December is a month that turns on the lights and brings with it markets and Christmas films, a central element of the Italian holidays. Preply, a platform specialized in language learning, conducted a survey to discover the Christmas films most loved by Italians, creating two rankings based on online search data: one for international titles and the other for Italian ones.
Article Key Points
International Christmas Movies
Among foreign titles, “Home Alone” ranks first. For more than three decades now, the adventures of Kevin McCallister continue to entertain viewers of all ages. In second place is “Trading Places,” which despite its non-Christmas origins, is regularly broadcast on Christmas Eve in Italy. Completing the podium is “Love Actually,” a famous romantic comedy that explores the different facets of love during the holidays.
Other classics follow, such as “The Grinch,” starring Jim Carrey as the grumpy green guy, and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the animated film that combines Halloween and Christmas through the adventures of Jack Skellington. Also on the list are “A Christmas Carol,” with a modern interpretation of Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge, and “Elf,” where Will Ferrell plays Buddy, an elf with infectious enthusiasm.
Culture of Christmas movies
As far as Italian films are concerned, cinepanettoni have dominated the Christmas scene for years now. “Vacanze di Natale” by the Vanzina brothers is the progenitor of the genre, offering an ironic look at family dynamics during the holidays. Later titles such as “Natale a Miami” and “Natale sul Nilo” consolidated the success of this cinematic subgenre thanks to the exuberant comedy of the Boldi-De Sica duo.
Another film that stands out in the Italian landscape is Mario Monicelli’s “Parenti Serpenti.” This film offers a sneaky and ironic vision of family relationships during the holidays, moving away from the classic Christmas spirit but leaving a lasting impact on the audience. Despite the decline in popularity in recent years, cinepanettoni remain a phenomenon that continues to draw attention during the Christmas period in Italy.
Article published on 18 December 2024 - 12:00
It's interesting to see how different the Christmas movies we Italians like are from the international ones. Personally, I think there are too many holiday comedies that don't reflect the true Christmas spirit. But everyone has their own tastes.
I agree that cinepanettoni are very popular, but I wonder if they are truly representative of Italian traditions. Sometimes they seem more like an excuse for comedy than a tribute to Christmas.