To kickoff the holiday film season, the Film Forum guys, Spenser Bickett and Zach Kayser, decided to talk about the role movies have played in their holiday seasons, and how movies can bring a family together.
Spenser: When I think about watching a movie with my parents and my sister around the holidays, the first thing that comes to mind is the struggle to find a movie we can all agree on. My dad and I have similar tastes, while my mom and sister tend to align. It can be difficult to find something we can all watch and enjoy, but there's one thing we can agree on: we all love Pixar movies. On a side note, I'm 25, my sister is 30, my parents are in their 50s, and I fully believe we would all enjoy seeing "The Good Dinosaur" this Thanksgiving.
Zach: When my family watches movies during the holidays, it doesn't necessarily have to be a movie about Christmas so much as a movie that appeals to all of us. I remember us really, really enjoying "The Sound of Music": that movie is 0 percent Christmas, but it's 30 percent teenage angst, 75 percent catchy showtunes, and 20 percent Nazis.
My mom also has final say whenever we pick a movie, and she has strong connection to "The Sound of Music." It was the first movie she ever saw in theaters, as a toddler in the 60s.
Spenser: This probably surprises no one who's watched the first five episodes of Film Forum, but I've never seen "The Sound of Music."
ADVERTISEMENT
Zach: Do you even have a soul, dude? Like, how can you have meaningful relationships without having seen "The Sound of Music?"
Spenser: That's a low blow but in the spirit of the holidays, I'm going to let it slide. My family and I have tried to watch movies about Christmas during the holidays but here's the thing about that: most of those movies aren't good and are overly sappy. They follow the same story beats and they never surprise you. We do love watching "Elf" at Christmas, but I don't think anyone would classify "Elf" as a traditional Christmas movie.
Zach: Yeah, I agree: too much Christmas in a film can just make it hard to digest ("Elf" being a good example of an exception). "It's A Wonderful Life" is considered an American masterpiece as well as a classic "Christmas" movie, but here's the thing: it's only tangentially about Christmas. It's more about Jimmy Stewart's love for his family and how it carries him through adversity in his life. So, I think more Christmas movies should dial down the Christmas.
Spenser: It would be fair to say the Christmas movies people say they love aren't very good. People love seeing Christmas themes on the screen and they love the obvious conclusion of a family coming together in the name of the holidays. But "Christmas with the Kranks," "Four Christmases," "Love the Coopers?" Come on, those aren't good movies, they're just about Christmas and people love Christmas, so they see them through rose-colored glasses.
Zach: I think we'd find the same would be true about kid-oriented Christmas movies if we watched them now as adults. The claymation version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?" "The Santa Clause?" I'd probably turn my red nose up at them now if I watched them.
But my family would probably still get a kick out of it because we love watching bad/mediocre movies and riffing them together as we watch them. So, I think familial bonds transcend crappy movies. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Spenser: If anyone is looking for a nontraditional Christmas movie recommendation for this holiday season, I'd recommend my favorite Christmas movie: "Rocky IV." It qualifies because Rocky Balboa fights Ivan Drago on Christmas Day and ends the Cold War.
If you enjoyed Zach and Spenser's sometimes nonsensical takes on movies, make sure to check out the Film Forum videos by going to www.brainerddispatch.com and searching for Film Forum.
