Like searching for the perfect Christmas tree, the hunt for the ideal holiday movie can feel oddly defeating, especially if the point of a viewers' quest is to find some diversity in seasonal entertainment. Fortunately, among the snow-blinding mountains of Caucasian movies, there are some diverse stories to add a little variety, including this year's Feliz naviDAD starring the ebullient Mario Lopez.
As with any movie genre, it's important for viewers to see themselves on screen and be able to relate to the characters and their situations. No matter how trite their Yuletide tropes, even the corniest holiday movies deserve to be appreciated by everyone, especially with the right representation of different beliefs and traditions. Here are the Latinx-led holiday movies sure to put even the most skeptical viewers in the festive spirit!
Updated on December 19th, 2022 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen: There has been an explosion of Latinx-led holiday movies in the last few years, adding to the diversity of seasonal content that aims to tell stories all viewers can enjoy. Whether they have several main Latinx stars like in Gingerbread Miracle, or even an incredibly compelling villain trying to take back Christmas like in Violent Night, these Latinx-led holiday movies are festive and fun for the whole family.
Feliz NaviDAD (2020)
Available To Stream On Hoopla
Mario Lopez and his dimples are as sweet as sugar plums in this movie about a dad who uses the bustling holiday season to distract him from the loss of his wife several years prior. Balancing his duties as the local school principal and a delivery driver strains his relationship with his daughter, who's also still grieving.
The Lifetime movie is full of typical tropes, but what sets it apart is the incorporation of several Hispanic holiday traditions, turns of phrase, and spiritual beliefs into the plot.
Nothing Like The Holidays (2008)
Available To Stream On Prime Video
The talented Alfred Molina leads the all-star cast making up the Rodriguez family who, despite having moved all over the country, decide to gather at their parents' home in Chicago for Christmas. Directed by Alfredo De Villa, it still boasts the largest Latino cast in a Christmas movie, including Luis Guzmán, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Peña, Freddy Rodriguez, Vanessa Ferlito, Melonie Diaz, and Jay Hernandez.
Despite one brother pining for an old girlfriend, another brother suffering PTSD, and the broken bonds of several marriages, the family comes together for all of its members when they need it most. The movie deftly combines comedy, drama, and Puerto Rican culture to make it an instant holiday classic comparable to The Family Stone.
¡Feliz Christmas, Merry Navidad! (1999)
Available To Stream On YouTube
Though it may start out with a dark premise about a woman who, after her husband is murdered, takes her son back to her hometown in Mexico, it soon focuses on the healing power of Christmas and family. Directed by Luis Palomo, this Spanish-language production features Carlos Soriano, Tere López-Tarín, and Angelina Cruz.
For fans of a little magic in their Christmas movies, ¡Feliz Christmas, Merry Navidad! also incorporates a unique blend of fantasy with reality, and focuses on children's use of whimsy to overcome problems.
El Camino Christmas (2017)
Available To Stream On Netflix
El Camino Christmas blends action, comedy, and adventure to provide viewers with a holiday movie in the spirit of Die Hard. It stars Jessica Alba and Emilio Rivera, who get stuck in a liquor store on Christmas Eve when the latter goes looking for his father.
Full of gut-busters and tear-jerkers, the movie works thanks to the mixture of robust comedic styles from the two Latinx-leads and old favorites like Tim Allen, Dax Shepard, and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Christmas Bounty (2013)
Available To Stream On Vudu
Francia Raisa stars as Tory, a teacher who's just trying to educate, focus on her engagement, and leave her life of bounty hunting behind her. Unfortunately, the stress of the holidays gets increased when she's pulled out of retirement for one final job.
Unable to complete the job alone, she recruits the help of her ex-boyfriend Mike "Mikey" Muscles (WWE star "The Miz"), who not only inspires old feelings but threatens to unveil new secrets that might crush her new sense of normalcy. The pace is brisk, the humor is tongue-in-cheek, and the chemistry between Raisa and The Miz is definitely firey.
The Holiday (2006)
Available To Stream On TNT
Some fans may be unaware that Cameron Diaz is Cuban-American, making The Holiday a Latina-led rom-com that might start dismal but soon rings in the holiday spirit. Diaz shares the screen with the irrepressible Kate Winslet, and together they decide to swap homes for Christmas after being cheated on by their respective partners.
The movie may be a little predictable, but the two women find a new lease on life -and new love- in environments completely foreign to them, which makes it engaging, fresh, and dynamic (especially when Jude Law and Jack Black are included in the mix).
Enchanted Christmas (2017)
Available To Stream On Tubi
Starring real-life husband and wife team Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega, Enchanted Christmas is all about proving that with the allure of love and the magic of a majestic desert, the spirit of Christmas can be found anywhere.
When interior designer Laura returns to her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, she has a very specific task; remodel the old landmark hotel by the time of the benefit dance on Christmas Eve. With the clock ticking, she'll need a Christmas miracle to pull off the project on schedule. She gets an unexpected burst of inspiration when she finds out that an old flame will be the star of the gala, giving her the chance to upgrade her love life as well as the hotel.
Holiday In Handcuffs (2007)
Available To Stream On Prime Video
While this Mario Lopez vehicle might at first glance appear more than a little disturbing, it manages to be a classic despite its worrisome premise. Holiday In Handcuffs follows a young woman (Melissa Joan-Hart) who finds herself without a date to bring home for Christmas, and the young man (Lopez) she -mostly innocently- kidnaps to fill the place of her commitment-phobic fiance.
While he has difficulties adjusting to his new imprisonment, after spending a few festive nights together (and perhaps suffering from a little Stockholm Syndrome), he actually starts falling for his cheeky captor. If viewers can get past the problematic plot, it has some charming moments.
This Christmas (2007)
Available To Stream On Hulu
Afro-Latinx performers Laz Alonso and Lupe Ontiveros star alongside a bevy of Black talent in This Christmas, which follows the estranged Whitfield family as they gather together under one roof after seven years apart. What ensues is a smorgasbord of drama, including infidelity, secrets revealed, and familial dysfunction.
As messy as the movie proves the holidays can be, it's careful to balance the strong emotional outbursts with comedy, making it one of the most genuine ensemble movies to watch during the Christmas season.
Esta Navidad (2014)
Available To Stream On YouTube
Esta Navidad has become a cult classic in the decades since its release in 1959, mostly due to its surreal plot and kaleidoscopic visuals. Directed by Rene Cardoso, the Mexican movie focuses on the Devil's vendetta against Santa Claus, who spends his time between his beautiful cloud castle and Mexico City.
It's a battle between good and evil when Santa gets word of the Devil's plans and must save Christmas in this version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The fantasy elements and beautiful visuals will truly transport viewers into another world.
Violent Night (2022)
Available To Watch In Theaters
Colombian-born actor and Latinx rights activist John Leguizamo chews up the scenery as Mr. Scrooge, the leader of a group of mercenaries who lay siege to a wealthy family's estate in Violent Night. When Santa Claus has to suit up and counter the house invasion, he goes mistletoe-to-mistletoe with a truly memorable Christmas baddie.
An amalgamation of a dark comedy and action movie, Violent Night is an unconventional Christmas movie that will become a favorite among viewers who don't like the more cookie-cutter movies that get produced by Hallmark and Lifetime. Leguizamo fans will relish watching the Latinx star have so much fun with what could have been a thankless role.
Holiday In Santa Fe (2021)
Available To Strem On Hulu
Holiday in Santa Fe follows a busy greeting card executive who travels to Santa Fe in order to buy a family-owned Christmas ornament company and turn it into something bigger and more profitable. After she sees the work put into the ornaments and the inspiration from Mexican Christmas traditions, her heart can't help but melt.
Mario Lopez and Emeraude Toubia star in this Latinx-led holiday romp, and Lopez's daughter Gia Lopez even appears as the niece to his character onscreen. The beautiful cinematography, large cast of Latinx actors, and inspiring Christmas traditions make this a feel-good classic with a little added flavor.
Sugar Plum Twist (2021)
Available To Stream On The Hallmark Channel
Getting the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy is the goal of every ballerina, but when Jamie Gray Hyder's Natalia fails to land the part, she decides to join forces with a collaborator from the New York City Ballet to create "The Nutcracker" with a lively Latin twist.
The Nutcracker is a story that's been told countless different ways in a large variety of movies, so Sugar Plum Twist is a refreshing change on the same old concept, with several wonderful Latinx actors (including Ektor Rivera and Laura Rosguer) in inspired parts.
Gingerbread Miracle (2021)
Not Currently Available To Stream
Sometimes, Christmas miracles sometimes come in small, cookie-shaped packages. In Gingerbread Miracle, Alex Casillas wants to sell his uncle's Mexican bakery, renowned for selling gingerbread cookies with the power to grant wishes, but after he meets the girl of his dreams in a Christmas tree lot, he finds it harder to let go of the family business than he thought.
An unexpected treat as sweet as its name, this Latinx-led holiday movie doesn't reinvent the Christmas pinwheel, but it does tell an engrossing story full of warmth and enchantment, two of the best ingredients in any Christmas classic.
An Ice Wine Christmas (2021)
Available To Stream On Hoopla
Roselyn Sánchez stars in An Ice Wine Christmas as a famous sommelier who makes her way home to Evergreen, N.Y. for the annual Ice Wine Christmas Festival, intent on sharing her unique view of Christmas with the participants of the festival. Along the way, she blends business with pleasure combining her love of wine with a handsome local suitor.
Holiday cheer and a romantic angle are interwoven with technical elements about making ice wine, with gorgeous shots of vineyards and plenty of festival fun. This breezy Latinx-led holiday movie has all the right elements to become a seasonal standby.