Guardian writers have shared their favourite underrated Christmas movies, ranging from a 1947 romantic farce to a 2003 anime tragicomedy. The selections highlight lesser-known seasonal films that offer inventive storytelling and heartfelt themes.
Jesse Hassenger recommends 'It Happened on Fifth Avenue' (1947), a semi-romantic farce directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film follows a cheerful vagrant who winters in a vacant Fifth Avenue mansion, inviting a group of acquaintances to stay. The owner's daughter is among them, and the owner himself later disguises as a vagrant. Hassenger praises the film's 'found-family warmth' and its balance between class-conscious social commentary and romantic urban fairytale.
Tammy Tarng picks 'Tokyo Godfathers' (2003), an anime tragicomedy by Satoshi Kon. Set on Christmas Eve in Tokyo, three homeless people—a middle-aged alcoholic, a transgender woman, and a teenage runaway—find an abandoned baby and search for her parents. Tarng describes it as 'fun, sad and thoughtful,' highlighting the film's blend of pain and sass, and its embrace of coincidence and Christmas miracles.
Alaina De urges viewers to consider Frank Capra's 'Meet John Doe' (1941), a lesser-known film starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The story involves a reporter who fabricates a letter from a man threatening to jump off a building on Christmas Eve, leading to a national movement. De notes its uplifting yet critical portrayal of the ultra-rich, calling it 'a brutal skewering that still rings true.'
