6 of the best and 6 of the worst Christmas movies on Netflix, according to critics
Netflix / Bob Mahoney / Mark Mainz
- The holiday season is incomplete for many people without holiday movies.
- This year, Netflix is streaming a wide range of Christmas classics and original movies.
- Business Insider has rounded up what critics say are the best and worst Christmas movies on Netflix.
It is the time of year when many turn to Christmas and holiday movies to get them through the winter.
Netflix has a bunch of Christmas films available, many of which are originals.
Here are six movies to watch this holiday season — and six to consider skipping.
Netflix
Summary: As Norway's worst postal student, Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) is exiled to Smeerensburg and instructed to deliver 6,000 letters within a year. Through befriending a carpenter named Klaus (J.K. Simmons) and a teacher named Alva (Rashida Jones), Jesper is able to bring joy back to the town.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Why you should watch it: Critics praised the beautiful animation and hopeful narrative.
Netflix
Summary: In this magical musical, toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) teams up with his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) to recover an invention stolen from him long ago and restore his legacy.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Why you should watch it: Critics said the film is creative and fun for adults and kids alike. If you love musicals and the magic of Christmas, "Jingle Jangle" is fun to watch.
Steve Wilkie / Netflix
Summary: "Let It Snow" is a holiday rom-com about a group of young people in a small town in Illinois who are forced together by a snowstorm.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Why you should watch it: "Let It Snow" is more diverse than the typical Christmas rom-com, and critics praised the charming young cast.
Paramount Pictures
Summary: The 1954 musical follows two former soldiers-turned-performers as they meet a beautiful sister singing duo. The two groups must work together to save the lodge owned by the soldiers' former commander.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
Why you should watch it: Critics said "White Christmas" is warm and cozy. Perfect for a winter afternoon.
Netflix
Summary: Lacey Chabert stars as Kathy, a grieving widow who accidentally brings a snowman to life with a magic scarf. When she takes the responsibility of looking after the living snowman (Dustin Milligan), she gains a new perspective on life.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Why you should watch it: On the surface, "Hot Frosty" seems like a silly film about a hot snowman, but it's also the perfect self-aware cozy movie to watch during the holidays.
Sam Lothridge / Netflix
Summary: Taron Egerton stars as a young, apathetic TSA agent who is blackmailed by a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) into allowing a mysterious package through security checks. The agent instead tries to stop the package from reaching its destination while protecting his loved ones.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Why you should watch it: This is the closest thing to "Die Hard" on Netflix's catalog. A fun, electrifying thriller set on Christmas Eve, where one man takes on a team of highly trained terrorists.
Netflix
Summary: In the "Princess Switch" franchise, Vanessa Hudgens plays numerous lookalikes who bump into each other during the Christmas season in the kingdom of Belgravia. Chaos ensues.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53% - 56%
Why you should skip it: While the first "Princess Switch" was received reasonably well, the sequels — "The Princess Switch: Switched Again" and "The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star" — overdid it with the switching.
Cos Aelenei / Netflix
Summary: This franchise stars Rose McIver as a magazine journalist who falls for a prince while trying to write an exposé about him.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36% - 50%
Why you should skip it: "A Christmas Prince" was fun, but sequels "A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding" and "A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby" made this royal love story outstay its welcome.
Steve Dietl / Netflix
Summary: Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) are sick of bad dates and meddling family members. When they have a chance encounter, they decide to pretend to be a couple for the holidays. The arrangement works until they start to grow feelings for each other.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 45%
Why you should skip it: Roberts and Bracey have great chemistry, but critics thought the film was mediocre.
STX Entertainment
Summary: In the Christmassy sequel to "Bad Moms," Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn return as three mothers living life to the fullest, defying social expectations. This time, they are rebelling against their mothers, who are making the holidays difficult.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%
Why you should skip it: Critics said the sequel was not as funny or charming as the original "Bad Moms." "A Bad Moms Christmas" is fun to watch once, but it won't become a Christmas classic.
Bob Mahoney/Netflix
Summary: Ian Harding and Lindsay Lohan team up as two exes forced to be nice to each other at a family Christmas gathering when they discover their new lovers are siblings.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%
Why you should skip it: Lindsay Lohan's Netflix holiday movies are divisive: you either love how bad they are or are completely bored by them. Critics said "Our Little Secret" is better than Lohan's other two movies but still formulaic, and the two lead stars have poor chemistry.
Scott Everett White/Netflix
Summary: Charlotte (Heather Graham) is envious of her old college friend Jackie (Brandy Norwood), who sends a Christmas letter every year about her family's accomplishments. When Charlotte and her family get stuck at Jackie's house for Christmas, Charlotte attempts to expose Jackie for lying about her perfect life.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%
Why you should skip it: Critics were not enthused by this film, with most saying that the story was poor and did not make much sense.