‘Tis The Season: 5 Films To Watch This Christmas

Christmas traditions never change.

Open presents. Sip steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Suffer through your wayward uncle’s off-color jokes. And, when the festivities have drawn to a close, hit the local theater.

Hollywood uncorks its “Oscar-bait” films this time of the year, and the December crop is heartier than usual. The best of the best? A look back at the singer/songwriter who shaped the soundtrack of the 1960s.

“A Complete Unknown” (December 25)

Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown” (2024). Photo by Macall Polay. Searchlight Pictures. Veritas Entertainment. The Picture Company. IMDB.

Musical biopics became so clichéd, they even made a movie about it. “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” shredded the genre, and rightfully so. Director James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” can’t help but recreate a few of those tics, like key characters turning on the TV just in time to hear, “President Kennedy has been shot.” What timing!

That’s where the Dewey Cox comparisons come to a screeching halt.

Timothée Chalamet studied for six years to sound like folk icon Bob Dylan, and those sessions more than paid off. He brings the inscrutable star to life without feeling like a cheap impersonation. 

The title teases we may never know what makes Dylan tick, but the biopic captures why he mattered to the roiling ‘60s. It’s the music, of course, plus beguiling lyrics that resonated with a generation. it’s refreshing to watch an artist stay true to his principles no matter the era, not bend to the pop culture winds. How many modern stars can say the same?

“The Brutalist” (December 20)

Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce in “The Brutalist” (2024). A24 Films. Brookstreet Pictures. Kaplan Morrison. Intake Films. IMDB.

Quick — who wants a three-plus hour look at an architect’s combustible life? As sales pitches go, it’s a dud. Yet director Brady Corbet (“Vox Lux”) brings so much energy to the fictional life of László Tóth that the film proves mesmerizing.

Adrien Brody’s Tóth, a Hungarian Jew who escapes the Nazi’s clutches, comes to America eager to forge a new life. His beloved wife (Felicity Jones) awaits back home, leaving him to create a career that will allow them to reunite.

He’s aided by a mercurial millionaire (Guy Pearce, excellent), but their bond fractures over time. Tóth’s journey speaks volumes about the immigrant experience and the artistic mindset, not to mention the egos behind the characters.

The word “epic” is tossed around glibly in Hollywood, but “The Brutalist” is one of the few modern tales that deserves the label. Yes, that running time factors in, but it’s the scope of Corbet’s storytelling ambition that matters.

Brody is spectacular, suggesting he could add a second Best Actor trophy to his mantle come Oscar night. His performance anchors a fiercely original tale not soon forgotten.

“Wicked” (In Theaters Now)

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in “Wicked” (2024). Photo by Universal Pictures. Copyright: Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Universal Pictures. Marc Platt Productions. SKY Studios. IMDB.

Forget that cringe-worthy press tour.

Forgive how the film’s title hides that this is but part one of a two-part saga. (“Wicked: For Good” arrives next November)

“Wicked” offers everything we love about big-screen musical adaptations. It all starts with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who bring bold, Broadway-worthy voices to Glinda and Elphaba, AKA the Wicked Witch of the West.

The story remains provocative given the “Wizard of Oz” source material. That wicked witch wasn’t always so foul. How she curdled into the film’s signature ghoul is a tortured path with a touch of heartbreak.

The Broadway musical supplied the memorable songs, but director Jon M. Chu adapted the show with energy, wit, and memorable moments. No, the great Jeff Goldblum’s voice isn’t up to the challenge as Oz, but in every other way “Wicked” deserves applause.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (In Theaters)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024). Dallas Jenkins. Lionsgate. Media Capital Technologies. Kingdom Story Company. IMDB.

The best Christmas movies forget one critical element: Christ. Think “A Christmas Story,” “Elf” and “Christmas Vacation.” We love ‘em all, but it’s refreshing to see a holiday comedy acknowledge the reason for the season.

“Pageant,” based on the 1972 book of the same name, follows a group of wayward kids as they commandeer a small town’s Christmas gala. It’s a recipe for disaster, unless one uber-patient mom (Judy Greer, marvelous as always) can teach the kids why Christmas matters in the first place.

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Sweet and soulful, “Pageant” delivers early laughs that set the story in motion. From there, look to young Beatrice Schneider as Beth, the unofficial leader of the cruel Herdman clan. Her transformation supplies “Pageant” with its big, beating heart.

“A Real Pain” (In Theaters) 

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in “A Real Pain” (2024). Searchlight Pictures. Topic Studios. IMDB.

Actor-turned-director Jesse Eisenberg has his finger on the zeitgeist. His second directorial effort follows two Jewish cousins as they travel to Poland to visit their late grandmother’s hometown.

They’re part of a tour designed to connect Jewish travelers to their cultural past, which includes stops at a concentration camp among other emotionally charged locations.

Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play the squabbling cousins. Culkin is the wild child, someone who loves to stir things up no matter the setting. Eisenberg adores his cousin but simultaneously wants to wring his neck.

Audiences can relate, although Culkin’s performance is sparking awards consideration, and for good reason.

“A Real Pain” is bittersweet, moving, and filled with gentle truths about the human condition. Eisenberg performs a balancing act throughout, letting us care for two very different souls without shoving the real-life trauma of their heritage into the background.

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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.