Is Die Hard Really a Christmas Movie?

Every year during the holidays there is one topic of great debate. No, we aren’t talking about what sides to have with Christmas dinner. We’re talking about Die Hard and whether the film is a Christmas movie or not. The 1988 action film directed by John McTiernan and starring Bruce Willis is a film that, for many, is divisive when it comes to the subject of its Christmas movie status. For some, the film is required holiday watching while for others, the idea that John McClane being caught up in a terrorist takeover of Nakatomi Plaza is a holiday adventure just seems wrong. While this is one of those debates that is probably never going to have a definitive resolution, this year we’re adding our breakdown of why — or why not — Die Hard is a Christmas classic to the discourse.

To get into our evaluation of Die Hard and its holiday movie status, we’re going to break things down into two categories: the case for Die Hard being a Christmas movie and the case against it. Admittedly, some of our criteria for or against will be purely subjective — this is all in good fun, don’t come for me. We’re just trying to get into the Christmas spirit, yippee ki yay style.

The Case For Die Hard as a Christmas Movie

While anything can be a Christmas movie if you believe there are some basic things that many feel make a Christmas movie, well, a Christmas movie. These things include the setting, the music, and general “holiday” elements featured in the film. With those aspects in mind, Die Hard certainly fits the Christmas movie bill. Die Hard is set during the holiday season — specifically, Christmas Eve with John McClane going to Los Angeles in the hope of reconciling with his estranged wife Holly (side note: very festive name) at her work holiday party for the Nakatomi Corporation.

[RELATED: Major US City Officially Declares Die Hard a Christmas Movie]

Because we’re dealing with a movie set at an office Christmas party, Die Hard also has plenty of Christmas music as part of the soundtrack. That feels pretty “Christmas movie” to us. There are also presents as part of the story, specifically with Harry Ellis giving Holly a Rolex watch for her company holiday gift, but we also see Al, John’s friend, buying something for his wife — that one might be a stretch, but we’re claiming it. And, as if to put a perfect bow on it all, it even snows at the end of the movie, which is something that’s pretty rare in Los Angeles.

Moving beyond the in-film elements, however, it’s the numbers that perhaps most strongly make the case for Die Hard being a Christmas movie. The film is one of the most-watched movies during the holidays, putting it up there with undeniable holiday films like The Santa Clause and Miracle on 34th Street and Wizard of Oz, the latter of which gets lumped into being a Christmas movie entirely because people have been watching it during the holidays for decade.

The Case Against Die Hard as a Christmas Movie

While there are definitely some reasons why Die Hard could be considered a Christmas movie, there are also reasons why it’s not. One reason that many fans point to is when the film was originally released. Die Hard opened in theaters in July 1988. While that certainly could lend to the idea of “Christmas in July”, the reality is the film was a summer blockbuster not necessarily intended to be a holiday film. This release window has many detractors from the Christmas movie argument counter arguing that Die Hard is merely a film that takes place during Christmas, especially since t has themes such as vengeance and American anxiety over foreign influences, neither of which are very “Christmassy”.

Perhaps the biggest argument as for why the film isn’t a Christmas movie, however, comes from Bruce Willis himself. During the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis back in 2018, the actor himself declared Die Hard to not be a Christmas movie. It’s a Bruce Willis movie.

“People ask me why I did this roast,” he said at the time. “Was it because one of the last guys who did it became president? Hell no. Why would I want to be president when I can just keep being Bruce F-ing Willis? I did this roast for one reason and one reason only — to settle something once and for all. Now, please listen very carefully: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie.”

So, Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

While there are valid reasons to argue both for Die Hard as a Christmas movie and against it, the reality is that Die Hard is what fans want it to be. There isn’t any one “right” way to celebrate the holidays — we see that broadly with a wide range of traditions across different regions and cultures — and as such, there’s no one “right” definition of what is (or is not) a Christmas movie. For some, it’s less about the theme or the details of the movie that makes it a holiday watch. Examples of this are the Lord of the Rings films, the Harry Potter films, and even The Wizard of Oz which may not have Christmas trimmings but tend to be watched and loved this time of year. After all, holiday break does give people a little bit more time to watch movies at home with family and friends. And if that’s how you define a Christmas movie, then Die Hard is definitely one. And if you really need Christmas trimmings and messages of peace on earth and goodwill to men, then maybe Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie to you. Both are valid, and maybe this year the real gift is just letting people enjoy what they enjoy at the holidays – even if it is a “goddamn Bruce Willis movie.”