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Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? The cases for and against
22 December 2024, 13:16
The annual festive season inevitably reignites one of modern life's most spirited debates: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
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This 1988 action thriller, starring Bruce Willis as Detective John McClane battling terrorists led by Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber in a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve, has sparked passionate discourse about what truly constitutes a 'Christmas movie'.
The Case for Christmas
The film takes place entirely on Christmas Eve at a holiday party, with seasonal music featuring prominently throughout the soundtrack, including 'Let It Snow' and 'Winter Wonderland', and of course Run DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis'.
Christmas imagery and references permeate the film, from holiday decorations adorning the Nakatomi Plaza to McClane's famous use of seasonal gift-wrapping tape.
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Steven E. de Souza, the film's screenwriter, has been particularly vocal about the Christmas connection. "The movie begins at a Christmas party, and the purpose of the party is to attempt a reconciliation between a man and wife whose marriage is in trouble," de Souza explained in a 2020 interview.
He adds that even the film's villain, Hans Gruber, explicitly references the season: "It's Christmas, Theo. It's the time of miracles."
Die Hard (1988) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
The Opposition's View
Opponents maintain that these Christmas elements are merely window dressing for what is, at its core, an action movie that happened to be set during the holidays.
"If Die Hard is a Christmas movie, then any movie set at Christmas is a Christmas movie," argued film critic John Serba. "That would make Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3, and Batman Returns Christmas movies too."
Director John McTiernan has acknowledged that the Christmas setting was initially chosen for practical reasons. "We hadn't intended it to be a Christmas movie," he revealed in a 2020 American Film Institute interview. "But the joy that came from it being a Christmas movie became a surprise."
What does Bruce Willis think?
The film's cast has offered varying perspectives. Bruce Willis famously declared at his 2018 Comedy Central Roast, "Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It's a Bruce Willis movie!" However, by 2022, his stance had softened considerably.
Die Hard | The Greatest Christmas Story | 20th Century FOX
Reginald VelJohnson, who played Sergeant Al Powell, takes the opposite view: "Of course it's a Christmas movie. It's about love, it's about giving, it's about friendship – all the things that Christmas is about," he stated in a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly.
The debate has transcended mere entertainment discourse to become a cultural touchstone. A 2020 YouGov poll revealed that 47% of Americans consider Die Hard a Christmas movie, with the percentage rising to 59% among millennials.
20th Century Fox ultimately embraced the controversy, releasing a holiday-themed trailer in 2018 that proclaimed Die Hard as 'The Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told', noting that it features "more Christmas songs than Home Alone" and "more Christmas trees than Miracle on 34th Street."
Whether viewers consider it a Christmas movie or not, its status as a festive conversation starter remains firmly cemented in popular culture.
After all, what could be more festive than gathering/arguing with family and friends to debate whether "Yippee ki-yay" belongs alongside "Merry Christmas" in the holiday lexicon?
