Not Sorry, No: Die Hard is NOT a Christmas Movie

Let’s look at 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑. Whether you believe 'it is' or 'it isn't'. I can find plenty of tired arguments on social media yearly. Mislaid controversy in the glass's bottom of eggnog and rum, I guess. They set the movie during Christmas. Characters refer to the holiday. Does this mean it’s a Christmas movie?

To me, there is a distinction between movies set during Christmas, and films that we would culturally deem “Christmas movies.” The difference being the aforementioned test. True Christmas movies cannot function without the Christmas holiday; movies set during Christmas can have their setting changed with only a few rewrites required.

So, if 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 were to be set during a different time of year, what changes? During the Christmas party, the one that everyone is gathered at could easily be a different party. The lines referencing Christmas can easily be rewritten. Even if it’s set on June 15th, it’s still a movie about a New York cop picking off terrorists in a building. Changing the Christmas setting doesn’t fundamentally change the movie.

I mean, there isn’t even snow on the ground in the film! If the characters hadn’t said the word “Christmas” in the first place, you wouldn’t even know when the movie was supposed to be set.

Now, I am sure there are plenty of people who enjoy watching 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 Hard around Christmas time. Cool. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I don’t want to take anything away from that tradition. However, within the context of the debate of whether 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 is a Christmas movie, I firmly believe that it is not.

I don’t think you can reasonably make the argument that Christmas is integral to the structural DNA of 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑. It’s too easy to change the film’s setting. To make the case that 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 is in fact a Christmas movie, the bar of what is a Christmas movie would have to be lowered to any movie that is set around Christmas time.

If that’s the line we’re going to draw, then Batman Returns is also a Christmas movie. As is Iron Man 3. So is Rocky IV. Don’t forget about Eyes Wide Shut. Suddenly any movie where snow falls is a Christmas movie, and now you have a lot more movies to watch before the 25th.

For those who get sick of the Hallmark-esque holiday movies about family and love, there may be some fun to be found within an action-packed shoot-em-up. However, while you're enjoying the gritty that is 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑, let’s not kid ourselves by thinking it’s an actual Christmas movie. It’s just a film set during Christmas that may be fun for some to watch (not so much for myself) during the holiday season. I am not one to watch Xmas movies. If I was, I wouldn't take the time to watch 𝐷𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 anyhow because in my honest opinion this NOT a Christmas movie.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

• It def is not!
• yup!
• I've never watched it.