It started as a novel concept, about a decade ago. Is Die Hard, a movie released in the summer of 1988, often designated as an action film first, also a Christmas movie at the same time?
With way more violence and cursing than a typical Christmas movie, can we call this film an example of yuletide cinema? “Scholars” and “historians” have “debated” this for years. You didn’t know about this? Well, “welcome to the party pal.” But now the debate has been settled.
According to a new poll, conducted by internet service provider BrightSpeed, 52% of Americans believe Die Hard is a Christmas film. The survey tracked films that are designated as “unconventional Christmas movies,” with Mean Girls (more on that here), Ghostbusters 2, Batman Returns, Step Brothers and Gremlins in this same niche as Die Hard.
Their poll results show that Die Hard is the most searched unconventional Christmas movie of all, with 27 out of 50 states googling more than any movie.
(By the way, in case you want to know what bowl game Notre Dame and USC are playing each other in, during Die Hard, go here)
Of course Die Hard is a Christmas movie, the entire film takes place on Christmas Eve, as its plot centers around the worst office Christmas party imaginable.
(Family Guy covered this and came to the same conclusion as us, a few years ago)
Not to mention a Christmas carol (Vaughn Monroe’s edition of “Let it Snow”) plays over the closing credits (it does again for Die Hard 2, which also takes place on Christmas and is also, a Christmas movie).
Die Hard themed Christmas merchandise: ornaments, ugly Christmas sweaters, toys, cookies, children’s books etc. have been available for several years already. In fact, if you go to your smart TV, and search through the on demand app,…go…do it….go do it right now…..you’ll find Die Hard in the Christmas movies category.
Enough said, debate over. In fact, it has been long over for some time already, so Yippe Ki Yay. So “come out to the coast, have a couple laughs!”
Also, we demand that “the following people are to be released from their captors: In Northern Ireland, the seven members of the New Provo Front. In Canada, the five imprisoned leaders of Liberte de Quebec. In Sri Lanka, the nine members of the Asian Dawn movement.”
Merry Christmas to all.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.