We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
THE ENDLESS SCROLLING through your streaming service of choice can make choosing a film at Christmas feel as stressful as a day at the office.
So here’s a bit of help for selecting a flick this year – no matter what your taste.
Looking for a family-friendly watch? Try: Shaun the Sheep Movie (Disney+)
Introduce your little ones to the joy of the animated 2015 movie Shaun the Sheep, which is a cute but laugh-out-loud treat. In it, Shaun and his friends need to go to the big city to rescue their farmer – and disguise themselves as they go. Slapstick-a-plenty awaits.
Nostalgia seeker? Try: The Net (Netflix)
Head back to the days when social media was but a glint in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye with this 1995 film starring a young Sandra Bullock. She plays a computer programmer who gets unwittingly embroiled in a conspiracy and has to use the internet to hack her way to freedom. Though technology has moved on, this is still a very compelling thriller and shows why Bullock has had such a great career.
Old-school comedy fan? Try: Planes Trains and Automobiles (Amazon Prime)
Funnymen Steve Martin and John Candy team up for this extremely 80s movie (it’s from 1987) about two complete opposites who get stuck on a long journey to Chicago together at Christmas. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
Want comedy with an action edge? Try: Spy (Netflix)
One of the funniest films of the 2000s, this 2015 movie sees Melissa McCarthy play an unassuming CIA operative who spends her days at her desk. But when the agent she works with (played by Jude Law) goes missing, she’s forced to take a trip out into the field, with hilarious results. Watch out for brilliant comedic turns by Rose Byrne and a hilarious Jason Statham.
Fancy a Nancy Meyers movie with a twist? Try: The Intern (Netflix)
Robert DeNiro makes a surprise – but sweet – appearance in this 2015 Nancy Meyers film about an older man who becomes an intern in an office full of young people. Anne Hathaway plays his boss, and the two form an unlikely friendship. Like many Meyers films, this is by turns cute and poignant.
Looking for a modern tearjerker? Try: Good Grief (Netflix)
Be prepared to have a lil’ cry watching this 2023 movie. Dan Levi plays a London-based American who loses his husband Oliver (Luke Evans) unexpectedly. Can he get through grief, and deal with some unexpected revelations about his late husband, with a little help from his friends? You probably know the answer, but you’ll enjoy the process of finding out.
Seeking a slice of beguiling arthouse? Try: La Chimera (Mubi)
Josh O’Connor stars as Arthur, a down-at-heel Englishman in Italy who gets involved with a group of grave robbers. This strange and wonderful 2024 film, directed by Alice Rohrwacher, feels a little magical as it explores grief and its impact on people. Plus, O’Connor speaks Italian throughout, and the film stars Isabella Rossellini. Many reasons to watch this.
For a foodie’s delight (with a twist of love), try: The Taste of Things (Mubi)
This gently unfolding 2023 film is set in 1899 and stars Juliette Binoche as a cook called Eugénie who works for a gourmet named Dodin (Benoît Magimel)…. and Dodin might be in love with her. But can he woo her with delicious food? You’ll be hungry after watching this.
Want a thoughtful and moving film? Try: The Florida Project (Mubi)
You might have seen one of this year’s biggest films, Anora, directed by Sean Baker. One of his previous films, The Florida Project (2017), is on Mubi. It’s about a spirited young girl called Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) who lives in a motel near Disneyland which is run by a man named Bobby (Willem Dafoe). Though Moonee is having fun, her life is lived on the margins.
For a film with a whole lot of cheek, try: Bottoms (Amazon Prime)
Not a film for all the family, but definitely one for those who like a sassy, cheeky (and a little bit violent) Gen Z LGBT 2023 movie. Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott star as two messy students who start a fight club in their school, with the aim of losing their virginity. Also has a funny turn from Nicholas Galitizine as a dopey high school football player.
For Christmassy fare, try: The Santa Clause (Disney+)
This film is 30 years old but is still great craic to watch. Tim Allen stars as a man who has to unexpectedly and unwittingly take on the role of Santa Clause. He doesn’t want the job, but soon he has a grey beard growing and his clothes are getting tight…
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Blimey, slim pickings this year. They are not great choices.
@William Rymer: ‘blimey’ ???
Plane’s, Train’s and Automobile’s is not set around Christmas, it’s set around Thanksgiving.
@Gerard Carey: thanksgiving is pretty much considered the beginning of Christmas in the US, thanksgiving parade is led by santa etc etc
My. Favorite…How the Orange Grinch stole the Whitehouse…Laughs Galore!
Why was my comment deleted? I suggested Flash Gordon as a movie to watch, what’s wrong with that?
@Mrs. O’Brien: Filth.
@Veronica Waastrumpet: Flash Gordon is on every Christmas
@Mrs. O’Brien: you’re implying that someone called Gordon is a fląsher…
Someone will take offence, hence why.. sad but most probably true.
@Julio’s Evil Twin: oh dear, an innocent comment and it can spin the small heads, as you say, sad
@Mrs. O’Brien: bet he’s on everything else as well. Filth.
@Julio’s Evil Twin: complete gay porn. Lads in glitter and leather. Ming’s eyebrows. Queen song. Flames out the back.
Very poor pickings nothing to shout on mubi home about what about bird mubi streaming starring the Dublin Irish actor obviously journal hacks not paid enough to do their homework for the Christmas period
@liam ward: you should watch the film ‘Punctuation Marks’. Will make sense at the end.
@JB Software: at least you got that off your chest, Liam must be delighted
@JB Software: I love period dramas. They make sense at the end too,but go around the place flaunting how wonderful they are to put a stop to everything,hoorah!
For me, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of my favorite movies to watch at Christmas.
Sandra Bullock. The rest not for me.
@Veronica Waastrumpet: last film I saw in the cinema was Gravity. Sandra Bullock was amazing
@Veronica Waastrumpet: Don Johnson for me, absolutely gorgeous
Midas Man. Best movie this year
Nothing like a nice gay movie for the family to watch this Christmas.
@Ulick: is that you Ulick Magee?
@Ulick: homo alone?
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say