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6 best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video

Here are the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video that you can watch, including the classic It's A Wonderful Life.
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Published onDecember 22, 2020

christmas movies amazon prime

Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video are something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, subscribers have a lot of standard Hallmark-style films to muddle through. On the other hand, they also can stream It’s A Wonderful Life, which may be the best Christmas movie ever made. So what’s worth watching as you get ready for the big day? Here are our picks for the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video. We will also include movies from Amazon’s free-to-watch iMDB TV channel on this list.

Read More: Best Christmas movies to stream

You can sign up for Amazon Prime and get Amazon Prime Video at the link below, with a 30-day free trial.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life

There’s not much that needs to be said about this movie. Released in 1946 and directed by Frank Capra, it’s hard to believe It’s A Wonderful Life wasn’t a huge box office hit. It only began to become popular once local TV stations began rerunning the film constantly in the 1970s. Beyond the Christmas themes and setting, this movie is also all about how one person can affect the lives of so many other people. Jimmy Stewart’s portrayal of George Bailey is truthful to its core. George is a humble man who always looks out for others in the town of Bedford Falls. However, a fateful Christmas Eve puts George over the edge, and it’s up to a helpful angel named Clarence to show him that his life is truly wonderful.

Oh, and let’s not forget one of the best movie villains of all time. Lionel Barrymore is perfect as George Bailey’s opposite, the super-rich Henry Potter who tries his best to take down George.

You can watch the classic black and white version of this film but Amazon Prime also has a colorized version to stream as well.

 

2. Noel

This is a more serious Chrismas film that was released in 2004 and directed by Chazz Palminteri. Five people with their own stories and troubles, spend Christmas Eve in New York City and encounter each other as the movie goes forward. The film includes Susan Sarandon as a woman trying to take care of her ill mother. Penélope Cruz and the late Paul Walker play a couple with their own issues. Alan Arkin portrays a man seeking his dead wife. The late Robin Williams also shows up in an interesting role.


3. An American Christmas Carol

an american christmas carol

Back when he was the biggest TV star in the world as The Fonz on Happy Days, Henry Winkler took a chance and played against type in this 1979 TV movie. Based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Winkler put on a lot of makeup to play Benedict Slade. This US version of Scrooge is no less mean and spiteful at the beginning of this movie. However, Slade goes back and forward in time as he is visited by three ghosts that show him he doesn’t need to feel this way.


4. The Christmas Switch

Even Santa Claus feels old sometimes. That’s the premise of this 2014 movie where Santa feels he needs someone else to take over. Actually, he just needs a young man’s body to get through the Christmas delivery season. He picks, for some reason, a young card gambler named Eddie for this switch. Eddie agrees, for one million in cash, and the body switch happens. So what happens when Santa is in a young man’s body? What happens to Eddie as he starts to realize there’s more than money to life? You will just have to watch the film to find out.


5. The Nutcracker

This is a 1993 adaptation of the Christmas themed musical, with dancing provided by the New York City Ballet. This movie is notable because MacAulay Culkin, still a major movie star at the time, was cast in the lead role of the toy Nutcracker who turns in a real boy. Kevin Kline also serves as the narrator. This is an excellent way to introduce young people to ballet via a Christmas classic.


6. RiffTrax: Christmas Circus with Whizzo the Clown

whizzo christmas

For our final Chrismas movies on Amazon Prime selection, we have something that’s really off the beaten path. It’s a strange film called Christmas Circus with Whizzo the Clown. It’s about a clown called Whizzo who takes some kids on his magic carpet to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. Before you run off, you should be away this is a RiffTrax version of this odd movie. Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, all formerly of Mystery Science Theater 3000, talk over this movie as well. If you need some funny riffing during Christmas, this is the perfect choice.


That’s our look at the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video. And if you’re looking for more to watch, head here for a list of even more Christmas favorites on all of the streaming platforms. We hope you will have a happy and safe holiday streaming your favorite movies.

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