Movie critics have the best job in the world. They can say whatever they want and facts do not matter. Folks just want to read what they think. For that reason alone a recent volume of professional reviews by critic Alonso Duralde titled Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas makes for great Christmas reading.

But when it comes to reviewing Christmas movies a movie critic has to tread lightly. After all, the movies they review have been seen on a traditional basis for years so what they write had better please the masses.

Take for example the 1954 movie White Christmas.

Now, if this were a regular movie it would be panned and might never see the light of day beyond its original run. But this was no ordinary movie. This is a Christmas movie based upon a beloved song during a time of high stress that was popular when it came out and remains popular for sentimental reasons in the decades since. Forget the fact that it is light on plot, is terribly acted, has cheesy sets and several scenes that really had nothing to do with the story. In short, it was a movie critic’s dream – full of wonderful weaknesses ripe for picking apart.

But you just can’t do that – not if you want to sell the rest of your book of critical Christmas movie reviews. So White Christmas gets a thumbs up – or at least a pass.

The book, published just before Christmas 2010, purports to “highlight the best – and worst — Christmas movies” new and old. Smartly organized by genre Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas attempts to pigeon-hole each movie into certain classification. This is almost impossible to do. After all, is the movie Elf a comedy, a family flick or just for kids? It is likely all three.

But that’s a small issue compared to which movies made the cut by author Duralde. For traditional Christmas movie lovers the book dives into the abyss of the classic argument of just what constitutes a Christmas movie. Sure, everyone knows you can’t have a book about Christmas movies without discussing It’s a Wonderful Life. But what else is appropriate?

Die Hard, for example, is reviewed as a Christmas flick. If the image of Bruce Willis with a sub-machine gun walking bare foot over broken glass and single handedly bringing down an army of terrorists makes you want to whistle Jingle Bells every December you’re naturally going to agree a review of Die Hard belongs in a book about Christmas movies. But you’re never going to see a marathon of Die Hard on TBS each December either.

I suppose a small measure of latitude could be extended if only because the entire film is set against a company Christmas party. At least Christmas is a backdrop. But Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Eyes Wide Shut? Better Off Dead? Sorry, none of these make my list on a snowy day in February, much less a cold December evening by the glow of my Christmas tree.

This is all subjective, of course. There are dozens of other movies that should also be included if this is the criteria for a book reviewing “Christmas” movies. Take, for example, the Sandra Bullock movie While You Were Sleeping. It is a story set at Christmas time just as Die Hard. Yet it didn’t make the cut.
But if you can get past the selection of movies reviewed Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas is a fun read as each review features a recap and critique that gets you mentally arguing with the review – which is, of course, the only fun in reading movie critics (I like to think of it as a sport).

Each review also offers a “fun facts” section that provides unrelated but interesting tidbits about each movie. (For example, did you know the Griswold home in Christmas Vacation is the same house used as the Murtaugh home in Lethal Weapon? Speaking of Lethal Weapon, why didn’t that make the cut in this book as a Christmas movie?)

Duralde is clearly a seasoned film critic with an absorbing style. While I had issues with the organization and inclusion of certain movies in the book I read every last review – in fact, I could not put the book down. Duralde is engaging, funny, and concise in his reviews. This book could easily reside on my Kindle as an annual go-to resource to put me in a Christmas mood.

Perhaps in movie-making style Duralde has set us up for a sequel. He could easily produce another volume of Christmas movie reviews that could include the titles we think he missed. He waited until the end of the book to address the classics and I was a little chagrined that he didn’t toe the line with movies we all know are Christmas classics.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Ron Howard’s dreadful live action rendition of the Dr. Seuss story is a classic of Christmas whether we like it or not. The movie has a prominent place in Christmas movie history, as does The Polar Express. Not only are both movies not classics in this volume of Christmas movies they just aren’t included. And yet The Nightmare Before Christmas, a Halloween movie, is listed as a Christmas classic.

Reviewing Christmas movies is an art Duralde is clearly cut out for. We will just have to wait for the sequel to get all we’re looking for. In the meantime, enjoy this one.