KC On The Go

Tis’ the season to get cozy on your sofa with some hot chocolate and your favorite holiday movie. I love a good holiday movie. I’ve also been known to love a bad holiday movie here and there. With a mere week to go until the big guy comes around with his bag of goodies, it’s your last chance to get in all your favorites before the warm merriness of December has turned into the January freeze.

When talking films, there aren’t many settings more iconic than New York City. The feeling of awe New York creates is only magnified around the holidays. From the charming store windows to the streets lined with trees covered in twinkling lights, it’s a picture perfect postcard. And, there’s always a chance for a snow covered cityscape for all of you out there hoping for a white Christmas! If you aren’t already smitten with the Big Apple, these holiday movies will absolutely make you fall in love.

ELF

What can I say, this movie has everything – a 6’3” Will Ferrell dressed in a giant yellow and green elf suit, Zooey Deschanel’s angelic voice singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in the ladies room, classic quotes, Sonny Corleone and Tyrion Lannister…and it’s funny! As if that weren’t enough to entice you, it’s hour and 37 minutes is jam packed with iconic shots of New York City.

Watching Will Ferrell frolic his way around the city charming the pants off of everyone he meets always puts a smile on my face. Like most New Yorkers, I tend to take the city for granted. Buddy’s childlike enthusiasm as he experiences places such as the tree at Rockefeller Center for the first time, is so magical. I remember having that same exact feeling of wonder as a child when my parents brought us into the city during the holidays. Just do me a favor, please don’t walk through the Lincoln Tunnel.

Featured locations: The Empire State Building, Central Park, Rockefeller Center

SERENDIPITY

I’m not quite sure there is anything more romantic than John Cusack schlepping his way all over New York City to find that elusive woman he spent one magical night with riding the elevators of the Waldorf Astoria in a long ago December. He even goes to other boroughs in his quest to find her! It must be true love.

If this movie doesn’t make you want to run to Wollman Rink in Central Park for a skate then head over to Serendipity 3 for some hot chocolate, then I’d seriously question if you have a heart. Add in some snow flurries and you’ve got yourself what I like to refer to as a “New York moment”*. What makes this particular jaunt so great – it isn’t just made up for the sake of movie magic, the two locations really are quite close. Sounds like a great date to me.

Featured locations: Wollman Rink in Central Park, Serendipity 3, Waldorf Astoria Hotel

HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK

In this sequel, troublemaker Kevin McCallister is abandoned once again by his family, this time in New York, and hijinks invariably ensue. What a coincidence that the very same men that tried to rob his home the previous year happen to be in New York as well.

Although the original will always be just that, original, part of me always preferred this one simply for the scenery. Who needs a house in the suburbs of Chicago when you’re staying at The Plaza Hotel and there’s an entire city as your disposal? I suppose, based on my tastes, I should have realized back then that I was destined for life in the city and not the burbs. As an added bonus, Tim Curry graces our screens in this one to foil our young protagonist’s adventures.

Featured locations: The Plaza Hotel, Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Times Square, Rockefeller Center

SCROOGED

I feel like this dark comedy is underrated and underappreciated. I mean, try to find it on TV, those of you who still have TV, leading up to or even on Christmas. It’s a rare thing to behold. In years past, I’ve spent time scouring the listings only to find that I had missed the one and only airing. What is that all about? It’s Bill Murray…come on people!

In this modern day take on Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, Murray’s Frank Cross whizzes through the streets of New York past, present and future. The always delightful Karen Allen does not disappoint in this either – adding a ray of sunshine to her Lumpy’s life and our screens. Perhaps the most memorable performance comes from the Ghost of Christmas Present played by Carol Kane, who proceeds to head butt Frank AND hit him over the head with a toaster – classic. The end scene never fails to “put a little love in my heart”. Sorry, that was too easy.

Featured locations: Seagram Building

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

A true classic and my mother’s favorite – the original from 1947, that is. So naturally, we watched this every year growing up. I have to admit, I’m due for a rewatch of this one as it’s been quite some time but, I’m fairly certain this movie settled the argument once and for all that Santa really does exist. Luckily for us New Yorkers, he hangs out in Macy’s on 34th Street.

This story about Kris Kringle trying to bring the spirit of Christmas back has the ability to warm even the most hardened of hearts. After all, Christmas is a time for miracles. It stars a favorite of mine, Maureen O’Hara, and a very young Natalie Wood. The real star of the show, in my opinion, is New York City. It’s fun to take a peek at old New York. Even in black and white the scenes of the city are just beautiful.

Featured locations: Macy’s

CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT

You may be thinking with a title like Christmas in Connecticut, this doesn’t belong on the list. Well, don’t let the title fool you. Barbara Stanwyck, herself a New York City girl, plays a single news columnist who lives a modest life in the city and masquerades as a wife and mother living on a farm in Connecticut for the sake of her food column.

Though it’s not packed with iconic shots of the city like some of the other films, Stanwyck’s character is a true New York cosmopolitan woman. Let’s look at the proof – she lives in a small apartment, is too busy to think about dating, spends more than she can afford on things such as mink coats and never cooks her own meals preferring takeout from the restaurant downstairs. Some things never change.

Featured Locations: New York City skyline

Honorable Mentions:

These movies are set in New York City, they each have memorable holiday scenes and they were all written by Ephrons! The first written by Henry and Phoebe Ephron, the latter two by their daughter, Nora Ephron.

DESK SET

Nothing says “Christmas” quite like a group of TV Network employees who fear they’re getting a pink slip in their stockings. On the other hand, Hepburn and Tracy – need I say more? I saw this movie for the first time when I was quite young with my Nana who had a love of old movies, so it holds a special place in my heart. Little did I know then that I too would end up working for a television network in New York City. The holiday party scenes are a delight with a tipsy Hepburn really shining. If you think you know all the reindeer names, give the movie a watch, you may be surprised.

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY…

The first in our double dose of Meg Ryan to get an honorable mention is arguably one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. Who can forget Harry and Sally carrying a Christmas tree from the Plant Shed on the Upper West Side through the streets of New York? Why is it that carrying a six foot tree home is not only appealing but downright charming when it’s done in New York? And then there’s the last scene, Harry making a mad dash to get to Sally before midnight on New Year’s Eve? Ah, only in New York.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

This is the last of Nora Ephron’s Meg Ryan trilogy. If watching this movie makes you want to gather ‘round the piano with your loved ones to sing “The Instrument Song” this holiday, you’re not alone. I honestly don’t know if any other movie on this list makes me yearn for New York in the fall and winter as much as this one. This may be due to the fact that I actually lived on the Upper West Side, the neighborhood where Kathleen Kelly’s store is located and much of the movie takes place, when it came out. Everything from the checkout scene in Zabar’s to Kathleen decorating her little tree brings me back to that time and place.

If I weren’t already here, I’d want to hop a flight to New York right now to hit every one of these iconic spots before the holidays are over. Instead, I think I’ll just hunker down in my apartment and have a holiday movie marathon. Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know!

 

*NEW YORK MOMENT – Any moment experienced in New York City where you feel as if you’re in a scene from movie. Happens all the time here.