By ReelzChannel Staff
Christmas movies come in two kinds of flavors: There's the Zany Frantic Slapfest. And there's the Comforting Holiday Heart-Warmer. A simple rule of thumb to tell them apart: The former, like the newly released Four Christmases, appears in theaters. The latter, like the several hundred examples that will play on the Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, and ABC Family over the next month, go straight to cable. But just like Coca-Cola and Coke Zero, a long complex list of ingredients distinguishes them -- and as our holiday gift to you, we've documented them here.
Examples
Four Christmases
also
Deck the Halls
Christmas with the Kranks
Surviving Christmas
Jingle All the Way
A Boyfriend for Christmas
Christmas Do-Over
A Carol Christmas
Comfort and Joy
Moonlight and Mistletoe
Protagonist played by:
A-list movie star
Former B-list TV star
Artistic inspiration
Three Stooges
A Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life
Major quest
Obtaining hard-to-find Christmas ham
Obtaining hard-to-find soul mate
Common thematic elements
Yelling, screaming, comic assault and battery
Moping, timetravel, mistaken identities
Difficult siblings, scheming neighbors
Magical angels, Santa
Signature image
Puking baby
First kiss amidst gentle snowfall
Intended effect
Make people trying to escape their families on Christmas by going to the multiplex realize their families aren't so bad
Give hope to lonely singletons battling Xmas blues
Actual effect
Makes movie critics seriously reconsider Reese Witherspoon's artistic integrity
Gives hope to neurotic sitcom actors' career blues
Post this article to: Digg | del.icio.us | Facebook | MySpace | StumbleUpon | Fark | Reddit