The best Christmas films available with Amazon Prime UK (2022)
David Farnor | On 23, Dec 2022
An Amazon Prime Video subscription costs £5.99 a month – or, if you would like free next day delivery in the UK for your presents, is included within a £79 annual Amazon Prime membership. (A 30-day free trial is available. Click here for more information.)
But with an Amazon Prime Video subscription comes hundreds of films and TV shows at your fingertips, including a growing library of Christmas originals and exclusives. You can read our full guide to Amazon’s complete Christmas catalogue here – but how do you know which is naughty and which is nice? Enter VODzilla.co, where we’ve sorted through the sleigh-full of seasonal offerings to pick out the best Christmas films to put on your watchlist:
The Holiday
Iris is in love with a man who is about to marry another woman. Across the globe, Amanda realises the man she lives with has been unfaithful. Two women who have never met and live 6,000 miles apart, find themselves in the exact same place. They meet online at a home exchange website and impulsively switch homes for the holiday. Come for the cast that includes Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. Stay for the pretty interior decor. (Read our full review.)
Carol
Gorgeous, uplifting and heartbreaking, Carol is an elegant portrait of desire and restraint.
Love Actually
For all its cliches, it’s hard to resist Richard Curtis going full Richard Curtis in this rambling, uneven seasonal anthology. Shrewdly commercial yet annoyingly charming, the cast alone make it worth watching, from Emma Thompson’s bittersweet romance to Bill Nighy’s snorting pop star, while Rowan Atkinson’s cameo as a shop assistant walks away with the whole thing.
The Night Before
Three best friends set out to find the Nutcracka Ball – the Holy Grail of Christmas parties – and enter a night of debauchery and hilarity.
Nativity!
Martin Freeman stars in Debbie Isitt’s charming comedy about a grumpy teacher put in charge of his primary school’s nativity.
This Christmas
Idris Elba and Delroy Lindo star in this 2007 comedy about The Whitfields, who celebrate their first family Christmas together for four years. And they’re going to do it in the traditional style: with put-downs and punch-ups. With a strong cast and a toe-tapping soundtrack, the result an enjoyable family outing that deserves to be on your annual festive playlist.
It’s a Wonderful Life
What would the world be like if you didn’t exist? Frank Capra’s seasonal classic not only tackles the subject of suicide but also manages to find time for topical anti-bankers commentary, angels and heart-warming family sentiment. It’s hard to think of a Christmas movie that’s more human. Available for free (with ads) on IMDb TV.
Rare Exports
Think Santa Claus is nice? Think again. This Finnish horror comedy sees a small mountain village accidentally unleash the real Kris Kringle – and, from dead reindeer to old men running through the wild hills, ensures you’ll never look at a Coca-Cola advert in the same way again. Deadpan, dark and delightfully offbeat, Rare Exports deserves to be seen by everyone at least once.
A Bad Moms Christmas
There is some fun to be had in this festive sequel, which sacrifices originality for cheap and dirty humour.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Dan Stevens leads a charming cast in this Charles Dickens drama that balances cute literary references with the inspiration for A Christmas Carol.
Scrooge (1935)
Silent film star and early 20th century legend of the stage Seymour Hicks stars in this 1935 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Scrooge (1971)
Albert Finney stars in this musical retelling of Charles Dickens’ novel about a miser taken on a journey of self-redemption.
Your Christmas or Mine?
It’s Christmas Eve…Eve. After waving goodbye in Marlyebone Station, new lovers Hayley and James can’t bear to be apart for Christmas, so both decide to surprise each other and unwittingly swap trains by mistake. The snow begins to fall and with it they realise they are trapped with each other’s family for the whole of Christmas. Will their love survive as their secrets get unwrapped? Asa Butterfield stars in this sweet British rom-com.
A Christmas Story
Adult Ralphie Parker reminisces about a family Christmas from his childhood in Bob Clark’s delightful, nostalgic classic.
Arthur Christmas
Aardman’s adorable charm is just about present in this perfectly satisfactory slice of seasonal entertainment, which sees Arthur struggling to save Christmas with a range of high-tech gadgets.
White Christmas
White Christmas returned to the screen with a film named after it in this gorgeously sentiment 1954 outing, which sees Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney charm their way through a Christmas revue being staged in tribute to an old retired army general. Worth watching just for the song “Snow” alone.
Happy Christmas
Joe Swanberg’s drama about an immature sister (Anna Kendrick) crashing on the couch of her brother is awkward, intimate and endearingly sincere.
Paddington
A charming, funny film that embraces everyone in the audience, regardless of age or origin.
Paddington 2
This flawless family comedy will make you laugh, cry and fall in love with Hugh Grant. What more could you want?
Click & Collect
Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry are a highly entertaining double act in this cute festive comedy.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Steve Martin and John Candy join forces for this odd couple comedy about an uptight businessman trying to get back home for the holidays – accompanied by a clumsy salesman. Funny, emotional and a perfect reminder of how brilliant John Hughes was.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Jim Carrey pulls out all the stops for this take on Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which manages to be amusing as well as endearing – and boasts one heck of a make-up team.
Almost Christmas
A classy comic cast ensures that this dysfunctional family Christmas comedy is consistently entertaining, if not family-friendly.
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