Opinion: "Die Hard" Is A Christmas Movie

Many of us are accustomed to turning on the TV every year to traditionally watch Christmas movies such as "Home Alone," "It’s a Wonderful Life" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," among many others.

But there is one movie, despite its fantastic legacy on the action-film genre, that remains divisive. Not because it’s bad (it’s awesome) but because it’s disputed whether it’s really a Christmas movie. That movie is "Die Hard" and for those of you who think it's not a Christmas film at all... well, tough. It is, and always will be.

First off, the ENTIRE MOVIE takes place during the Christmas season. It’s not like the holiday season is only there in a brief flashback, or only present for a few minutes in one scene. No, it is the backdrop for the full length of the film.

This movie could have been set during any other time of the year. "Die Hard" could have been set during Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, or Halloween. But it was SPECIFICALLY set during Christmas Eve. It was an INTENTIONAL story choice.

Here is another point to make: the film does feature Christmas music. Now, of course, some of it is Christmas rap from RUN DMC, but an older Frank Sinatra rendition of “Let it Snow” does play at the end. So, you cannot argue that it does not feature any holiday tunes, because there is a fair amount included.

Narratively, the movie is also about a man returning to his family for Christmas, both in the literal sense but also in a subtextual sense. John McClane starts the beginning of the movie distant from his family, which his wife, Holly McClane recognizes, which is why she tipped the family portrait over at the beginning.

Now, that is also there to set up an important reveal later when Hans Gruber realizes that Holly is John’s wife, but it is symbolic of how distant the two of them really became. By the end of the movie, John embraces his family once more after the danger he and his wife are put through. Reuniting with family is always an important moral story choice, especially for a movie of the holidays.

Speaking of Hans Gruber, he is no different than Old Man Potter from "It’s a Wonderful Life." He represents the dark side of capitalism and uses his terrorist goons to steal money. So does Potter in a way (just without terrorists). He is also kind of an eccentric grinch himself that must be dealt with.

Additionally, the film is filled with an abundance of Christmas references. “Now I have a machine gun, ho ho ho,” “'Twas the night before Christmas,” “It’s Christmas, Theo, it is the time of miracles,” etc. Need we say more?

Now, there is one dispute that “anti-Die Harders” use to continue with their “it’s not a Christmas movie” argument. The movie was released during the summer blockbuster season in 1988. Yes, that is odd for a Christmas movie to not be released during the holidays, but for an action spectacle, the summer blockbuster spot would be obvious.

However, releasing "Die Hard" during the summer was a brilliant idea. If you release the movie during the summer, its popularity can help with not only home video sales in the later months but also cable reruns during Christmas. Its initial impact therefore makes it more relevant by December.

So yes, while a summer release slate is not typical for a Christmas movie, for "Die Hard," it’s a different story entirely.

To add to that, "Die Hard" isn’t the only Christmas movie to not be released during that season. It turns out that as far back as 1942, Bing Crosby’s "Holiday Inn" was a Christmas movie that also turned out to be released in the summertime. Its 1945 remake, "White Christmas," was also released in October. In this case, does it really matter?  

Other minor things to note are that, yes, John McClane’s wife is named “Holly” and Santa Claus does make an appearance (albeit as a dead terrorist). Besides, the writer, Stephen de Souza, and writer, John McTiernan, did confirm that it is a Christmas movie, so there.

So, for those still stubborn enough to argue that "Die Hard" isn’t a Christmas movie... well, tough. There is more than enough reason to state why it IS a Holiday movie rather than why it isn’t. Not to mention, it contains the themes of the holiday season, despite the backdrop of being an action movie.

Sure, "Die Hard" would not exactly be the first movie people imagine when it comes to watching an X-Mas movie marathon. It would be odd going from "Elf" to "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation" to "A Christmas Story" to... "Die Hard." But that does not matter. "Die Hard" is its own beast entirely. Embrace it this holiday season, whether you deem it so or not. It's also the 35th anniversary of the movie this year, so you know exactly what to do.

Otherwise, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Yippee-Ki-Yay...

Logan M. Sharp is a fourth-year majoring in film production. To contact him, email lxs5590@psu.edu.