What To Watch After Christmas: The Best Movies To Stream During Your Holiday Hangover

Set in the winter months but not necessarily a holiday film, Coming to America is a great movie to check out in the aftermath of the holiday season. The film stars Eddie Murphy at the height of his star power as Akeem Joffer, the prince of an African nation who decides to travel to New York City in hopes of finding a bride who loves him for him, not his station. Silly and romantic in equal measure, Coming to America benefits from a lighthearted tone that nevertheless explores themes of social class and bucking tradition.

Bolstered by a great supporting cast that includes Wesley Snipes and James Earl Jones, this is a great reminder of Murphy’s talents beyond playing a street-smart player in Beverly Hills Cop (1984) or Trading Places (1983). It’s a fun film to close out the holiday season with, especially as the themes are great for audiences heading into the new year, looking for new beginnings. 

The third outing for Daniel Craig as James Bond, Skyfall is a perfect fit for audiences looking for a bit of epic action to break up the more grounded and sweet fodder that makes up most holiday films. The movie focuses on a long-believed dead member of MI:6, who returns to enact revenge on M, meaning James Bond must confront the sins of his organization’s past while contending with his own history.

Set against a winter backdrop that becomes clearer in the film’s explosive ending, Skyfall has some wild twists and turns that only work thanks to the committed performances at the heart of the film. With Javier Bardem delivering an amazing villain performance opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond, Skyfall works as a great palette cleanser for the old year and ends with a wide-open future.

A perfect watch for fans of Bill Murray movies like Scrooged (1988) and Ghostbusters (1984), the sense of renewed life and love in Groundhog Day makes it great for starting the new year. Focusing on a jerk of a weatherman who finds himself caught in an endless time loop of the same 24 hours, Murray imbues Groundhog Day with enough disarming comedy and understated charm to make it irresistible.

As the film goes along, Groundhog Day gradually develops a softer side, showcasing its talent for mixing dark comedy with sincere heart. A clear tonal ancestor to other successful time loop stories like Palm Springs (2020) and About Time (2013), Groundhog Day is a classic for a reason.

With Die Hard (1988) becoming something of a Christmas classic, fans looking for another John McClane adventure should check out Die Hard with a Vengeance. Set in New York City, the film pairs McClane with a short-tempered Harlem business owner to contend with the dangerous brother of Hans Gruber, who is seemingly out for revenge. Harsher than almost any other entry in the series, this sequel features plenty of snarky back-and-forth between McClane and Zeus (played to perfection by Samuel L. Jackson) to keep audiences engaged.

It also boasts some of the franchise’s best action set pieces. While the actual plot is set against the blistering New York summer, audiences looking for a new McClane adventure will find plenty to love about this one. However, families who give the first film a pass and let kids and teens check out the action might want to steer them clear of Die Hard with a Vengeance, given the harsher language and situations like the sandwich board scene, which has to be seen to be believed.

One of the all-time great sports films, Rocky is a perfect film to transition away from the holiday season. Set against a wintry backdrop in Philadelphia, the film follows the titular boxer as he prepares for a once-in-a-lifetime bout with the champ, Apollo Creed. Finding the key balance between uplifting and dramatic, Rocky’s more somber elements will keep audiences engaged while laying the groundwork for some of the best training montages in cinematic history.

It all builds to a timeless fight where Rocky doesn’t necessarily win, but proves that he can go the distance. Even if you’ve seen this film a hundred times (or know all the often imitated story beats by heart), the Rocky franchise is great for this time of year thanks to other films like the campy jingoism of Rocky IV (1985) or the technically superior—and incredibly impressive—Creed (2015) and its own sequels.

While Gremlins (1984) is a great holiday movie, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is far weirder, with enough subversive elements to make it ideal for the post-holiday season. The film follows Billy and Kate’s efforts to rescue Gizmo from the Clamp Center after he accidentally spawns a number of new mogwai.

Sillier than the horror-heavy original film, Gremlins 2 is a far more subversive title. The movie boasts plenty of parodies of classic film franchises, even briefly turning Gizmo into Rambo. More of a parody of sequels than a full-throated one itself, Gremlins 2 has a lot of fun poking fun at its own existence and at the modern classic that spawned it, with a lighter and more sardonic tone than the previous movie. If you loved the first Gremlins (or even if you hated it), Gremlins 2 might be a great movie to head into the new year with.

A sweetheart movie from beginning to end, Harvey is a genuine delight and a great way to ring in the new year. While Jimmy Stewart’s holiday era films will always be defined by his starring role in It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), Harvey is every bit as good as that holiday classic—and maybe even better, thanks to a winning script that finds the right balance between witty repertoire and unyielding heart.

The film focuses on Jimmy Stewart’s Elwood, a wealthy young man who is pleasant to everyone he meets, a trait he seemingly acquired from his best friend, an invisible giant rabbit only he can see. Based on a play of the same name, Harvey benefits greatly from Stewart’s perpetually kind performance, with his soft side steadily winning over the relatives and doctors who fear that he’s gone mad. A winning film with a great big heart, Harvey is just sardonic enough to stand out from the typical holiday fare, but cute enough not to feel like too much of a departure from the season.

A terrific dramedy with Academy Award-winning performances, The Holdovers is a great late-winter film for older audiences. The movie focuses on a teacher and cafeteria manager at a prestigious boarding school who are forced to remain there over the holidays to chaperone the students with no holiday plans.

Prickly without ever feeling mean, The Holdovers benefits greatly from a surprisingly snarky tone. Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and especially Da’Vine Joy Randolph are terrific in the film, with the latter even earning a well-deserved Oscar for her heartbreaking performance as a mourning mother. A great anti-Christmas movie that nevertheless highlights the spirit of the season in its own unique way, The Holdovers may not be the right fit for younger audiences, but older viewers who love movies like Sideways (2004) or The Descendants (2011) will find plenty to love about this one.

A grim post-apocalyptic sci-fi action film set against an endless winter may not necessarily be what anyone thinks of when it comes time for the holidays, but Snowpiercer is a great flick to watch if you’re in need of some intense action and creative social satire. It follows an uprising among the workers onboard one of the last moving trains after the collapse of the world due to a new ice age. 

Snowpiercer is one of Bong Joon Ho’s most unique films, and considering he’s the visionary behind Parasite (2019) and Mickey 17 (2025), that’s saying something. Brutal in its action but with a defiant humanist core, Snowpiercer, as well as the Snowpiercer (2020) TV show that was inspired by it, are worth your time if you’re in the mood for a dark sci-fi epic. It’s a far cry from the more uplifting movies that usually define this time of year, but that’s what makes it such a good choice.

One of the biggest comedies of all time, The Great Race is everything audiences could want from a movie meant to end the year. The film focuses on a global race between Tony Curtis’ perfect Leslie the Great and his nemesis, Jack Lemmon’s conniving Professor Fate.

Slapstick at its finest, the film boasts a massive saloon brawl, encounters with polar bears, and the greatest pie fight in cinematic history. Coupled with Natalie Wood delivering a terrific performance as an intrepid reporter, Maggie DuBois, and a series of adventurous set pieces designed to honor the silent comedy icons that inspired generations of movie makers, The Great Race is a unique achievement of the comedy genre and the perfect non-holiday movie to watch in the aftermath of Christmas.