The holidays are truly a magical time. Christmas cheer seems to be everywhere and people become more joyful and positive. And that's exactly what they expect from their Christmas movies. While there are definitely some exceptions, holiday movies are generally happy, candy-coated fluff that everyone can enjoy. And no one does this formula better than Netflix movies, which is quickly coming to rival Hallmark.
Still, with so much holiday content on the platform, there's bound to be some that make less sense than others. There's always a certain degree of things that will never be entirely logical (these are Christmas movies, after all), and while all these stories deliver on the holiday cheer, some take their surreal elements to the next level.
Most Realistic: Holiday Rush
The story of widowed radio DJ Rush Williams, who loses his job when the radio station he works at is bought by a large conglomerate, Holiday Rush is a classic tale of "value what you have." Forced to downsize after he loses his job, he and his four spoiled children go back to the house where they lived before they became wealthy. There, they reconnect as a family and eventually overcome their struggles. Rush ends up buying a local radio station and even finds a new love!
Romany Malco charms in this story about the true meaning of Christmas, and while its formula is more than familiar, it proves as timeless and wholesome as ever.
Least Realistic: The Knight Before Christmas
As Stefon would say, this Christmas movie has everything: Magic! Netflix Holiday Queen Vanessa Hudgens! A medieval crone with a truly impressive weave! A hilariously lazy pun on a classic Christmas say!
The story, about a knight from the 14th century sent into the future, where he of course finds love, might be a rip-off of a Charmed storyline from Season 4, but it's still endearing enough, thanks in large part to Hudgens' commitment to the story's absurdity. Charming and appealing, it manages to shine through the crowded holiday market, making it a surprisingly worthy addition to the genre.
Most Realistic: Let It Snow
A teen version of Christmas classic Love, Actually, Let It Snow features several storylines starring a very charming and refreshingly diverse cast of teenagers. While it does have its moments of absurdity, mainly the entire subplot with pop star Stuart, the film is a classic story about teens in love.
The cast is extremely charismatic, the dialogue funny and the antics entertaining. It's easy to see why this film ranks among the best reviewed Netflix originals. It's accessible and sweet, as the best holiday movies usually are.
Least Realistic: The Princess Switch
Because Netflix decided that one Vanessa Hudgens wasn't enough, The Princess Switch features two! When the Duchess of Montenaro encounters sweet American girl Stacy, the two take advantage of their identical looks and switch places. Hilarity ensues. The concept of royalty running into doppelgangers dates back to Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, but Netflix puts its own trademark spin on the story.
Hudgens' English accent is truly awful and the premise utterly inconceivable outside of fiction, but other than that, the film mainly succeeds. And because two Vanessa Hudgens weren't enough, Netflix made a sequel that features three of them! Huzzah!
Most Realistic: Operation Christmas Drop
The central premise of this story comes from a real-life humanitarian tradition. Every year, the Air Force drops Christmas presents to people in Micronesia, gathered with the support of the people and businesses from Guam. And while its inspiration might be a case of reality being stranger than fiction, the film does little with it.
A rather lazy and by-the-numbers rom-com, Operation Christmas Drop is neither memorable nor charming enough to earn its place among the many other offerings from the streaming giant.
Least Realistic: The Holiday Calendar
"Clearly the calendar's magic" is not only a line from the film, it's also the most straightforward way of describing it. Abby is a struggling photographer who inherits an advent calendar from her grandfather. Its contents seemingly predict the future, bringing an unexpected love into her life.
The film has all the ingredients to succeed: a nonsensical premise, an incredibly charming lead, and more than its share of Christmas cheer. It doesn't always succeed, though, and the result ends up being less than the sum of its parts. As far as Netflix Holiday Movies go, there are definitely better.
Most Realistic: Holidate
A more cynical holiday movie, Holidate features Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey as a pair of millennials who become each other's "holidates" to avoid uncomfortable situations with family and potential dates. The whole premise is rom-com 101, albeit with a considerable amount of vulgarity in the mix.
The result is largely mixed. The film lacks a lot of the shameless glee that makes holiday movies so enjoyable, and while its meta approach to its formulaic premise is refreshing, it ultimately fails to succeed as either a romantic comedy or a holiday movie.
Least Realistic: A Christmas Prince
The first great triumph for Netflix Christmas movies, A Christmas Prince tells the story of an intrepid journalist sent to the foreign nation of Aldovia, where she hopes her story about the Prince, Richard, will lead to her big break.
It's a classic prince-falls-for-a-commoner story and it succeeds by acknowledging just how implausible the whole thing is. The film never takes itself seriously, and as a result, it allows the audience to relish in its undeniable joy. Two sequels followed, but they never reach the highs of the first, shamelessly delightful movie. And while the premise is quite impossible, it's still fun to imagine.
Most Realistic: Holiday In The Wild
Another rom-com that follows a straightforward formula, Holiday in the Wild features a recently divorced woman, Kristin Davis, who heads to Zambia in a trip she initially bought for her ex-husband and her. While there, she meets Derek, Rob Lowe, a pilot whose girlfriend is part of a foundation that funds an elephant sanctuary.
The film doesn't really have that expected Christmas cheer. Indeed, there's no snow and instead of reindeer, there's a ton of elephants. And while it's definitely one of Netflix's most realistic offerings, it lacks the necessary ingredients to become a Christmas classic.
Least Realistic: Dolly Parton's Christmas On The Square
What better way to end this list than with one of Netflix's most shameless and ridiculously wonderful films. American treasure Dolly Parton stars as an angel sent to help a female Scrooge, played by yet another American Treasure, Christine Baranski, rediscover the joy of Christmas. And it's a musical!
It doesn't get better than this when it comes to Christmas cheer. Is the plot senseless? Of course it is. But with such a campy, wholesome, peppy, and fantastical result, who's complaining? Like the best Christmas films, this one is all about the power of love and togetherness, and in times like this, there aren't nearly enough of those.