What movie to watch with my teens on Christmas eve?

[Sighohbarn]

In an ideal world, we would watch a brilliant new BBCish adaptation of an Agatha Christie set in a Christmassy mansion... that would be perfect.

We have had a terrible year and tbh I have no idea what's come out this year or what we've missed. I would appreciate a suggestion for a movie to watch with my kids on Christmas eve. They are teens ages 14 - 19.

• Doesn't have to be new.
• We like murder mysteries, as long as they're the cosy sort.
• We like action movies but not too violent. Nothing too grim.
• Funny is okay.
• We liked the new Knives Out.
• We liked the Jumanji movies.
• We sometimes watch Marvel stuff.
• A few years ago we enjoyed Christmas Chronicles.
• We hated Red Dead last year.

These are ours
•Die Hard
•Home Alone
•The Muppet Christmas Carol

Hope 2026 is a kinder year for you all.

You should have saved the new knives out for Christmas eve!

Sorry, retrospective advice is not useful. Have they seen stuff like forest gump? Our teens watched that recently and enjoyed it.

I'm also looking for a family friendly favourite for Christmas eve...

As I wrote the post, I realised we should have saved knives out!! Oh well. Too late now. Did your teens get the historical references in Forrest Gump?

Thank you @BiggyJ . We have all seen Muppet Christmas Carol and Home Alone (both great choices). I don't think I've ever seen Die Hard. Maybe we should watch that? Is it very violent?

Clockwise with John Cleese.

A new movie out on Christmas Eve with Stephen Fry....

Stephen Fry is starring in the new Christmas film "Finding Father Christmas" which airs on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve at 7:30 pm.
The film is a heart-warming drama also featuring Greg Davies and Lenny Rush, about a teenager on a quest to prove Father Christmas exists.

Hi op,

I didn’t get any of the historical references when i saw Forest Gump but it still didn’t stop me enjoying it.

A few recommendations from me:

Princess Bride (obvs)

As kids (and adults) we also loved for funny:

Ace Ventura Pet Detective (on Netflix)
Liar Liar (on Prime)
Hook (Prime)

But you all may have seen them all!

We have teen boys and they’ve made a ‘must watch’ list of films they want to watch in the 10 days or so before Christmas.

They’ve chosen Arthur Christmas for Xmas Eve.
other movies for the run up include:
Violent night (funny but definitely violent)
Red One
Home Alone
Polar Express
Nativity

It's a Wonderful Life.

Elf. So funny.

Arthur Christmas
Deck the Halls
Last Christmas (don't watch if themes of death are going to be upsetting)

Yes Red One is very good, also The Princess Bride
Nat lampoon Christmas Vacation, its silly but funny.

Oh and Uncle Buck is really good.

Planes trains and automobiles

Last Christmas if you haven’t seen it. It’s so good. Or The Holiday

We watched a movie last night called 'red one' and really enjoyed it

I'm watching the trailers for all the ones I haven't heard of. Nothing perfect yet. Maybe I just have choice fatigue? Maybe I'm just fussy.

Not a Christmas movie but one we watched and enjoyed many times when our DC were teens is RV, a comedy starring Robin Williams, definitely has the feel good factor.
Link to trailer

Sister Boniface mysteries? Just released on BBC iplayer.

I have just watched a few Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise Christmas specials which remind me a bit of Johnathan Creek which your teens might enjoy if they liked Knives Out.

My teens/early 20s love About a Boy. And Nativity

Catch Me if You Can. It's funny, has suspense, goes at pace. It's a tradition for us to watch at Christmas but I have no idea why.

@Sighohbarn - my immediate thought was also Die Hard (our annual Christmas movie) - it does have violence but in a very 80s action movie type way so it's more comical really rather than upsetting.

In terms of newer films that hit the more cosy(ISH) crime vibe without being too violent

Few years ago now but See How They Run if you haven't watched should definitely hit the brief of cosy crime type vibe as it's a murder mystery set in the 1950s during a filming of adaptation of The Mousetrap so has your AC in it. Very funny and well done

TV series that came out this year that hits the AC kind of brief was Mark Gattis new show Bookish about a book shop owner who solves crimes in post war London. We really enjoyed that.

Conclave - yes it's actually about a new pope being appointed but it plays out like a locked room crime thriller and the acting is superb and it's surprisingly fast paced and enjoyable.

Hit Man on Netflix - comic-noir type movie about a guy who poses as a hit man - it was surprisingly good (as I thought it was going to be Netflix rubbish, and got good reviews)
Presume you've already done Thursday murder club but if not feels like that would hit the brief.

There are the Enola Holmes on Netflix with Milly Bobby Brown out of Stranger things in that may hit the brief.

Also throwing in The Holdovers - doesn't hit the brief in terms of cosy crime but I love it. Came out early this year but is really a Christmas movie and is about young men and.coming of age and is absolutely excellent.

Yes I guessed the main killer in Wake Up Dead Man straight away because of how much Death in Paradise and Jonathan Creek I’ve watched 😀

I also loved Conclave, I found it fascinating!

More Thanksgiving than Christmas but we love Planes Trains and Automobiles