Christmas movies are big business. It’s actually quite astonishing to see just how many are dedicated to the holiday and some networks even start showing the classics before Thanksgiving. There are many traditional Xmas titles from a variety of eras (The Miracle on 34th Street, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) and there’s certainly no shortage of cheesy, cliche offerings with “Christmas” in the name (A Christmas to Remember, A Christmas Prince, Last Christmas…and so on). However, there’s another breed of Christmastime movie that’s set during the holiday, with a more clearly defined edge, and that’s where we’re headed. Opening the Advent calendar was one of my favorite holiday traditions, so put on your Santa hats and join me through December 24th as I reveal a different alternative Xmas movie each day, Advent calendar style!
Directed by Richard Donner
Written by Shane Black
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Gary Busey
During the holiday season, a veteran detective with an old school mentality is paired with a volatile narcotics detective on suicide-watch. The two couldn’t be any more different but, after a young woman jumps to her death, they must work together to connect the dots and shut down a violent drug-smuggling operation. And just maybe, they can become friends in time for Christmas.
Shane Black sure loves Xmas and you’ll see his name again on this list for that reason. Lethal Weapon both starts and ends with familiar Yuletide songs and the holiday is woven throughout the background. It’s that subtle signature that helped this debut screenplay stand out.
The buddy comedy works well thanks to great performances from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, but Black’s situational humor and surprising emotional gravity did a wonderful job of setting the table for the actors. While it wasn’t the first buddy cop movie, it was the first of them to incorporate heavy action elements and catalyzed an entire action genre for the next decade.
Richard Donner has directed a lot of iconic movies of various styles and, oddly enough, you’ll see his name again on this list also but his versatility paid dividends with this story. Consider that Riggs’ suicidal ideation isn’t a background character trait, it’s almost his defining characteristic. Mental health wasn’t exactly at the forefront of public discussion in 1987 so Donner’s intense and intimate depiction of the character on screen was a big deal. There’s also a scene where Riggs and Murtaugh are talking to a group of Black children and are confronted with the mention of police officers killing Black people. The characters handled the situation with grace but it’s an important moment of social-awareness in a Hollywood blockbuster with a Black lead. Combining those particular elements with high-octane action took a particularly guiding vision in the director’s chair and Donner came through in a big way.
I feel like this was a good choice to start this advent-style list. It’s heavily dressed with festive cheer while not directly focusing on the holiday itself. The film’s success spawned a number of sequel films that Donner returned to direct and a TV show that was well-received during its three seasons. It even received an unofficial fifth installment in pop-culture lore thanks to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You can see Lethal Weapon streaming currently on HBO Max and for rent on most video-on-demand services.
Happy Holidays!