For several decades now, the matter concerning whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not has lingered in the minds of fans, some divided with a fanatical fervor over each other. This 1988 action classic, set on Christmas Eve, is set against a backdrop fascinated by Christmas music and even loaded with the supply of dialogue decorated with the Christmas spirit; yet, its frantic, big-budget thriller nature fails to enshrine it within the parameters of the traditional holiday film.
During Bruce’s Comedy Central Roast, the eternal question was again raised, and the sharp-quipped actor himself addressed the matter.
The Case For ‘Die Hard’ As A Christmas Movie
The proponents of ‘Die Hard‘ as a “Christmas film” claim that its themes and settings are closely matched with the holiday it depicts. This film has been set during an office Christmas party inside Nakatomi Plaza, which has been decorated with and filled with holiday cheer. The film even features that now-famous scene with the terrible, taped-to-the-irony-decked dead terrorist door bearing the graffiti, “Now I Have a Machine Gun. Ho-Ho-Ho!” Besides all of that, Die Hard offers themes about family, redemption, and love in a way that one might call a quintessential Christmas film.
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Along with the songs ‘Let It Snow‘ and ‘Ode to Joy,’ the film’s score gives these film viewers an extra reason to say it is a Christmas movie at its very heart. In recent years, many people established watching Die Hard over Christmas break as a “tradition,” therefore a Christmas movie isn’t always about snowball fights and Santa Claus.
Bruce Willis’ Take On The Matter
During his Comedy Central roast, Bruce Willis weighed in on the controversy himself at least. In his speech, Willis firmly and clearly proclaimed that “Die Hard is not a Christmas film. It is a goddamn Bruce Willis movie!” That statement drew uproarious laughter and applause from the audience but additionally put a twig on the never-ending discussion among fans. Although Willis dismissed any association with Christmas, many fans can’t ignore the Christmas connection that has stood the test of time.
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Finally, Die Hard can be categorized in a way that goes beyond traditional definitions. For some, it’s a Christmas movie; for others, it’s a Bruce Willis classic; but what it undeniably does is unite audiences both on holidays and year-round.
