This time of the year is all about switching off, indulging in all the delicious treats that the festive period has to offer, and watching films that feel like the equivalent of the toasty inside of a warm duvet.
The only issue is trawling through the endless choices on all the various streaming platforms available. Luckily, we’ve done all the work for you, and rounded up only the most snug, soul-warming films to watch on the sofa by the crackling fire this Christmas – that’s if the cosiness doesn’t lull you to sleep first…
Little Women
We’re talking about the 1994 version with Winona Ryder, Claire Danes and Kirsten Dunst. There’s something inherently cosy about this coming-of-age story of sisters entering womanhood in 1860s Massachusetts, trying to make the best decisions for their lives. The smoke billowing out of the chimneys of the wooden houses, ice-skating in the forest lanes, and the March sisters snuggled up in bed. It’s the best.
Harry Potter franchise
I mean, is it even Christmas if you don’t watch the Harry Potter films in chronological order, quote in real-time, and sob uncontrollably every time someone dies – even though you’ve seen it a million times (“That’s my son. That’s my BOY!”) The sheer escapism of magic entwined with the familiarity of our world, plus the coming-of-age of young wizards and witches, and Hogwarts glittering in the snow makes it the ultimate screen escape.
Always Be My Maybe
For instant warm feels, look no further than this romcom starring Randall Park and Ali Wong as childhood sweethearts who reconnect as adults and realise the spark is still there. Expect full belly laughs, feel-good montages and a pretty spicy cameo from Keanu Reeves, playing an exaggerated douchebag version of himself.
Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson has always been the king when it comes to constructing intimate, fantastical worlds. His 2014 film – set in a picturesque 1930s European ski resort – is full of whimsy, plush rooms, the fabulously camp concierge Gustave H., and delicious baked goods (Mendls!).
Julie & Julia
There’s something about the powerhouse combo of Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci that is so damn comfy, because in any world they inhabit nothing bad could ever happen. In it, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is a young internet blogger who begins working her way through iconic chef Julia Child’s cookbook. Anything with a bubbling stove gets a thumbs up from us.
Pride and Prejudice
What is it about period films that make them so damn cosy? In this classic, it could be the sweeping English countryside, the flirtatious Regency era dances, or the swoon-worthy romance between Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy – aka Tom from Succession – in a billowing white shirt.
Hidden Figures
One to warm the cockles of the soul, especially taking into consideration it’s based on an incredible, untold true story. It follows three boundary-pushing female African-American mathematicians who played a vital role in NASA during the early years of the US space program, making history despite facing racial and gender discrimination.
The Princess Bride
Films from childhood are the most comforting of all, because they remind us of simpler times or how we felt when first laid eyes on them. The fact that this iconic film starts as a bedtime story from a grandparent already evokes feelings of being tucked up in bed and read to, but it gets even cosier when you factor in the gorgeous love story, the iconic adversaries and the famous triumphs (“My Name Is Inigo Montoya… prepare to die!”).
Paddington 2
This is one of the greatest and cosiest films of all time – sorry, we don’t make the rules! An all-star cast – Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Hugh Grant, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent – unite for this heartwarming tale of the beloved bear searching for the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday – plus all the quintessentially British misadventures that come with it.
About Time
Richard Curtis, you’ve gone and done it again. Here we have a film essentially about a time-travelling man (Domhnall Gleeson) who uses his powers to pursue love, but it’s so much more than that. It’s also about the importance of family, second chances and making every day count.
How To Be Single
Society – and every film in existence – would have us believing that being single is the worst. But thankfully Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson are here to dispel the myth with this genuinely laugh out loud film about a women who moves to New York and explores the ups and downs of modern dating with friends and family in tow. Like a less cringe version of Eat Pray Love.
Billy Elliot
One of the best coming-of-age films of all time, hands down. It follows a young boy from a Northern England mining town who has aspirations to become a ballet dancer. With an amazing soundtrack (T. Rex!), incredible dance sequences and truly harrowing and heartwarming scenes – we defy you not to shed a tear before the credits roll.
Chef
Again. Proof that foodie films are the comfiest of all. After a head chef quits his restaurant, he fixes up a food truck and travels around with his son and best friend. It’s a genuine gem of a film, where you can practically smell the sizzling cheese wafting from your screen.
It’s Complicated
Nancy Meyers doing peak Nancy Meyers, what could be cosier than watching Meryl Streep, high as a kite and baking croissants? It follows a woman whose life gets complicated when she starts falling in love with her ex-husband all over again.
Good Will Hunting
How do you like them apples?! Starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and the cherished late actor Robin Williams, it’s the ever-quotable heartwarming story about a troubled math genius who realises his potential with the help of a psychiatrist.
Cinema Paradiso
Officially one of the cosiest films of all time, it is set in a quiet Italian village and pays homage to the magic of cinema. A successful film director returns to his home town to pay tribute to the beloved projectionist who taught him his love of movies. When the kiss montage finally comes round, expect all the tears.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Another film franchise that has nothing to do with Christmas at all, but is a compulsory watch come December. The iconic trio of fantasy films serves up pure escapism in the form of cosy hobbit holes, epic battles, elf kingdoms and one ring to rule them all. But at their heart, they’re about finding your life’s purpose and how friendship can help us in the darkest of times.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Another whimsical universe from the brain of Wes Anderson, this charming stop motion animated film sees the likes of George Clooney and Meryl Streep – Mr and Mrs Fox – whose lives become endangered when three farmers set about exterminating them. Autumnal landscapes, intimate burrows and candlelit banquets abound.
Chocolat
A nomadic mother (Juliette Binoche) and daughter open a chocolate shop in a conservative rural village in France, and over time open the hearts and minds of the wary inhabitants (including one Judi Dench). Not one to watch on an empty stomach – thinking sinful pots of bubbling hot chocolate and divine cooking montages.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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