reason you think it’s not a Christmas movie is because you think the movie is about “Will Bruce Willis kill these terrorists?” you are extra-double wrong, my friend. Die Hard is about “Can a man get back to his wife and family in time for Christmas?” The terrorists are just the obstacle getting in the way. Like: Titanic isn’t about two pretty people running away from water. I mean, yes, that happens, but that’s an obstacle to what it’s really about: “Can true love survive the greatest disaster in History?” The terrorists are just an obstacle that our protagonist has to deal with while he struggles for Reclamation of his Family and the thing that will eventually help him to Learn a Lesson along the way. So - Even if the movie does all of those things plus is, at its core, a traditional Christmas story (Reclamation of Family plus Man Learns a Lesson) does it FEEL like a Christmas movie? Let’s look at the two most Christmassy Feeling Movies of all: A Christmas Carol (in all its iterations and variants) and It’s a Wonderful Life. We can agree these two movies absolutely do all of our Christmas Basic things, plus are Christmas stories (Time Travel Ghost Story plus Protagonist Learns a Lesson, and Reclamation of Family but Really It’s a Return to Home plus Protagonist Learns a Lesson, respectively) and wow they so FEEL like Christmas don’t they? If these two movies are your Christmas favorites or if you’re more of an Elf fan or whatever (Love Actually fans though: what are you even doing?) we can all agree these movies ARE SO CHRISTMASSY. So beyond the Basic Christmas stuff, what do these two movies have in common? They both conclude as the Protagonist Learns a lesson, in both movies the Protagonist is reabsorbed into a kind of domesticity after ejecting it or running away from it (this varies in the Carols, but it’s typically there) and both of them ARE DARK AF. No seriously. AF. Let’s not forget the action of It’s a Wonderful Life kicks off with suicide and A Christmas Carol is at it’s funniest when it’s about GREED AND CLASS WARFARE (terrorists don’t seem so out of place now right? Especially when the terrorists in Die Hard are in fact PLOT TWIST not terrorists at all but instead greedy thieves who value money over all else OH DANG MAYBE DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE) The darkness in both of these stories (and in almost all Christmas movies worth their weight in celluloid) comes from the same complicated place: Regret. Christmas requires regret. Let’s face it. Christmas is haunted. The ghosts in A Christmas Carol are there to screw Scrooge to places he’s been, things he’s done - a way to measure his present against his past. Christmas is all the things we didn’t do and all the things we wanted that didn’t come true. We start out as children staying up all night waiting for impossible magic and transform over time into adults who know that many Christmases are actually going to be worse than the year before. Christmas comes back around again every year and our memories of it are so vibrant that we can clearly see what we wanted then, where we are now, and what the future has in store. George Bailey can see of all the places he didn’t go and all of the things he gave up, Scrooge knows that it’s his fault the future ahead of him is a great valueless nothing, and John, when faced with death and covered in blood, chokes on all of the things he should have said to Holly back in July: “I'm getting a bad feeling up here. I'd like you to do something for me. Look up my wife. Don't ask how, by then you’ll know how. And tell her - Tell her I've been a jerk. That when things started to pan out for her I should have been more supportive. I should've been behind her more. Tell her that she’s the best thing that ever happened to a bum like me. She's heard me say I love you a thousand times, she never heard me I say I’m sorry. I want you to tell her that, Al. I want you to tell her that John said He’s Sorry.” Yeah, that counts as regret. But okay: Lots of movies have regret. What makes Christmas movies different? Because in a Christmas movie Christmas is the thing that makes it possible to change. Christmas is going to come back around again next year, and while that brings on the melancholy, it also means you still have chances for redemption. You still have time to fix what went wrong. The magic of Christmas is that we aren’t too far gone, that we haven’t drifted too far away, that we can still go home and set things right. We can run through the streets and see that Bedford Falls is still there, we can tell the General that he’s allowed to come home from the War and find a place in snowy Vermont (while falling in love with one of the Haynes Sisters), we can learn the true meaning of Christmas in the aftermath of an ill-advised comedy kidnapping, we can go to our nephew’s house for Christmas and be welcome, we can still fight our way to Holly in time for Christmas morning. We just have to suffer through Pottersville/throw the big show and make it snow/ convince the boss to give everybody Christmas bonuses / survive a series of Lesson Teaching Ghosts/ throw Hans Gruber off a building first. Regret is turned into redemption through the power of Christmas (and in the case of Die Hard also through the power of, like, a lot of explosives.) And if the deal is you don’t think Die Hard is a Christmas Movie because you’ve never watched it at Christmas, remember: part of Christmas Magic is the promise of something new. This is why it snows at the end. While George Bailey and Clark Griswold learn that home was right where they left it (and they just accidentally lost themselves along the way,) Scrooge and General Waverly find a new home in a new place by trying a new thing. Sometimes coming home for Christmas is finding a new home altogether. John and Holly don’t reunite back in New York by restaging the fight from July. They make a new home in a new place just in time for Christmas morning and the big finish musical number. So: new isn’t so bad. Give Die Hard a try as a Christmas Movie. Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs. And yes, the snow fall at the end is actually ash and fiery debris and $640 million in burned-up negotiable bearer bonds, but it closes with a great big Christmas number just in time for Christmas morning- what more do you want out of a Christmas Movie?

[@KieranBriggs-f8o]

​@@finch2213I couldn't count how many logical fallacies you violated in this argument on 1 hand.

[@finch2213]

@@KieranBriggs-f8o you’re one of those “logical fallacies” people, huh? Y’all are fun. So which ones did I violate? Now keep in mind, I’m not the one who wrote the argument, I’m just someone who shared it.

[@pfury67]

The debate is easy to me, we all watch Die Hard around Christmas. We also watch it whenever we want, but Christmas time always gets a viewing. We also watch Home Alone whenever we want, but always a viewing around Christmas. It's a Wonderful Life is one of the most ageless movies ever created, so no arguments that it's the best one.

[@rsavage42]

Let me settle this. Yes , Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Live with it.

[@ray24051]

Funny because my best friend met Bruce Willis on the street in Manhattan about 3 years ago and Bruce told him and his friends that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, It's a movie that takes place during the Christmas season but it's not about Christmas. Now Scrooge or A Wonderful Life are Christmas movies because the plot is all about Christmas. The plot of Die Hard is about Criminals that are trying to rob a company.

[@richardrobbins387]

​@ray24051 "It's a Wonderful Life" is not all about Christmas. Absolutely brilliant film about family and friends, happens to end on Christmas.

[@jwkm6918]

[@patrickwalsh4615]

​@ray24051 yeah right 🙄 didn't happen.

[@jdxsr85]

Willis didn't write Die Hard and he came on as the sixth choice to play McClane. He did a great job but point is invalid. Christmas is integral to the plot of the movie.

[@mikekolokowsky]

I loved Die Hard, when I saw it on its release in JUNE 1988.

[@DFWHoppe]

Bruce Willis says Die Hard is NOT a Christmas Movie. Sad to learn that Bruce Willis is a liar.

[@twitchingbuck7440]

Oh my heckin science, Die Hard is my favorite Christmas movie, and my wife's boyfriend's favorite too!

[@yellalot101]

💯💯💯💯💯 Die Hard is a Christmas tradition in my house!

[@lilPopper]

You know what else are Christmas movies? 1. LETHAL WEAPON 2. Gremlins 3. Batman Returns 4. Shazam 5. Trading Places (also a New Year's movie) 6. Long Kiss Goodnight 7. Iron Man 3 (also a New Year's movie) 8. Ghostbusters 2 (also a New Year's movie)

[@philipgreen8227]

Die hard 2 is also a Christmas movie so is the long kiss goodnight and lethal weapon

[@sunnyjohnson992]

Was the first “Lethal Weapon” a Christmas flick too? 🤔

[@Elwaves2925]

Yes.

[@CYB3R2K]

Not really, the Xmas themes aren't hammered anywhere near as much as die hard

[@alexsledge]

What debate? It's a Christmas movie. Only fools would see it otherwise. Christmas songs, Christmas party, Family, New Friends, examination of naughty & nice, happy ending. Duh.

[@ShadowDx]

This is the definitive answer.

[@caronstout354]

Die Hard is just as much a Christmas movie as Gremlins is...

[@bryedtan]

Die Hard for me is a Christmas Movie no matter what. My Mom and Dad loved to rewatch it even yes on Christmas and even the other seasons.

[@sempertalis1230]

Who ever doubted that this is not a Christmas film ?

[@tomwhite7022]

People who haven’t watched it

[@ThiccBoi23]

It was released in July not a Xmas movie

[@guadalupe8589]

Those that think only, "fluffy", movies involving Christmas like Elf are, "true", Christmas movies

[@Phreshus]

My stupid boyfriend

[@BAD46660]

​@@ThiccBoi23 Some celebrate Christmas in July. I think the Hallmark channel runs Christmas movies all thru July as well as December

[@jdovma1]

This was a wise-ass answer to when people would ask "what's your favorite Christmas movie?" It was MY wise-ass answer through the 90s and 00s. Then it became a running joke to claim it's actually a Christmas movie. Then... for some reason... people actually started insisting that it really IS a Christmas movie. And now we have to have this mind numbing discussion ever year. Christmas is a minor part of the setting. It's not remotely the theme, regardless of this guy claiming that the family reconciliation factor, which again makes up a minor part of the setup and has a loose arc that's touched on only a couple of times throughout the movie, is somehow the Christmas throughline. When you take into account Roy Rogers, Yippy Cayay, the lone lawman against the odds, and all the gunslinging... Die Hard is actually a Western. Stahpit. It's an Everyman-Hero action movie plain and simple. Anything else is cognitive dissonance. Thanks, everyone, for ruining my wise-ass answer to that question. I had to change it. Now my favorite Christmas movie is Trading Places.

[@iamskyfall]

Die Hard takes place on Christmas. How much more evidence is needed than that? Also, props for mentioning On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It's both a Christmas movie and one of the best Bond films.

[@44excalibur]

Die Hard was released in July of 1988, the week after the Fourth of July.

[@chrisgeorge2023]

OHMSS that song Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Made..a most beautiful christmas song

[@billybatts8283]

Its simple really. What makes Home Alone a Christmas movie? There's your answer.

[@derekramsaroup3883]

I KNEW IT! Been saying Die Hard is a Christmas movie for years ....

[@boxonothing4087]

Yeah, I'm still not convinced. That would mean any movie using the same themes would be a Christmas movie regardless of where and when it takes place. Die Hard's story would still work on any other day/holiday. To me, the only thing that makes a movie a Christmas is the fact it pertains to something that can't happen any other day. In this case, the movie uses the mood for it's setting, but Christmas isn't what the movie is about.

[@kit2770]

I used to argue that DH wasn't a Christmas movie, but I think this guy convinced me. OK, fine, it is.

[@セ千尺丂セ]

Who cares. Watch whatever you like.

[@b.t.40yrs_ago]

Jake Tapper obviously cares.

[@jerrybest1]

His wife's name is HOLLY! 🌲

[@IsaiahFijalek]

If " Its a wonderful life" is considered a Christmas movie than die hard is also a Christmas movie. Only the last part of wonderful life takes place at Christmas, the fact that its Christmas is hardly mentioned, and its not vital to the plot that its Christmas. Like die hard it could take place at any time and still work.

[@martinmoore7279]

Isn't lethal weapon a Christmas movie?

[@MRblazedBEANS]

FOX released a Xmas trailer for die hard its a xmas movie! Also the only time i agree with CNN!

[@jackson857]

It's not even a debate. Die Hard has, is and always will be a Christmas movie.

[@MaheshWalatara]

Cobra is my favorite Christmas movie- Axe wielding psychopaths, Stallone in his prime, amazing car chase, 1980s, cutting pizza slice with scissors to a Toys R Us commercial 😂

[@jameshealey6535]

Yes DIE HARD is a old classic Christmas movie..... If you want a new classic Christmas movie then look no further than the utter joy that is THE HOLDOVERS

[@Paul-lm5gv]

*I don't care if he's a film historian or not. If the movie is not ABOUT Christmas then it's not a Christmas movie!*

[@MNAHN-T.GOF-NN]

Indeed. Besides, historians can be wrong. Case in point.

[@sidemann8593]

Two of my favorites: '29th Street' [R] Language (1991) Danny Aiello, Anthony LaPaglia, Lainie Kazan, Robert Forster, Tony Sirico. 'A Christmas Visitor' [G] 2002 William Devane, Meredith Baxter, Dean McDermott

[@jamesway]

So according to this, Jaws is a Xmas movie.

[@benjaminodem392]

Bruce Willis already put an end to the debate. He said "it's not a Christmas movie".

[@BalokLives]

Bruce Willis is not the ultimate authority on that issue. His opinion is that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie. This is very much up to the individuals that watch it. To me it is a Christmas movie. It came out at Christmas, and in my family we watch it every Christmas as a tradition. It is set at Christmas, at a Christmas party. There are Christmas decorations, and Christmas songs, Santa hats, jokes about Christmas, talking about Christmas events, people saying "Merry Christmas", the list goes on and on. If you want to say that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie, then Home Alone isn't either. Home Alone isn't about Christmas. It is about a boy left at home alone at Christmas, defending his home from burglars. But it clearly is a Christmas movie. Both of them are to me.

[@0z017]

If Bruce, The Man, The Myth, The Legend himself says it's not a Christmas movie...then it's not a Christmas movie.

[@b.t.40yrs_ago]

@@neb3757 He shouldn't have tried a coup.

[@jjw1072]

Watching people trying to justify Die Hard as a "Christmas movie" is like watching 45ers trying to justify Trump's crimes. It hilarious watching them fail.

[@neb3757]

Watching people trying to justify what Colorado is really gross. Real election interference there. Right there buddy.

[@AlphaShark]

The only thing I've ever agreed with CNN on.

[@tayejus8413]

Gremlins = Christmas movie Die Hard = Not a Christmas movie

[@GC12345]

This is the kind of meaningful reporting we need. Jake Tapper is at the top of his game and I appreciate his love for all things Die Hard very much.

[@TayDaley]

Even the wife’s name is HOLLY 😅

[@kylematesic]

Thank you for settling this never ending debate. I do agree die hard is a Christmas movie. Merry Christmas everyone

[@lionelrichardson2454]

Rambo first blood is a Christmas movie 😁

[@davidlee50]

What about Lethal Weapon now?

[@Lexarus2]

I have also wondered why no one are debating or consider that as a christmas movie as it has the same form of content.

[@ronhenriques9228]

Personally, I've never felt that it was. Walking out of the theater in the summer of '88 I didn't feel the film had strong enough themes to feel like a Christmas movie or leave me uplifted like one usually does. I just felt it was a solid action film. One of the best I'd ever seen at the time I think what happened was with video rentals and sales booming at the time of its release, most people who have seen this film have watched it at home. They could put it on anytime of the year they want it, preferably Christmas. Because of that, an entire new generation has experienced this film only as "a Christmas movie". A person who'se opinion matters to me the most though is Bruce Willis. The very last thing he said during his roast a few years ago was, "Die Hard is not a Christmas movie!" Regardless, it's nice to see people still passionate about this film after 35 years. Because they just don't make them like this anymore.

[@jesustovar2549]

I think the tradition of watching it at christmas is going to preserve this film for newer generations, personally I found it one of the best traditions ever, is one of the things that makes the film special for me. I was born 16 years after the film release, I wish I could have seen it in theatres.

[@jesustovar2549]

Also, my mom confirmed that back in the 90s, they aired Die Hard in local tv every christmas, along Home Alone, both produced by Fox, they share some similar plot points, also Bonnie Bedelia (Holly Gennaro) is the aunt of McCauley Culkin.

[@electricgigolo]

Die Hard is absolutely a Christmas movie. So is Trading Places (1983). Top three Christmas movies. 1. Home Alone (1990) 2. Trading Places (1983) 3. Die Hard (1988)

[@RSpills]

Nightmare before Christmas? Halloween?

[@Lumpy-Pillow]

Both

[@nattycasper2022]

Yes

[@michaelbeelby1995]

Does this mean 'Yippee Ki Yay Mothafuker' can now officially be used as a holiday season salutation?

[@dianep6791]

😂😂😂

[@0z017]

Forrest Gump is a Christmas movie.

[@brianleslie1632]

How?

[@MikeHorror67]

@@brianleslie1632 Forrest Gump grows a beard like Santa. Plus there's a box of chocolates.

[@jaives]

@@MikeHorror67 when has chocolates been associated with christmas? a box of chocolates makes me think of valentines.

[@MikeHorror67]

@@jaives They sell boxes of Chocolates at Christmas just like Valentine's or havent you been in a store.

[@jaives]

@@MikeHorror67 they sell boxes of chocolates all throughout the year but i've never encountered specialized xmas chocolates (except maybe the kisses in the xmas tree shaped container) whereas companies double down on valentines themed chocolates. i've also seen chocolate bunnies for easter. also halloween themed. but xmas boxes? not really.

[@joerogain5025]

Do you know in England that to tRUMP is to fart? I kid you not. Just GOOGLE English slang ''tRUMP.''

[@joerogain5025]

tRUMP Family Christmas Greeting! ''When you are a star they let you do it and get away with it.'' Donald, Melania, Ivanka, Eric and Don Jr.

[@Journey-of-1000-Miles]

Gremlins is more of a Christmas movie than diehard.

[@ps5andstuffhere]

Equal

[@jeepdude7359]

So, is Grimlins considered a Christmas movie as well? It’s a horror movie that meets all the criteria.

[@nattycasper2022]

Yes, yes it is

[@willsullivan3]

Gawd, you guys are such wonderful nerds. Thanks...I needed that! I didn't KNOW I needed that (I didn't even guess there was any doubt about whether it's a Christmas movie...wha?) but it's good to know you guys are on top of all the minutia that divides this society so much. What are those other lamebrains thinking?

[@Sofia.K.CheerYT]

Hehe agreed. I assume MAGA/Qanon accuse John of being a spy for George Soros and Alan Rickman of being a misunderstood "strong man" 😂

[@kayecastleman6353]

So glad to know we have Jake Tapper as well as Jeremy Arnold on the side of truth and reason.

[@jordanwright2313]

Die Hard 2 should be included as well.

[@masterofmashup1737]

NOT a Christmas movie. I never think of Christmas when I think of Die Hard, and to be honest, I forgot that it took place during Christmas time.

[@jjw1072]

It's not a Christmas movie. People who say it is are just trolling.

[@jackn8458]

@@jjw1072It is you should watch it.

[@sleepinglionarchives]

It wasn't initially a Christmas movie, as it was a Summer blockbuster, but it has become a Christmas movie. It's in the regular movie rotation for many holiday film enthusiasts, myself included. There's a Die Hard advent calendar. An officially licenses Die Hard holiday ornament. The film is loaded with Christmas imagery, references and music. It's a Christmas movie

[@tonyschmitz1997]

A lot of movies that are universally considered Christmas movies didn’t come out during Christmas. It’s a wonderful life came just after the Christmas season in January. Elf was released just after Halloween. Reindeer games was on February. Surviving Christmas was mid Oct. home alone and A Christmas Story we’re mid Nov. gremlins which is also considered a Christmas movie was a summer blockbuster as well

[@dzknutzzz3449]

Per the bylaws It does not fit the criteria of a Christmas movie because the film does not have a Santa Clause!!

[@evenstoats2639]

The dead guy in the elevator had a santa hat and Ho ho ho written on his shirt. That's a a direct reference to santa.

[@westendlawn]

Nope sorry kids, Bruce Willis himself has gone on record and said it's NOT a Christmas movie. It's a BRUCE WILLIS movie. He made it perfectly clear 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@MonsterHunter267]

Not the director, not his decision.

[@westendlawn]

@MonsterHunter267 it's not the director's decision either 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@RLLE-dl3oy]

No. No! That's not how you do this! It is WRONG to "settle" this debate! That's like ending the Superbowl by remarking, "the Patriots suck, so it's settled" - some fights should never end!! 🤬

[@gluuuuue]

I mean, my argument has been the protagonist, struggling against the separation and estrangement from his wife and family, fights against (and defeats) a series of antagonists, principal among which are those trying to steal literally everyone else's Christmas. But I like the argument that: hey.. his wife's name.. is "HOLLY". Thas gonna be my favorite from now on.

[@nicksalick6830]

I love Jake Tapper! I was convinced before, but knowing Tapper is on my side is a Christmas present I wasn't expecting.

[@pdzombie1906]

Exactly, the guy said it: you could take the same story and it could work in any time of the year, Xmas only makes it more meaningful, in that sense it's not a xmas movie, it's an action movie which hits harder because it's set on Xmas season...

[@daniellow426]

"Die Hard" was a great Christmas present to me, and anybody I helped on a couple of occasions. Best Christmas Movie Ever = "Die Hard" "It's a Wonderful Life" was a Huge formative influence on my upbringing when I was a child in a persistently abusive household. The kids I grew up around called the woman I was living with; "Bloody Mary" for a reason, even though she acted like such a 'Nice' person in public and under scrutiny. Second Best Christmas Movie Ever = "It's a Wonderful Life". You should All be thankful that these Two movies were in the lives of myself and others.

[@JackieDaytona1776]

Die Hard is also a great 4th of July movie, Halloween movie, Thanksgiving movie, it works for June 2, February 8, and every other day of the year.

[@Prayingforworldpeace1433]

The American people deserves a President who's not corrupt

[@jesserush793]

I am going to be honest this did change my mind. I thought calling Die Hard a Christmas movie was just an excuse for macho guys to watch an action film instead of a sappy Christmas movie, but I will say Christmas symbolism is strongly connected to the movie, a man reconnecting with his family, using Christmas related props, Redemption for both MCclane and Powell, but I would say calling it a Christmas movie is a stretch because Christmas is not the main point of the story which is usually what Christmas movies are about, a kid trying to get their dream present, a parent upset at the holidays because they feel they can not provide what their family wants. Die Hard, Christmas is connected, but it is not the main plot point.

[@bandit6272]

The debate was settled long ago. My Christmas movie rotation: Christmas Story The Grinch Black Adder Christmas Special Die Hard

[@stardust4987]

A Christmas movie is a movie the whole family can watch.

[@WSNight-]

I watched it withy family I was 8 in 1988