Vidhi Narula
The Christmas comedy film ‘The Grinch’ is adapted from the 1957 book ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas.’ Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, the 2018 movie follows the misadventures of the Grinch as he gets frustrated with the holiday spirit in Whoville. With the help of his dog, Max, he embarks on a mission to crush the festive cheer in the village people. He becomes a spoilsport to ruin the merry festival.
Famous actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams have lent their voices to the lead characters. The movie embodies the Christmas spirit and, makes for a perfect holiday watch. If you want to watch more movies that feature the cheery Christmas festival along with some hurdles that disrupt the festivities, then you can check out the movies on this list! You can watch most of these movies similar to ‘The Grinch’ on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
8. The Night Before (2015)
Directed by Jonathan Levine, the Christmas comedy movie tells the story of three friends who have a long-standing tradition of spending Christmas Eve together. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie play the roles of the three childhood friends. The film is full of drug use and illegal activities that make their last traditional celebration take an ugly turn.
Despite all obstacles, ‘The Night Before’ is an ode to friendship and support that keeps the trio together. Furthermore, the spirit of Christmas, which eventually brings everyone together, is common in both ‘The Grinch’ and ‘The Night Before.’
7. Four Christmases (2008)
Seth Gordon’s ‘Four Christmases’ is yet another comedy movie that transpires around the jolly festivities. Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) are forced to visit their divorced parents on Christmas. Having had their own plans canceled, the couple travels to all four divorced parents to be with them on Christmas.
Much like Grinch adopts every trick in the book to cancel Christmas and disrupt the celebrations, Brad and Kate also do everything they can to avoid their parents and overbearing families. The couple runs away from their respective families as they cannot handle the stress and pressure of their family’s discussions.
6. Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)
Brad and Dusty reprise their roles in this sequel to ‘Daddy’s Home.’ The comedy movie, directed by Sean Anders, features Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell in lead roles. Brad and Dusty make every effort to make Christmas perfect, but as their fathers visit them for the celebrations, their plans go awry. Their relationship with their fathers is a bumpy one and with the surprise visit, they have to deal with the consequences. The moral of both ‘The Grinch’ and ‘Daddy’s Home 2’ is very similar with families coming together and reveling in the spirit of the jolly festival.
5. Office Christmas Party (2016)
Directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, the Christmas comedy movie revolves around a manager Josh (Jason Bateman), who hosts a grand party to save the brand and his employees’ jobs. With a talented ensemble cast, the movie is like a giant party bash on one of the happiest festivals – Christmas. The party goes on to become the talk of the town as it extends to an exorbitant level.
Just like Grinch ruins the villagers’ Christmas by stealing decorations and presents, Josh’s boss does the same when she cancels the most awaited Christmas party for the company. The employees eventually come together to throw the party and save Christmas.
4. The Santa Clause (1994)
The festive comedies continue with ‘The Santa Clause’ where Scott Calvin, a regular man, agrees to help out Santa Claus. What he does not realize is that he is signing up to be the next Santa Claus by donning the Sant outfit. Scott does not believe in Santa, but as he helps him out, he struggles with his beliefs and has to face his new identity.
John Pasquin’s movie focuses on people’s beliefs and the childhood experiences that mold them into adults. This is very similar to the Grinch as he grows up to dislike Christmas because he does not have anyone to celebrate it with. He hates being alone and neglected when everyone around him is with their loved ones and having the time of their lives.
3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Jeremiah S. Chechik directed the third installment of the National Lampoon Magazine’s Vacation film series. The slapstick comedy movie stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and Randy Quaid, and is adapted from John Hughes’s short story ‘Christmas ‘59’. It narrates the tale of the Christmas celebrations in the Griswold family and the chaos that follows. Even though Clark ventures to have an awesome festival with his family, it ends up in the mayhem as the plans go askew. The intentions of Grinch and Clark are different, but the ensuing havoc created by their actions is very similar.
2. Deck The Halls (2006)
John Whitesell’s ‘Deck The Halls’ is a family movie that follows Steve and Buddy as they compete to have the best Christmas decorations in town. Their sole aim to decorate their houses is to outdo one another and have the best-looking Christmas house in town. The ensuing rivalry between the two dads is hilarious and brings about a game of sabotage. Both movies ‘The Grinch’ and ‘Deck The Halls’ feature Christmas decorations very prominently. One protagonist steals them, whereas the other two lead characters outdo each other in an attempt to be the best.
1. A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
A sequel to the movie ‘Bad Moms,’ this Christmas comedy revolves around the lives of disgruntled mothers who are tired of organizing Christmas for their families. They rebel against the same and go rogue to take a break from the stress. Things turn hilariously upside down when their mothers come to visit them. Written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the movie features Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn in lead roles. ‘A Bad Moms Christmas’ focuses on the depth of mother-daughter relationships and how it impacts their lives collectively. Similarly, ‘The Grinch’ reflects on how little Cindy makes a wish to help her mother Donna who is overworked during the holiday time.
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