The Die Hard Christmas Debate: Is It Really a Christmas Movie?

The Comparison: Die Hard vs. White Christmas

Die Hard, the action classic starring Bruce Willis, has long been a subject of debate regarding its status as a Christmas movie. However, the original screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza, has recently reaffirmed its Christmas credentials by comparing it to the 1954 musical comedy White Christmas, featuring Bing Crosby and a rendition of his classic Christmas track of the same name.

Bruce Willis crawling through the duct in Die Hard with a Christmas hat on

The plot of White Christmas follows the story of the former Broadway star Captain Bob Wallace and Danny Kaye’s Private Phil Davis as they pursue a joint musical career as producers after meeting during a wartime Christmas show on the front lines of World War II. While widely regarded as a Christmas classic, the movie spans multiple years, with the story both beginning and ending on different Christmas Eves.

Twitter article posted by Jake Tapper

The Die Hard Christmas Movie Debate

The debate over whether Die Hard constitutes an official Christmas movie has raged since its debut in 1988. Despite being an influential film of the 1980s, the question of its holiday classification has never been definitively answered, leading to ongoing discussions and disagreements.

The original screenwriter, de Souza, firmly believes that Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas movie, but the cast and crew remain divided. Director John McTiernan suggests that the movie’s status as a Christmas movie is open for interpretation, while Bruce Willis famously stated that it's not a Christmas movie but rather a 'Bruce Willis movie.' Meanwhile, the studio responsible for the film once marketed it as 'the greatest Christmas story ever told' for its 30th anniversary in 2018.

The Unresolved Legacy of Die Hard

Regardless of the ongoing debate, Die Hard has become inextricably linked with the holiday season. Engaging in the discussion has become a tradition for many during the holidays, and the film’s legacy continues to spark passionate arguments and well-reasoned cases for and against its Christmas movie status. While de Souza’s recent post may influence some, it is unlikely to bring a definitive resolution to the decades-long debate, and perhaps that's part of the fun of the holiday season.