‘Tis the season! This time of year is always great to watch and re-watch the holiday specials from our favorite TV shows and watch some of our favorite festive flicks. There are so many different Christmas movies out there, from movies that just happen to take place during Christmas (we’re looking at you, Die Hard) to movies that are completely focused on the holiday season.
One really popular one is Love Actually, a 2003 film that follows the lives of several different couples during the Christmas season. These couples are all very different, but all their stories become intertwined with one another. Although watching Love Actually over and over is always fun during Christmastime, there are so many other good movies we can enjoy, too. To see 10 Christmas movies that are perfect for any fan of Love Actually, keep reading!
The Family Stone (2005)
The Family Stone is somewhat similar to Love Actually in that it also features a large cast of characters, each of whom has their own story. But, instead of being a group of interconnected characters, this large cast is a diverse, quirky family.
In this movie, Everett is bringing his girlfriend, Meredith, home to meet his family. While Everett’s family is laid back and fun, Meredith tends to be a little more uptight and high strung. As hard as Meredith tries to win over his family, she still clashes with them in a relateably awkward way.
Four Christmases (2008)
Four Christmases stars Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as a couple that is struggling with an all too relatable Christmas problem: balancing the holidays between multiple family get togethers.
Instead of going on the relaxing vacation that the two of them had planned, they find themselves going to four different sets of family members in order to celebrate the holidays, each of which has their own quirky drama that the two of them have to deal with in the most hilarious way.
The Holiday (2006)
The Holiday is a really fun romantic comedy that stars Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black. With such a star-studded cast, what’s there to dislike about this movie?
In this movie, Iris is feeling unlucky in love and wants to get away for a while during the holiday season. She decides to swap homes with Amanda, a California resident who is having the same amount of trouble in her own love life. While on their respective vacations in each other’s homes, these two mingle with the locals and start to fall in love.
12 Dates Of Christmas (2011)
The idea of being forced to live the same day over and over isn’t exactly new in movies. Movies like Groundhog Day have explored this phenomena before, but we have to admit that it’s one that we’re still not tired of - especially if it gets a Christmas twist.
12 Dates of Christmas is a movie that follows that basic idea. This romantic comedy came out in 2011 and is a fun holiday romantic comedy if you’re in the mood for something cute and fluffy. In this movie, our main character is Kate, a woman who is still a little hung up on her ex. While trying to get him back, she goes on a blind date on Christmas Eve that goes horribly wrong. After the evening ends, she finds herself reliving the same day twelve times.
Serendipity (2001)
A lot of movies are really fun to watch and unforgettable because of the fact that they have a plot centered on something really unique and interesting that no other movie has done yet. Then, there are some movies that we love to watch because of how familiar the concept is and how easy it is to relate to the main characters. If you’re someone that prefers movies that fall into that second category, you need to check out Serendipity this holiday season.
Serendipity deals with the subject of unrequited love. It stars Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack as Sara and Jonathan, a couple in their 20s who meet and immediately fall in love. Unfortunately, things don’t work out and the pair find themselves across the country from one another a decade later. When it seems like fate is pushing them back together, the two of them have to decide if their love was meant to be.
Nothing Like The Holidays (2008)
Let’s be honest; every family has drama from time to time. One thing that makes watching movies so much fun is the fact that it can be nice to see other families struggling with their own issues to remind of this. Nothing brings out family drama the way that the holidays do and there are a lot of movies, like this Christmas flick, that really focus on that.
Nothing Like the Holidays follows a family as all the children go back to their parents’ house in Chicago to celebrate Christmas. Each family member has their own life now and their own drama that they bring back for the holidays and this movie shows as they try to deal with it.
The Princess Switch (2018)
Vanessa Hudgens has come quite a ways since her days in the High School Musical franchise. These days, she’s become popular for appearing in a couple super fun romantic comedies that are streaming on Netflix. One of them, which has a sequel set to be released in 2020, is The Princess Switch.
In this movie, Vanessa Hudgens plays two different roles. One of them is an ordinary woman named Stacy who runs a pastry shop in Chicago while the other is Margaret, Duchess of Montenaro. After the two of them meet and realize that they look exactly alike, the two of them get to know each other and ultimately, they decide to switch places for a few days so Margaret can experience life as a “normal” person.
Let It Snow (2019)
Let It Snow is a Netflix movie that is based on a series of connected stories that were written by popular young adult authors John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson. If you’re looking for a movie similar to Love Actually with its large, intertwined cast, but you want a movie that has more of a lighthearted, fun spirit, then this movie is the perfect one to check out.
This movie is set on Christmas Eve in a small town in Illinois. It follows a group of several teenage friends who find themselves caught up in a snowstorm. On this magical holiday evening, these friends find their friendships and love lives changed forever.
The Best Man Holiday (2013)
The Best Man Holiday is a sequel to the 1999 movie The Best Man, but having seen the first movie is definitely not necessary to enjoy this Christmas flick. Set 15 years after the first movie, the sequel follows the original group of friends come together for Christmas.
Like Love Actually, this movie has a large cast of different characters that are all very unique and all have their own storylines, each of which is intertwined and mixed up with one another. This movie is funny with moments of sincere drama and emotion, making it perfect for fans of Love Actually.
The Family Man (2000)
It can be easy to get caught up with life and work and forget about the things that are more important, like family and love. The holidays are a great time to focus on the little things and remember to slow down for a while and just enjoy life.
The Family Man stars Nicolas Cage as Jack, a wealthy and business-focused investment broker. One Christmas morning, he wakes up in a different world where his younger self made some drastically different life choices. In this alternate timeline, he lives as a family man instead of getting too tied up in his career.
Which path will he take in the end? Watch this movie now to find out!
Next: The 10 Best Christmas Movies Ever (According To IMDb)
