Original Die Hard screenwriter Steven E. de Souza has reaffirmed the Bruce Willis action classic is indeed a Christmas movie, comparing it with the 1954 musical comedy White Christmas. Starring Bing Crosby and including an updated version of his classic Christmas track of the same name, White Christmas follows the story of the former Broadway star Captain Bob Wallace and Danny Kaye’s Private Phil Davis as they embark on a joint musical career as producers after meeting during a wartime Christmas show on the front lines of World War II. Despite being widely regarded as a Christmas classic, the story of White Christmas spans multiple years, with the movie both beginning and ending on a different Christmas Eve.
Responding to a post from CNN’s Jake Tapper, de Souza posted a side-by-side comparison of White Christmas and Die Hard proving that Die Hard “is even *more* Christmas-y” than the 1954 Bing Crosby classic. Check out his post below:
Pointing out that Die Hard takes place entirely throughout Christmas Eve and features more Christmas songs than White Christmas, de Souza’s “Christmas Movie or Not Checklist” perfectly sums up why the Willis film is more deserving of being considered a Christmas movie.
Will The Die Hard Christmas Movie Debate Ever Be Resolved?
Ever since its 1988 debut, viewers of the action classic have debated whether Die Hard constitutes an official Christmas movie or is merely an action movie whose events occur on Christmas Eve. Despite being widely regarded as one of the most influential films of the 1980s, and a template for countless action movies to follow, the Christmas movie debate has never really been settled to anyone’s satisfaction, and even after 35 years, the question still looms large every holiday season.
While de Souza may be adamant that the movie he helped write constitutes an official Christmas movie, the cast and crew are almost as divided on the matter as much as the general populace. While director John McTiernan remains non-committal and suggests that the movie’s status as a Christmas movie is open for interpretation, Willis once famously said “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a god-damn Bruce Willis movie.” Meanwhile, the studio responsible for the movie, 20th Century Fox, once actively marketed the film as “the greatest Christmas story ever told” for its 30th anniversary in 2018.
How Old Bruce Willis Was In Every Die Hard Movie
With the Die Hard movies spanning more than 20 years, Bruce Willis and his character, John McClane, aged significantly throughout the franchise.
Regardless of whether Die Hard is an official Christmas movie or not, the film’s legacy has become indelibly linked with the holiday period, and engaging in a debate with family and friends has become a common pastime for many who celebrate the season. While de Souza’s latest post may potentially serve to advance those in favor of his view on the matter, it is still unlikely to resolve the decades-long debate. Hopefully, a final resolution will never be made, as much of the fun lies in offering a well-reasoned and passionate case for either side every holiday season.
Die Hard
- Release Date
- July 20, 1988
- Director
- John McTiernan
- Cast
- Alan Rickman , Bruce Willis , Bonnie Bedelia , Hart Bochner , Reginald VelJohnson
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 132 minutes
- Main Genre
- Action
- Genres
- Thriller , Action
- Writers
- Steven E. de Souza , Jeb Stuart
- Website
- https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/die-hard
- Franchise
- Die Hard
- Sequel
- Live Free or Die Hard, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Die Hard 2, A Good Day to Die Hard
- Cinematographer
- Jan de Bont
- Producer
- Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver
- Production Company
- Silver Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Gordon Company
- Budget
- $28 million
