Calling all hopeless romantics: it’s time to get into the holiday spirit with some of the best love-centered Christmas movies of all time. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite books from the 1990s as well as some from today. From the ’00s classic Love, which starred Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Emma Thompson, and others, to Netflix’s latest LGBTQ+ Christmas movie Single All the Way, our list has all the movies you need for your holiday movie nights. Keep scrolling to see all of our best picks.
The Preacher’s Wife (1996)
The Preacher’s Wife is a remake of the 1947 movie The Bishop’s Wife. It is about an African-American Baptist pastor in New York City named Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) and his wife, Julie (Whitney Houston). Julia thinks that her marriage is getting worse because Henry is having money problems with the church. Henry is having a hard time taking care of everything on his own, so he prays to God for help. God sends a man named Dudley, played by Denzel Washington, who is an angel.
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) works at a small bookstore in New York that is struggling because Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), who owns a corporate chain called Fox books, has set up a store right in front of hers. Kathleen and Joe are both in the book business, and they don’t know that they’ve been each other’s anonymous e-mail pen pals. Over time, the two fall in love with each other through the screen, which changes the way their relationship goes.
200 Cigarettes (1999)
Like New Year’s Eve, 200 Cigarettes is a bad ensemble rom-com with a great ensemble. This time, the ensemble includes Paul Rudd, Dave Chappelle, Courtney Love, Kate Hudson, Ben and Casey Affleck, and Janeane Garofalo. The movie is set in New York on New Year’s Eve and tells a bunch of different stories.
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Risa Bramon Garcia’s late-’90s movie just beats the latter one, though, because when it comes to two movies with no personality at all, indie mediocrity will always have a little more soul than glossy studio schlock. So, 200 Cigarettes, congrats! I wish you a happy new year.
Serendipity (2001)
When Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale) at Bloomingdale’s in New York City, it’s love at first sight. But they are in relationships with each other. Sara thinks that she and Jonathan are meant to be together because they ran into each other again at a restaurant.
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Jonathan and Sara spent some time together after their second meeting, but they eventually went their separate ways. After 10 years, the two people meet again, but this time, they let fate decide if they should try again.
Love Actually (2003)
Love is a Christmas classic that tells nine stories about the highs and lows of love. David (Hugh Grant), the newly elected prime minister of Britain, is interested in Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), a member of his household staff.
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Juliet (Keira Knightley) is looking for the wedding video she and her husband Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) made with Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who was Peter’s best man. As Juliet watches the video, she notices that most of the shots are of her. This shows that Mark is in love with her.
Just Friends (2005)
In Roger Kumble’s rom-com, Ryan Reynolds plays Chris, a former fat kid who works in the music business and ends up back at home at Christmas with a self-centered pop star who is one of his clients (Anna Faris). He uses his unexpected return home to try to get out of the friend zone with his childhood best friend, which is sexist, to begin with, but sure!
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(Amy Smart). Just Friends is about as unromantic and unfunny as a rom-com can be. Most of the jokes are about weight, and the love story is based on Chris’s sense of entitlement.
The Holiday (2006)
Iris Simpkins, played by Kate Winslet, is still not over her ex-boyfriend. For a while, she moves in with Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), a movie trailer producer in Los Angeles who is also going through a breakup. This helps her move on. Even though Iris and Amanda didn’t plan to meet anyone new, they fell in love with the locals while they were there.
Last Christmas (2019)
Kate Andrich, played by Emilia Clarke, wants to be a singer. She works as an elf at a Christmas shop in Central London all year long. Kate is unhappy with her life right now. When she meets Tom Webster (Henry Golding) near her store, things get a little more interesting.
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Kate finds out that something isn’t quite right with Tom as she and Tom spend more time together and fall hopelessly in love.
Happiest Season (2020)
Happiest Season is the first Christmas romantic comedy made by a major studio that is about a gay couple. Kristen Stewart plays Abby, and Mackenzie Davis plays Harper. They have been together for almost a year. Abby is thrilled that she finally gets to meet “the people who made [her] favorite person” at Harper’s family Christmas dinner, where she plans to ask her girlfriend to marry her. But Harper hasn’t told her family about their relationship yet, so they have to keep it a secret while they’re on vacation in Harper’s hometown.
Single All The Way (2021)
Peter, a social media strategist in Los Angeles who is played by Michael Urie, is very much single again. Peter doesn’t want to go home for the holidays because his family always tries to get him into a relationship. Christmas is coming up soon. So, Peter asks Nick, his best friend, and roommate, to pretend to be his boyfriend while they are there.
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But before they could tell anyone, Peter’s mom Carole (Kathy Najimy) tells him that she set him up on a date with her spinning instructor James (Luke Macfarlane). Nick realizes that he loves Peter more than a friend, even though his friends told him to go on more dates. The question is whether Peter has the same feelings.
Frequently Asked Question
In Love Hard, What Christmas Movie Are They Watching?
Love Hard’s title is a double entendre about how hard love can be. There are also clear references to the Christmas classic romantic comedy Love Actually and the action film Die Hard, which is a controversial choice for Christmas. Ahead are spoilers!
What is the Best Christmas Movie in America?
“A Christmas Story” doesn’t seem to have a shortage of fans, though, since it is the most popular Christmas movie in America. 24 states picked it as their favorite.
Which Christmas Movie Does the Couple Kiss in the Elevator?
A Christmas kiss
The 2011 TV romantic comedy A Christmas Kiss is about a young fashion designer who goes to a masquerade ball. At the ball, she meets a handsome guy and rides with him in an elevator. But when the elevator breaks down suddenly, the two kiss and never see each other again.
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