Christmas movies are cozy, comforting, and often super predictable. That's part of their charm, along with snowy scenes, festive music, and characters falling in love because there's more hope and magic at this time of year than any other.
But despite the abundance of festive entertainment, there are many movies that have been recently released that don't pass the Christmas spirit test. If they were in a stocking, they would be coal. Whether they're boring, strange, or just unbelievable, here are the 10 most overrated Christmas movies from the past five years.
Krampus (2015)
For those who like some horror with their holiday flick, the 2015 film Krampus seems like a safe bet. The movie follows a boy named Max (Emjay Anthony) who decides that he's not going to celebrate Christmas this year. That isn't the best news for him and his family as Krampus, an evil spirit shows up and suddenly everyone is in a fight for their lives.
While the movie features strong performances from the parents, played by Toni Colette and Adam Scott, the overall tone is caught somewhere between campy and strange. It's not scary, it's not particularly festive, and it kind of sags in the middle as many horror movies do. It's definitely one of the most overrated Christmas movies of the past five years.
Black Christmas (2019)
The 2019 Black Christmas seems a bit unnecessary as there is already a 2006 remake of the 1974 film. As is often the case, people think that the original is the best, so in this age of remakes and reboots, there's not a ton of excitement about watching the most recent one.
Since the horror genre has been doing so well lately and there are so many incredible movies being released each year, it feels like original content is always the way to go.
The Princess Switch (2018)
While switching bodies/places is a typical Christmas movie storyline, especially for Hallmark and other TV movies, The Princess Switch is so unrealistic that it made on this list of the most overrated holiday films of the past five years.
Vanessa Hudgens plays Stacy DeNovo, a baker, and Margaret Delacourt (also known as the (Duchess of Montenaro). They switch places and pretend to be each other, and since this has been done so many times before, any lessons that they learn that they can take back to their own lives just feel so corny. It's also hard to buy that a baker and princess would be able to pretend to be each other since they are so different.
Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
While the 2016 film Bad Moms was a lot of fun to watch, as a group of moms realized that they didn't want to fit into the cookie-cutter mold that everyone around them was so obsessed with, the 2017 sequel is, well, a pretty bad movie.
It may be set at Christmas but no one has the holiday spirit. The main characters spend the whole movie getting into silly situations and seeming to get more and more annoyed. Despite performances from solid actors like Kristen Bell, this film just couldn't be saved.
Switched For Christmas (2017)
Of course a Hallmark holiday movie had to make this list. This 2017 film stars Candace Cameron Bure as twins who, yup, switch for the holiday season.
When the subject of Hallmark Christmas films comes up, this movie is often talked about as it's been a popular one in recent years. But like any other flick where twins switch, it's pretty dull to watch, and it doesn't really feel like there's anything special about this one.
Let It Snow (2019)
The Netflix film Let It Snow is so different from the young adult novella collection that it's based on (by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle) that it seems hard to believe that it was adapted. The three interconnected stories follow a group of teenagers in the same area who are celebrating Christmas during a huge snowstorm.
This movie doesn't have much of a plot, so it counts as a pretty overrated film. Sure, there are some cute love scenes, but corny dialogue and Joan Cusack in an awkward role as a townsperson who always wears tinfoil don't make for an amazing Christmas movie.
The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
It seems like Vanessa Hudgens is going to be in every single Netflix Christmas movie that there is, and now she's in 2019's The Knight Before Christmas.
The plot (and title) are pretty bizarre as she plays a girl named Brooke who wants to fall in love but figures that's never going to occur. Well, this movie takes the whole "Prince Charming" and "knight" thing way too seriously and a knight actually shows up (played by Josh Whitehouse). How is this believable? And how is this even Christmas-related?
A Christmas Prince (2017)
Everyone went crazy for the 2017 Netflix film A Christmas Prince. iZombie's Rose McIver is a journalist named Amber who gets an assignment to spy on a prince. This is one of the most overrated Christmas movies of the past five years (and the past decade, too) as it's poorly done and way too predictable.
The movie's first problem is the portrayal of journalism is completely strange . For one thing, Amber doesn't seem to follow the typical rules and ethics and morals that reporters do. And for another, going undercover is a serious investigative process and it wouldn't be viewed as lightly as it in this film. It's also one of those romances where viewers can see every scene and moment coming before it happens.
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)
Of course, there are two sequels to the 2017 film, the most recent being 2019's A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby. Since it's fair to say that the first two were unnecessary, the third seems even more confusing.
What's the main plot of this movie? Besides the fact that Amber's pregnant, a super important treaty has totally disappeared, and everyone has to scramble to locate it. That doesn't sound very exciting.... or like it's in the festive spirit at all. The problem with these three movies is they don't really feel like Christmas films at all.
Last Christmas (2019)
The most overrated Christmas movie of the past five years has got to be 2019's Last Christmas. Starring Emilia Clarke as Kate and Henry Golding as Tom, the film literally takes the lyrics "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart" and makes that the entire point of the movie.
This movie has a completely crazy and cheesy twist that people can't stop talking about, and it's not logical, practical, or easy to believe. Of all the Christmas movies that you could watch, definitely give this one a miss... unless you want to see what all the fuss is about (but you might not be able to get past the twist).