RSI Recommends: The Ultimate Offbeat Christmas Movie Watchlist

Picture this: It’s finally Christmas, the gingerbread cookies are ready, and as everyone eagerly makes their way into the living room, the great movie debacle begins. While some want to soak in the saccharine dullness of Hallmark movies, others want to opt for a more rom-com-infused pick. As chaos ensues, the screen sadly flickers, with “Are you still watching?” glimmering in the distance.

Perhaps, the solution to the watchlist conundrum is not to pick the most quintessential X’mas flick, but choose the most off-grid option. It’s time to ditch the predictable plot lines, unimaginably corny climaxes, and overtly sappy soundtracks for a more diverse catalog that has something in store for everyone. From daylight horror flicks to Bollywood comedy essentials, beat all the performative cinephile allegations as Rolling Stone India brings to you a not-so-cliched Christmas watchlist.

The Parent Trap (1998)

Is it even the holiday season without a Nancy Meyers movie? Unlike stereotypical Hallmark film slop, The Parent Trap doesn’t walk around clichés (identical twins separated at birth, English versus American lifestyles, “evil stepmother”, and more), but rather pokes fun at them in its own way. Turns out, summer camps are a true ground for mending wounded relationships, as Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai would know. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, and Natasha Richardson, the Nineties film follows identical twins Hallie and Annie (both played by Lohan) trying to bring their once-separated parents back together after a fateful meeting at a summer camp. With its cozy escapism, themes of family and reconciliation, The Parent Trap feels like a comforting hug of a film, perfect for Christmas viewing, when all you really want is a little nostalgia, a little magic, and the reassurance that broken families (and hearts) can still find their way back together.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Christmas deserves a Kubrick entry, and Eyes Wide Shut fits the brief. An erotic psychological drama, the plot unfolds in a high-society setup, featuring Dr. Bill Hathford (Tom Cruise) and his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman). Riddled with sexual tension, from orgies to occult practices, the film taps into the human subconscious, particularly the moral greyness of desire. Set against a backdrop of glittering Christmas lights and decadent holiday parties, Eyes Wide Shut is a strangely fitting festive watch that uses the season’s polished surface to expose the darker, unspoken desires beneath, a provocative counterpoint to the usual cheer and sentimentality.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

A stunning, audio-visual masterpiece, In the Mood for Love is a cinematic treat. With carefully crafted frames, full of longing, the film leaves space for all that remains unsaid. Set against the bylanes of British Hong Kong, the plot focuses on an unconventional love story between protagonists Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) and  Chow-Mo wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), one born out of extramarital affairs. Take your yearn-o-meter up a notch as you press play on this critically acclaimed film. Its hushed intimacy, slow-burn romance, and aching sense of loneliness make it an unexpectedly perfect Christmas watch, ideal for a season of heightened emotions and reflection.

American Psycho (2000)

A film that tapped into the soulless finance bro trope ahead of its time, American Psycho is a non-negotiable vibe-setter. Enter Patrick Bateman, the OG ten-step skincare girlie, whose maladaptive, violent fantasies, powered by patriarchy, are slowly taking over his present reality. Sigh, employment (cue drum sting). Aside from his murderous ordeals and psychopathic tendencies, Bateman’s hyper fixation with critiquing mainstream Eighties pop rock remains resolute. Now that’s a true melomaniac right there. With a brutally satirical plot that’s guaranteed to cut through the season’s sugar rush, American Psycho deserves to a worthy contender for an X’mas movie night.

Golmaal 3 (2010)

One thing about 2010s Bollywood brainrot is its everlasting versatility, and Golmaal 3 certainly fits all the bills. Part of the Golmaal franchise, the third instalment of Rohit Shetty’s car-crashing cinematic universe unravels familial layers existing between the rival groups, led by Madhav (Arshad Warsi), and Gopal (Ajay Devgn). With clever nostalgic comebacks, knee-slapping comedy, riveting puns, and a notable plot twist, the film acts as a desi palate cleanser for all the Hallmark movie mush you must have consumed earlier. And lastly, what better way to welcome the festive cheer than to have Kareena Kapoor’s iconic “Bhenchik marone posli chusio” dialogue echoing in the background?

Delhi Belly (2011)

Gather your roommates, this is going to be a lore-laden watch. Delhi Belly is one of those films that got its flowers much after its initial run. One can even say it aged like fine wine, Christmas style. Shedding away his iconic chocolate boy demeanor, Imran Khan’s Tashi joins Kunal Roy Kapur’s Nitin and Vir Das’ Arup for a raunchy adventure of misfits navigating mundanity and money problems that is sure to shock and awe. Unbeknownst to them, a package switcheroo turns their world upside down, landing them in the most unsuspectingly comical scenarios. 

Lady Bird (2017)

For those who want to enjoy an A24-esque, somber Christmas, Lady Bird is right up your alley. Chronicling the complexities of mother-daughter relationships along with the audaciousness of adolescence, the film is equal parts heartwarming and gut-wrenching; kind of like the male version of the underrated classic, Udaan. Couple it with a cup of hot cocoa, a tissue box, and a cozy blanket, and you’re set to have a thought-daughter-coded Christmas.

Happy New Year (2015)

Barring its repetitive projectile vomit jokes, Happy New Year, at its very core, expands on a nail-biting heist with patriotic undercurrents. A Farah Khan brain-rot relic, the 2015 film is apt for when you want to keep your “cinephile” hat aside, and truly soak in the joy of watching something with your mind switched off. Add some spice to those recurrent movie picks by opting for this wild card, and your night is sure to turn into a riot. True to its title and celebratory spirit, it fits neatly into the Christmas-to-New-Year limbo, when excess, spectacle, and chaos just feel a little more acceptable.

Midsommar (2019)

Yes, Ari Aster fans, quit hollering now. Crank up the holiday madness to the extremes with Midsommar, a trippy daylight folk horror feature that is most certainly going to rob you of sleep. Bonus points if you’re watching it all alone, bunked up in your apartment. A masterful combination of oddities, the film doesn’t rely on the supernatural, but on the sickening extent to which human vulnerability can be manipulated. Starring Florence Pugh, Will Poulter, Jack Reynor, and more, Midsommar is not one to be digested in a single sitting; you’re bound to be rewinding, replaying, and pausing at easter eggs and background scenes, each an equally important cog that drives the story forward.

Sister Midnight (2024)

Fellow misandrists, rise up. Starring Radhika Apte, Chaya Kadam, Ashok Pathak, and more, the film, which is London-based filmmaker Karan Kandhari’s directorial debut, revolves around the most haunting premise of all: arranged marriage. A Small-town misfit, Uma miserably tries to squeeze into the domestic outlines of the “perfect” housewife. Every day is a test, right from her good-for-nothing husband’s retorts to the neighbors who are equally invested in her topsy-turvy marriage. Comically sardonic, Sister Midnight emulates Fleabag levels of supporting feminine wrongs, making it a watch that is bound to marinate cerebrally, even after the house party ends. The soundtrack also contains sonic surprises, with Paul Banks, a member of the band ‘Interpol,’ doubling as a composer. Why pick this for Christmas? Because amid a season obsessed with domestic bliss, family ideals, and forced togetherness, Sister Midnight presents a subversive counter-programme.