Every Movie Named After a Holiday, Ranked
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While there are hundreds of films that either take place on a holiday or revolve around a holiday, there aren't as many that are actually named after one. However, we're not talking about films like Born of the Fourth of July or A Christmas Story. We are talking about movies where the title is only the name of a holiday.
We're taking a look at all of these films and ranking them in order of IMDB rating (We've also included Metacritics scores where available). In addition, we're keeping remakes like Mother's Day (2010) and the Rob Zombie's Halloween films off the list. Originals only.
Spoiler alert: most of these films are completely terrible.
17. Christmas Eve (2015)
While there are a ton of movies about Christmas, there are only a couple that named themselves after the actual holiday. In 2015, Larry King produced Christmas Eve, which is the story of six different elevators that fail and trap people inside. As you can see from the trailer, each group of people learns a valuable lesson about life. This heartwarming tale features Patrick Stewart and Jon Heder, and it looks as though it was shot on someone's phone.
IMDB Score: 5.1
Metacritic Score: 24
16. Fathers' Day (1997)
Robin Williams and Billy Crystal teamed up for the story of two men that were conned by their ex-girlfriend to find her son. She led them to believe that each of them were the boy's father. The film was directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes, Ghostbusters II, Kindergarten Cop), and it features two of the biggest stars of the '80s and '90s in Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. The trailer doesn't look incredibly awful, but this movie was not a hit with critics nor the average moviegoer.
IMDB Score: 5.1
15. Ash Wednesday (1973)
Ash Wednesday is a Golden Globe-nominated film starring Elizabeth Taylor. In it, a young woman heads to Switzerland to get plastic surgery in order to save her marriage. While this film is listed as a drama and mystery, the one video we found of Ash Wednesday makes it seem like a modern-day horror. Stranger yet, we have no clue how this ties to the holiday Ash Wednesday.
IMDB Score: 5.2
14. Mother's Day (1980)
"When you know how to celebrate, every day is Mother's Day," according to the NSFW trailer for the 1980 film Mother's Day. Two brothers kidnap some women and brutalize them for the pleasure of their mother. It was written and directed by Charles Kaufman, who you may know as the writer from animated series like Dennis The Menace and Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters. You'll never look the same at those two cartoons again.
IMDB Score: 5.4
13. Columbus Day (2008)
Columbus Day is a heist film starring Val Kilmer. He plays a guy who just completed his final heist and now has one hour to make the deal of a lifetime. If that sounds bland, it's because it is. Even the trailer has trouble holding the interest of the viewer. When Kilmer's character isn't on the phone or running away from people shooting at him, he's teaming up with Bobb'e Thompson's character, who is most noted for his role in Role Models.
IMDB Score: 5.5
12. Mother's Day (2016)
And now, we get to the first of the recent movies about holidays, directed by the late Garry Marshall. Mother's Day follows multiple storylines, which all weave together, and each story revolves around mothers or Mother's Day. Much like Marshall's other holiday-named films, this movie relies on a star-studded cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and more. Mother's Day's trailer seems to be the food-equivalent of a can of sardines: too much crammed into a small package.
IMDB Score: 5.6
Metacritic Score: 18
11. New Year's Day (1989)
New Year's Day is David Duchovny's second film. Before he was searching for the truth on The X-Files, he was featured in this dramedy about a man who returned to his sublet apartment. He found that the old tenants were still living there, under the assumption their lease was up on New Year's Day. Someone cut together scenes from this film, and it looks exceptionally boring.
IMDB Score: 5.7
10. New Year's Eve (2011)
New Year's Eve is the second Garry Marshall-directed holiday film. Once again, a star-studded cast comes together to tell multiple stories revolving around people in New York City on New Year's Eve. The trailer shows off the stories which all seem to end with people partying in the city that never sleeps, while all the characters learn what the meaning of New Year's Eve is to them. In addition, much like Christmas Eve, we get another story of people trapped in an elevator.
IMDB Score: 5.7
Metacritic Score: 22
9. Valentine's Day (2010)
The third Garry Marshall film on the list is Valentine's Day. It's an uplifting story that interweaves numerous stories all taking place on Valentine's Day. Each character from this star-studded cast learns what Valentine's Day means to them. This seems like deja vu at this point, since all three of Marshall's holiday-inspired films seem the same. Check out the trailer for yourself, featuring awkward moments between parents and their kids, teenagers being in love, and Julia Roberts smiling.
IMDB Score: 5.7
Metacritic Score: 34
8. Ash Wednesday (2002)
Elijah Wood stars in Ash Wednesday, a story of two Irish-American brothers who become caught up in a conflict with the Irish mob. It all takes place on the titular religious holiday. The film may not embrace what the holiday is all about, but it does have a trailer featuring people shooting into a bathroom stall.
IMDB Score: 5.9
Metacritic Score: 40
7. Christmas Eve (1947)
Christmas Eve seems to be the first holiday-named movie that kicked off the trend, which really didn't take flight until the '90s. George Raft (Some Like It Hot, the original Ocean's 11) stars in this film about a woman who must find her three adopted sons for a Chrstimas Eve reunion, so her greedy nephew doesn't take over her estate. Obviously, there is no trailer for the film, but you can check out the opening of the film, which doesn't have the audio and video synced.
IMDB Score: 6.0
6. April Fool's Day (1986)
In April Fool's Day, a group of college kids go to a friend's mansion for the weekend. During that time, they all get killed. One of the college kids is Thomas F. Wilson, who you probably know better as Biff Tannen from the Back to the Future series. The film seems like a typical '80s horror film, but the trailer is a wonderful masterpiece of misdirection in tone.
IMDB Score: 6.2
5. Independence Day (1983)
Nope, this isn't the Independence Day you were thinking of. A young woman lives in a small town in Texas but has big dreams of moving out and pursuing a career in photography. The title of the film has completely new meaning after you watch the trailer from Warner Brothers.
IMDB Score: 6.6
4. Labor Day (2013)
In Labor Day, Josh Brolin plays an escaped convict who gets help from a woman (Kate Winslet). She takes care of him during the Labor Day weekend as the two grow close to one another, while everyone is looking for Brolin's character. However, the trailer portrays a bit of a different story, which makes the convict look like a kidnapper. We had never heard of this film, but it doesn't look half bad, and it finds its way near the top of the list.
IMDB Score: 6.9
Metacritic Score: 52
3. Independence Day (1996)
"Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!" The movie that taught the world you can hack an alien computer with a Mac computer didn't score as highly as we thought it would. An alien army comes to Earth and blows up many of its famous landmarks. It's up to Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum to save the world. You're probably seen the movie, but here's the trailer anyway. Enjoy the generic fonts.
IMDB Score: 6.9
Metacritic Score: 59
2. Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter's Halloween is an iconic horror film, still delivering chills almost 40 years later. Michael Myers breaks out of an institution, which he was put there for stabbing his sister 15 years prior. Myers goes on a killing spree on Halloween. You can check out the classic trailer which boasts the legendary music written by Carpenter himself. Not only is it one of the best films named after a holiday, but it's also one of the best horror films to date.
IMDB Score: 7.9
Metacritic Score: 78
1. Groundhog Day (1993)
Finally, the highest rated movie named after a holiday is Groundhog Day, with good reason. A weatherman heads to cover a yearly event on Groundhog Day. He's a miserable guy who walks all over everyone and hates the event. However, every night he goes to sleep and the day starts over. The trailer makes the film feel a bit zany, but if you haven't seen it, don't let that fool you. It's a comedy with a lot of dark undertones that still holds up. Plus, Ned Ryerson is delightful.
IMDB Score: 8.1
Metacritic Score: 72
Bonus: Thanksgiving
In 2009, the movie Grindhouse, which featured both Planet Terror and Death Proof in its theatrical release, has an intermission at one point in the film. During this time, a few trailers for silly movies we thought would never exist were shown (one of which was Machete). Horror director Eli Roth put together a trailer for a horror film called Thanksgiving. It's silly and over-the-top. You can check out the NSFW trailer here.