The Worst Christmas Movies of All Time

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) is looking for his successor, and hapless taxi driver Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is just the man to help him... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jim Varney, Douglas Seale, Oliver Clark, Noelle Parker

Directed By: John R. Cherry III

Critics Consensus: Stuffing a whole lot of talent into a puny stocking, Oh. What. Fun.'s murky holiday spirit and distracting product placement too often weigh down an appealing cast.

Synopsis: Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Denis Leary, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz

Directed By: Michael Showalter

Critics Consensus: Macaulay Culkin's precocious charisma is sorely missed in this hollow sequel, which doubles down on the broad comedy while lacking all the hallmarks that made the original a classic.

Synopsis: When an inept group of criminals tries to get a stolen top-secret computer chip through airport security, it ends up in a toy car in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alex D. Linz, Olek Krupa, Rya Kihlstedt, Lenny von Dohlen

Directed By: Raja Gosnell

Critics Consensus: Lacking a transporting yuletide story or dazzling dance routines, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a hollow holiday confection that's lovely to look at -- and easy to forget.

Synopsis: Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman

Directed By: Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

Critics Consensus: Featuring twice the moms but roughly half the laughs, A Bad Moms Christmas is a slapdash holiday sequel that falls short of the original with a disappointing dearth of good cheer.

Synopsis: Under-appreciated and overburdened moms Amy, Kiki and Carla rebel against the challenges and expectations of the Super Bowl for moms: Christmas. As if creating the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Cheryl Hines

Directed By: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Critics Consensus: Wrapped in slick packaging but wholly lacking in holiday magic, Red One is a ho-ho-hum action-adventure.

Synopsis: After Santa Claus -- Code Name: RED ONE -- is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world's... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu

Directed By: Jake Kasdan

Critics Consensus: Unaccompanied Minors, while featuring credible performances by its mostly young cast, is simply a rehash of other, funnier movies.

Synopsis: When a Christmas Eve blizzard shuts down the airport, five stranded youths take the opportunity to run wild and have some fun. Racing with golf... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dyllan Christopher, Tyler James Williams, Gia Mantegna, Quinn Shephard

Directed By: Paul Feig

Critics Consensus: Noel strains for holiday uplift, but -- despite the involvement of an outstanding ensemble cast -- settles for treacly sentiment instead.

Synopsis: It's nearly Christmas in New York City. Rose (Susan Sarandon) is in the hospital with her elderly mother, who's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Nina (Penélope... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Penélope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin

Directed By: Chazz Palminteri

Critics Consensus: Despite a strong cast, this sour holiday comedy suffers from a hackneyed script.

Synopsis: When their plans for an exotic vacation fall apart, unmarried couple Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) must spend Christmas Day trudging around to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau

Directed By: Seth Gordon

Critics Consensus: The endearingly cheesy Santa Claus Conquers the Martians might just be so naughty it's nice for viewers seeking a sub-competent sci-fi holiday adventure.

Synopsis: Martian ruler Kimar is upset that the children of Mars are lazy and under the influence of too much pop culture from Earth. They are... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Call, Leonard Hicks, Pia Zadora, Vincent Beck

Directed By: Nicholas Webster

Critics Consensus: Loaded up with the same scatological and misanthropic humor as its predecessor but precious little of its heart or genuine wit, Bad Santa 2 presents a foulmouthed shadow of Christmas past.

Synopsis: Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) teams up with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks

Directed By: Mark Waters

Critics Consensus: Neither parent nor child will find any merriment in this mess.

Synopsis: Estranged from his father (Gary Cole), college student Jake (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jessica Biel, Adam LaVorgna, Gary Cole

Directed By: Arlene Sanford

Critics Consensus: A killjoy entry into the debauched children's story horror canon, The Mean One delivers a seasonally macabre bag of lime green coal.

Synopsis: One Christmas Eve in a sleepy mountain town, Cindy's family is killed and her Christmas is stolen by a bloodthirsty green grouch in a Santa... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins, John Bigham

Directed By: Steven LaMorte

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In ancient times, a man named Claus (David Huddleston), who delivers toys in his small village, fulfills his destiny to become Santa Claus after meeting... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dudley Moore, David Huddleston, John Lithgow, Burgess Meredith

Directed By: Jeannot Szwarc

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In 19th-century England, a minister's quest to modernize his village puts him at odds with people who believe that whoever lights the candle that an... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hans Matheson, Samantha Barks, Lesley Manville, Sylvester McCoy

Directed By: John Stephenson

Critics Consensus: It boasts a few laughs, but overall, Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas ranks among Perry's least entertaining or substantive works.

Synopsis: Madea accompanies her niece, Eileen, to the small town of Buck Tussel to pay a surprise visit to Eileen's daughter, Lacey, who has refused to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tyler Perry, Kathy Najimy, Chad Michael Murray, Anna Maria Horsford

Directed By: Tyler Perry

Critics Consensus: A slew of talent is wasted in this contrived and overly sentimental Christmas film, which can't quite get the balance between slapstick humor and schmaltzy uplift.

Synopsis: Of the two Claus brothers, Fred is the troublemaker and polar opposite of his saintly sibling, Nicholas. When Fred's criminal ways finally land him in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, John Michael Higgins

Directed By: David Dobkin

Critics Consensus: Arnold Schwarzenegger tries his best, but Jingle All the Way suffers from an uneven tone, shifting wildly from a would-be satire on materialism to an antic, slapstick yuk-fest.

Synopsis: Workaholic Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wants to make things up to his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), and wife, Liz (Rita Wilson). He promises to get... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson

Directed By: Brian Levant

Critics Consensus: Love the Coopers has a talented cast and a uniquely bittersweet blend of holiday cheer in its better moments, but they're all let down by a script content to settle for cloying smarm.

Synopsis: For their annual Christmas Eve celebration, Sam Cooper (John Goodman) and his wife Charlotte (Diane Keaton) welcome four generations of extended family, including son Hank... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton

Directed By: Jessie Nelson

Critics Consensus: The Perfect Holiday is the perfect example of Christmas movie clichés run amok.

Synopsis: Nancy (Gabrielle Union), a divorced mother of three, feels especially lonely during the holidays. Sensing her sadness, Nancy's youngest daughter, Emily (Khail Bryant), has a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard

Directed By: Lance Rivera

Critics Consensus: Playing Jack Frost as an evil cross between Liza Minnelli and Liberace, Martin Short is a welcome presence, but this tired series continues drawing from its bag of bland gags and dumb slapstick.

Synopsis: Christmas cheer turns into holiday chaos when Scott Calvin, aka Santa, invites his in-laws for a visit and must, simultaneously, contend with Jack Frost's scheme... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tim Allen, Martin Short, Elizabeth Mitchell, Spencer Breslin

Directed By: Michael Lembeck

Critics Consensus: Mixed Nuts may provoke strong allergic reactions in all but the most undemanding filmgoers -- and the most forgiving Steve Martin fans.

Synopsis: Philip (Steve Martin) manages a suicide-prevention hotline called Lifesavers, assisted by Mrs. Munchnik (Madeline Kahn) and Catherine (Rita Wilson). On Christmas Eve, Philip learns that... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Robert Klein, Anthony LaPaglia

Directed By: Nora Ephron

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: As notorious serial killer Jack Frost is being driven to his execution, the truck carrying the murderer encounters a bizarre accident that transforms him into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Scott MacDonald, Christopher Allport, Stephen Mendel, Eileen Seeley

Directed By: Michael Cooney

Critics Consensus: Nobody's Home.

Synopsis: Max Mercer is a mischievous and resourceful young boy who has been left behind while his family is in Japan for the holidays. So when... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Archie Yates, Timothy Simons

Directed By: Dan Mazer

Critics Consensus: A gratuitous remake of the 1974 slasher, Black Christmas pumps out the gore and blood with zero creativity, humor, or visual flair.

Synopsis: The holiday season turns deadly for a group of sorority sisters (Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Michelle Trachtenberg) who are stranded at their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Michelle Trachtenberg

Directed By: Glen Morgan

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Boyd is forced to spend Christmas at his parents' house and has to hit the road with his eccentric father to get his son's Christmas... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joel McHale, Robin Williams, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke

Directed By: Tristram Shapeero

Critics Consensus: Sandler returns to his roots in this nauseating concoction filled with potty humor and product placements.

Synopsis: Davey Stone, a 33-year-old party animal, finds himself in trouble with the law after his wild ways go too far. In keeping with the holiday... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jackie Sandler, Austin Stout, Kevin Nealon

Directed By: Seth Kearsley

Critics Consensus: An American Carol suffers not so much from its perceived political bias, but from the fact that it simply is not very funny.

Synopsis: Documentary filmmaker Michael Malone (Kevin Farley) makes movies about America's shortcomings and is now embarking on a campaign to abolish July 4th. However, he meets... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kevin P. Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Trace Adkins, Robert Davi

Directed By: David Zucker

Critics Consensus: Surviving Christmas is unpleasant characters attacking each other for 90 minutes before delivering a typical, hollow anti-consumerist message

Synopsis: A wealthy executive, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) has no close relationships and becomes nostalgic for his childhood home as Christmas approaches. When he visits the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O'Hara

Directed By: Mike Mitchell

Critics Consensus: Relying on flat humor and a preposterous plot, Deck the Halls is an unnecessarily mean-spirited holiday movie that does little to put viewers in a holiday mood.

Synopsis: Steve (Matthew Broderick), suburban dad and Christmas enthusiast, finds a wrinkle in his well-ordered existence with the arrival of his new neighbor Danny (Danny DeVito).... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Kristin Davis

Directed By: John Whitesell

Critics Consensus: A mirthless movie as fresh as last year's fruit cake, Christmas with the Kranks is a coarse, garish comedy that promotes conformity.

Synopsis: Finally alone for the holidays, Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis) plan to eschew the Christmas traditions and take a cruise in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, M. Emmet Walsh

Directed By: Joe Roth