There is always something to watch on Tubi. Nothing on there lasts forever, but every month there’s a host of genuinely high-quality content one might be surprised to see is streaming for free. For instance, right now, both Barbie and much of A24’s catalogue is available to stream for the price of zero dollars and a few ads. But now we’re in the midst of the holiday season, and Tubi has a nice selection of Christmas movies that are worth watching at least once, and seven of the best follow below. We tried to include a little something for everyone, so expect some entries that aren’t entirely merry and bright.
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What are you in the mood for now that we’re a few days into December? Chances are that Tubi has something that’s right up you Santa hat-wearing alley.
7) Love the Coopers
A fun and festive hour and 45 minutes of festive feelgoodery, Love the Coopers doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to “Oh no, the family’s here” Christmas movies, but it does bring a particularly excellent cast to the table. Speaking of which, while it’s not a “great” movie as the title of the article states, it does provide an opportunity for viewers to say goodbye to the great Diane Keaton.
Keaton and John Goodman play Charlotte and Sam Cooper, who are divorcing after 40 years. However, they want to host one final Christmas before dropping the bomb on their family. The cast is rounded out by Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Jake Lacy, Alan Arkin, Ed Helms, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Alex Borstein, Anthony Mackie, Molly Gordon, and Timothée Chalamet, in one of his earliest roles.
6) Meet Me in St. Louis
A major box office hit back in 1944, Meet Me in St. Louis is one of the more important Judy Garland movies not titled The Wizard of Oz. It was also the origin of the Christmas song favorite “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
The narrative, told in vignettes, follows the affluent Smith family throughout the year leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Throughout that year, the family’s patriarch announces his desire to move the family from St. Louis to New York while the second-oldest daughter, Esther (Garland) finds love in the hometown from which she may now very well be removed.
5) Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the Way is another one here that stretches the term “Great,” but for ’90s kids it’s undoubtedly a treasure. It’s a nostalgia treat, and that’s a factor that is only buoyed by the presence of Sinbad and a pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Jake Lloyd.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a workaholic father who sees an opportunity to reconnect with his disappointed son as long as he can procure a Turbo Man doll, which is by far the most popular toy of the season. Admittedly, the movie is at its best in the first half, when it’s at least trying to serve as a commentary on the rabid consumerism brought out of people by toys such as Cabbage Patch Kids and Tickle Me Elmo.
4) The Night Before
The Night Before was marketed as a stoner Christmas comedy, not unlike A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, but it’s actually a bit more serious than one might expect. It’s pretty telling that director Jonathan Levine’s previous collaboration with stars Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the heartbreaking 50/50.
The story follows three friends who reunite every Christmas Eve in the hopes of finding a notoriously awesome party. But, as the night progresses, they have to come to terms with the fact that the march of time has made them increasingly different from one another.
3) Black Christmas
A hugely important horror classic, Black Christmas helped cement the slasher subgenre’s status in film history even before John Carpenter’s Halloween. And, ironically enough, it came from the same director as A Christmas Story.
We spend most of our time in a sorority house, where the occupants are harassed by increasingly horrifying and vile phone calls. But, as the police get involved, we come to learn a hair-raising fact that shows just how unsafe the sorority sisters really are.
2) Arthur Christmas
A well-animated family favorite from Wallace & Gromit‘s Aardman, Arthur Christmas tells the tale of Santa Claus’ youngest son, who strives to step into his dad’s boots. But first he’ll have to prove he’s up for the job, so he sets off to deliver a bicycle to a girl in Trelew, England.
James McAvoy plays Arthur while Jim Broadbent plays Santa himself. They both turn in heartfelt performances, but just as solid are Hugh Laurie as Arthur’s older brother, Bill Nighy as Arthur’s grandfather, and Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Claus.
1) Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
With the release of Cineverse’s Silent Night, Deadly Night reboot, there’s no better time to catch up on the franchise’s history. Well, really, you can just stick with the first two movies.
And, when it comes to sticking with the first two movies, you can really just check out Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2. For one, about half of it is composed of flashbacks to the original film. And two, the neighborhood rampage that constitutes the film’s finale is a wild ride, and the origin of a now-famous meme.
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