Christmas movies 2024: Keep scrolling to see which movie ranked best this year.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Ready up the popcorn and hot cocoa, folks, because ’tis the season for Netflix Christmas movies. Each and every year the streaming giant releases a slew of new holiday films, and in 2024 the offerings are as various as the gifts in Santa’s sleigh.
So what new cinematic masterpieces await us this year? Consider Hot Frosty, about a snowman who magically comes to life…in the body of a good looking man, or The Merry Gentleman, starring Chad Michael Murray as a carpenter turned dancer who begins performing shirtless routines to save his local bar from closing down (yes, really).
In other words: This year’s Netflix releases are a wild ride. Here, we rank them from best to worst. (And trust that this list will be updated: Holiday releases like Our Little Secret, The Snow Sister, and That Christmas are slated to come out later this month, meaning we’ll have many more festive films to dissect and discuss.)
Without further ado, here are our reviews of the 2024 Netflix Christmas movies.
Best: Hot Frosty
Starring: Lacey Chabert and Dustin Milligan
The plot: A widower, Cathy (Lacey Chabert, the queen of Christmas movies), magically brings a snowman to life in the body of an attractive man (Dustin Milligan). In time, his innocence and joie de vivre help to heal her broken heart.
The verdict: Hot Frosty has all the makings of a campy, cheesy Christmas movie. Lacey Chabert—forever to be known as Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls—commands the screen with warmth, while Dustin Milligan plays the part of a (slightly idiotic) snowman turned man to perfection. The cozy diner scenes will definitely make you crave a warm bowl of soup or toasty stack of pancakes. There is even a whole small-town-crime subplot, if you need a little edge to your Christmastime fare.
Safe bet: Meet Me Next Christmas
Starring: Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, Kofi Siriboe, and all of Pentatonix(?)
The plot: Layla (Christina Milian) meets James (Kofi Siriboe) at an airport lounge and becomes convinced he is the man of her dreams. They make a pact to meet, for some reason, at a Pentatonix concert one year from then, on Christmas. But when the day actually comes, Layla cannot seem to secure a ticket to said concert. Cue a whirlwind search across New York City.
The verdict: I have missed Christina Milian since becoming obsessed with her “Dip It Low” music video circa 2004, so it was a thrill to see her on the big screen again. The snowy New York City setting is fun, even if you can clearly tell it was filmed in Toronto. The Pentatonix soundtrack—and, like, lots of screen time from the band members, who are basically costars of the film—is both a vibe and totally absurd. (The film paints the Pentatonix concert as the hardest-to-get ticket in town; do with that information as you will.) Still, the main men are good looking and the fashions are festive. Definitely add it to your watch list.
Worst: The Merry Gentleman
Starring: Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray, Marla Sokoloff, and Beth Broderick
The plot: Ashley (Britt Robertson) is a big-shot Broadway dancer who gets fired from her show. Needing a break from the city, she travels back home for Christmas, only to learn her parents’ small-town nightclub is in financial ruin. To save it from closing down, she begins staging an all-male, Christmas-themed revue—and, naturally, she casts a local carpenter (Chad Michael Murray) with whom she eventually falls in love.
The verdict: The shirtless hunk is a classic Christmas trope, but this movie takes that to an extreme. While in Hot Frosty all the abs felt campy, here they seem like a cash grab. Also, where is Ashley finding all these men willing to dance? Why is everyone in this small town as ripped as, like, Chris Hemsworth? I won’t even get into the zero chemistry between the two leading stars. Feel free to skip it. (I did, however, enjoy Beth Broderick as the mom character—paging all Sabrina the Teenage Witch fans.)
Originally published on Vogue.com
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