The Worst Christmas Movies

From painful family reunions to sequels no child asked for to multiple Vince Vaughn and Tim Allen vehicles, these are all the Christmas films that scored less than 30% on the Tomatometer. And to make sure these movies landed on enough critics’ naughty lists to be deemed truly universally loathed, every entry had to have at least 20 reviews for inclusion. This leaves the likes of Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas and Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey?! out in the cold, but makes plenty of space for Home Alone 3, Christmas With the Kranks, and Deck the Halls. It’s more cinematic coal than you can handle in our guide to the worst Christmas movies ever!

#22

Home Alone 3 (1997)
29%

#22

Adjusted Score: 29.718%

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: Alex D. Linz replaces that other kid and thereÕs a new cast of villains, but the formula remains the same.... [More]

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

Directed By: Raja Gosnell

#21

Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
29%

#21

Adjusted Score: 31.515%

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

Synopsis: A handful of kids stranded without their parents is determined to make the most of a bad situation in this... [More]

Starring: Lewis Black, Wilmer Valderrama, Tyler James Williams, Dyllan Christopher

Directed By: Paul Feig

#20

Noel (2004)
28%

#20

Adjusted Score: 28.193%

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

Synopsis: It's Christmas Eve in New York City, and with a little help from each other, five people will discover new... [More]

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Paul Walker, Penelope Cruz, Robin Williams

Directed By: Chazz Palminteri

#19

Four Christmases (2008)
25%

#19

Adjusted Score: 30.197%

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

Synopsis: When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their... [More]

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

Directed By: Seth Gordon

#18

I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
23%

#18

Adjusted Score: 24.757%

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

Synopsis: Jake Wilkinson is a self-absorbed college student who, just days before Christmas, awakens to find himself stranded in the middle... [More]

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

Directed By: Arlene Sanford

#17

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
22%

#17

Adjusted Score: 23.569%

Critics Consensus: Ho, ho, oh no.

Synopsis: The biggest, most brightly-wrapped gift under the colorful Christmas tree is a new digital restoration of the unforgettable 1964 B-movie... [More]

Starring: John Call, Leonard Hicks, Vincent Beck, Lelia Martin

Directed By: Nicholas Webster

#16

The Christmas Candle (2013)
21%

#16

Adjusted Score: 21.036%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: From bestselling author, Max Lucado, comes The Christmas Candle, a timeless holiday film for the entire family. Deep in the... [More]

Starring: Hans Matheson, Samantha Barks, Lesley Manville, James Cosmo

Directed By: John Stephenson

#15

Fred Claus (2007)
21%

#15

Adjusted Score: 25.488%

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: Fred Claus has lived almost his entire life in his little brother's very large shadow. Fred tried, but he could... [More]

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

Directed By: David Dobkin

#14

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
20%

#14

Adjusted Score: 20.744%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: It looks like Christmas (and all that it stands for) is seriously threatened when a troublesome elf (Dudley Moore) joins... [More]

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

Directed By: Jeannot Szwarc

#13

Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (2013)
20%

#13

Adjusted Score: 20.511%

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 gets coaxed into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country for Christmas, but the... [More]

Starring: Tyler Perry, Eric Lively, Chad Michael Murray, Larry The Cable Guy

Directed By: Tyler Perry

#12

The Perfect Holiday (2007)
19%

#12

Adjusted Score: 20.264%

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

Synopsis: Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Queen Latifah, and Terrence Howard star in a film concerning a young girl who implores a... [More]

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

Directed By: Lance Rivera

#11

Love the Coopers (2015)
18%

#11

Adjusted Score: 22.145%

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: LOVE THE COOPERS follows the Cooper clan as four generations of extended family come together for their annual Christmas Eve... [More]

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

Directed By: Jessie Nelson

#10

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
17%

#10

Adjusted Score: 18.578%

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: Tim Allen returns as a regular guy-turned-Jolly Old Elf in the second sequel to the 1994 hit The Santa Clause.... [More]

Starring: Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Martin Short, Judge Reinhold

Directed By: Michael Lembeck

#9

Jingle All the Way (1996)
17%

#9

Adjusted Score: 19.154%

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: The true meaning of Christmas -- desperate last-minute shopping -- is the subject of this holiday-themed comedy. Howard Langston (Arnold... [More]

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

Directed By: Brian Levant

#8

A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014)
14%

#8

Adjusted Score: 12.926%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Boyd and his family are forced to spend a dreaded Christmas at his parents' house with his eccentric father that... [More]

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

Directed By: Tristram Shapeero

#7

Black Christmas (2006)
15%

#7

Adjusted Score: 16.539%

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: Billy, a young boy, was abused by his mother as a child. His mother cheated on Billy's father, and eventually... [More]

Starring: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kristen Cloke, Crystal Lowe

Directed By: Glen Morgan

#6

An American Carol (2008)
12%

#6

Adjusted Score: 13.094%

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: Ebenezer Scrooge gets the parody treatment from veteran writer/director David Zucker (Airplane!, Scary Movie 4) with this comedy starring Kevin... [More]

Starring: Kevin P. Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Nielsen, Trace Adkins

Directed By: David Zucker

#5

Mixed Nuts (1994)
10%

#5

Adjusted Score: 11.288%

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

Synopsis: A holiday comedy with dark overtones, Mixed Nuts presents a supposedly humorous look at the behind-the-scenes events at a crisis... [More]

Starring: Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rita Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia

Directed By: Nora Ephron

#4

Surviving Christmas (2004)
7%

#4

Adjusted Score: 9.809%

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

Synopsis: Facing another Christmas alone, Drew Latham decides to go back to his idyllic childhood home to spend the holidays with... [More]

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

Directed By: Mike Mitchell

#3

Deck the Halls (2006)
6%

#3

Adjusted Score: 8.32%

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: This family comedy is about one-upmanship, jealousy, clashing neighbors, home decoration... and the true spirit of the holidays. Steve, a... [More]

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

Directed By: John Whitesell

#2

Christmas With the Kranks (2004)
5%

#2

Adjusted Score: 8.439%

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: After faithfully and happily celebrating Christmas their entire lives, and with their daughter Blair in Peru to serve a stint... [More]

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

Directed By: Joe Roth

#1

The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)
0%

#1

Adjusted Score: 0.108%

Critics Consensus: Misguided, misconceived, and misbegotten on every level, The Nutcracker in 3D is a stunning exercise in astonishing cinematic wrong-headedness.

Synopsis: Nine-year-old Mary's dull Viennese Christmas is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her beloved Uncle Albert... [More]

Starring: Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane, Frances de la Tour, John Turturro

Directed By: Andrey Konchalovskiy