14 Best R-Rated Christmas Movies To Watch This Holiday Season (2024)

While they are mostly family-friendly fare, there are also some highly rated and beloved Rated-R Christmas movies. Christmas is mostly a time for family and friends, and the movies that mostly come during the holidays range from kids' movies to romantic comedies and films about Santa Claus, elves, and tidings of good cheer. However, for many people, it is also a time for deranged killer Santa Clauses, raunchy R-rated humor, and a great deal of holiday discontent among people who would rather be anywhere than at home for Christmas.

While Christmas was mostly revered in movies for many years, the 1970s brought a serial killer who threatened sorority girls in Black Christmas and the 1980s brought an era where Santa Claus was a slasher killer in movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night. Over the years, there have been many R-rated releases that people proclaim to be great Christmas movies, while others question their inclusion at all, with Die Hard as the best example. In the end, there are plenty of R-rated Christmas movies out there for anyone who isn't feeling in the mood for holiday cheer.

14 A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

A Christmas Sequel To The R-Rated Comedy

• Stream now on Fubo

Bad Moms arrived in 2016 and was a big R-rated success, showing three mothers who were tired of their boring lives and set out to have some fun. However, along the way, they realize they don't need to go quite so hard when things spiral out of control. It was so popular that one year later a sequel arrived. In A Bad Moms Christmas, things got even worse when the mothers' mothers showed up and the audience saw why these women ended up so messed up. The cast was as great as the first movie, and anyone wanting a funny R-rated Christmas movie made for women should look no further than this instant classic.

13 The Ref (1994)

Denis Leary Kidnaps A Dysfunctional Family At Christmas

• Rent now on Apple TV & Prime Video

Before Denis Leary showed everyone how great an actor he was in his TV series Rescue Me, he showed his deadpan comic side in the R-rated Christmas movie, The Ref. In the movie, he starred as a burglar who breaks into a house with the most dysfunctional family in holiday movie history. By the time he spent even a small amount of time with Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis's always fighting married couple, he just wanted to escape. The funny thing is that the couple's only son wanted to go with him. The movie is full of raunchy humor, but it showcases the dysfunction of Christmas for many families.

12 Go (1999)

A Drug Crime Movie Based During Christmas

• Stream now on Pluto

Sometimes, the best Christmas movie has little to do with the holiday season itself. In Go, Doug Liman created a movie around the holidays that was one of the best Quentin Tarantino-influenced movies of the 90s. Much like Tarantino's Jackie Brown, Go was a crime movie told from different points of view. The plot surrounds a woman (Sarah Polley) who wants to buy some drugs, but eventually, everything spirals out of control. With a cast that includes William Fichtner, Jay Mohr, Katie Holmes, and Taye Diggs, with a whole host of familiar faces in supporting roles, this movie is well worth revisiting two decades later.

11 Violent Night (2022)

Santa Claus Fights Bad Guys To Save A Child

Violent Night

R

Release Date

December 2, 2022

Director

Tommy Wirkola

Cast

David Harbour , John Leguizamo , Beverly D'Angelo , Cam Gigandet , Brendan Fletcher , Edi Patterson , Alex Hassell

Runtime

101 minutes

Stream now on Prime Video

One of the most recent R-rated Christmas movies to hit theaters arrived in 2022 with the horror action comedy Violent Night. David Harbour (Stranger Things) stars in the movie as the actual Santa Claus. However, he spends the first part of the movie lamenting how consumerism has destroyed Christmas and no one believes in him anymore. Santa then spends the second half of the movie killing mercenaries in horrific and violent ways to save a little girl. The movie is darkly humorous, gloriously violent, and even has a festive message at the end. For Christmas horror and action, it doesn't get much better.

10 Trading Places (1983)

Eddie Murphy And Dan Akyroyd In A Christmas Classic

Trading Places

R

Release Date

June 8, 1983

Director

John Landis

Cast

Eddie Murphy , Jamie Lee Curtis , Ralph Bellamy , Don Ameche , Dan Aykroyd , Denholm Elliott

Runtime

116 minutes

• Stream now on Cinepolis

The 1983 John Landis comedy, Trading Places, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, is not only a stellar Christmas film; it's also a classic comedy overall. Playing off tropes from The Prince and the Pauper, Trading Places infuses that story structure with the sentiments of the holidays. The holiday, which often sees comparisons between giving and receiving, serves as a backdrop for the film, which is a commentary on classism, privilege, and the inherent loneliness of wealth. The thematic substance of the film positions it as a Christmas classic worth revisiting.

9 Office Christmas Party (2016)

An Ensemble Christmas Comedy

Office Christmas Party

R

Release Date

December 9, 2016

Director

Josh Gordon , Will Speck

Cast

Olivia Munn , Karan Soni , Jason Bateman , Courtney B. Vance , T.J. Miller , Kate McKinnon , Randall Park , Rob Corddry , Jamie Chung , Sam Richardson , Matt Walsh , Jillian Bell , Abbey Lee , Jennifer Aniston , Vanessa Bayer

Runtime

111 Minutes

• Stream now on TNT

Admittedly, there is a bit less thematic resonance in Office Christmas Party, the 2016 ensemble comedy led by Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. It might not have as long a pair of legs as Trading Places does, but it's a solid vehicle for some outrageous holiday laughs. Plus, while Bateman and Aniston are solid leads, it's underrated comedy stars like Vanessa Bayer, Jillian Bell, and Karan Soni who steal the show. Not to mention, Jimmy Butler, of the Miami Heat, even turns up.

8 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Robert Downey Jr And Val Kilmer In A Shane Black Christmas Movie

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

R

Release Date

November 11, 2005

Director

Shane Black

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. , Val Kilmer , Michelle Monaghan , Corbin Bernsen , Dash Mihok , Larry Miller , Rockmond Dunbar , Shannyn Sossamon

Runtime

103 Minutes

• Rent now on Prime Video & Apple TV

When looking at R-rated Christmas movies, director/screenwriter Shane Black has mastered the sub-genre. Black famously enjoys setting all of his films during the holidays (Iron Man 3 is the MCU's closest thing to a holiday film). Something about the Christmas season just feels like a reset and a reassessment of the year. With characters like Black's leads, who always face down self-reflection, it's a perfect marriage. And the snappy, quick-witted, twisty story of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a prime example, with Robert Downey Jr. enjoying a career revival and Val Kilmer in top form.

7 The Nice Guys (2016)

Russell Crowe And Ryan Gosling In A Shane Black Christmas Movie

The Nice Guys

R

Release Date

May 20, 2016

Director

Shane Black

Cast

Ryan Gosling , Ty Simpkins , Rachele Brooke Smith , Russell Crowe , Yaya DaCosta , Margaret Qualley , Kim Basinger , Keith David , Matt Bomer , Yvonne Zima

Runtime

116minutes

Stream now on Netflix

An even more prime example of Shane Black's relationship with R-rated Christmas movies is 2016's The Nice Guys. Starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, it makes a strong argument for being the greatest buddy cop film ever made. It's very funny, and, while the holiday decor and spirit is subtle, it's still ever-present. It serves as a perfect middle ground between something that is (until the end) cynical, like Scrooged, and something profoundly saccharine, like Godmothered. Gosling and Crowe prove that Black is the master at creating mismatched leads in buddy cop-styled movies.

6 Carol (2015)

An Oscar-Nominated Christmas Movie

Carol

R

Release Date

November 20, 2015

Director

Todd Haynes

Cast

Kyle Chandler , Jake Lacy , Sarah Paulson , Rooney Mara , Cate Blanchett , Cory Michael Smith

Runtime

119 minutes

Stream now on Netflix

A great Christmas film that has the holidays as more of a backdrop than a story device is the remarkable 2015 romance film by Todd Haynes, Carol. Carol stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara and was woefully underappreciated upon its initial release. The holiday shopping season receives some biting criticism as the audience instead follows the charms of the two leads who engage in a "forbidden affair" with one another. Carol is a worthwhile film any time of year. It earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Actress (Blanchett) and Best Supporting Actress (Mara), although it didn't win any awards.

5 Die Hard (1988)

The Ultimate Christmas Action Movie

Die Hard

R

Release Date

July 15, 1988

Director

John McTiernan

Cast

Bruce Willis , Bonnie Bedelia , Reginald VelJohnson , Paul Gleason , William Atherton , Hart Bochner

Runtime

132 minutes

• Stream now on DirecTV

The debate about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie is an extremely uninteresting one. All the points have been made and no one will change anyone else's mind all these years later. The movie takes place during the holidays as terrorists take a Christmas party hostage, and John McClane has to stop them to save Christmas. It also has plenty of Christmas songs on the soundtrack. As one of the best action movies of all time and the movie that made Bruce Willis an action star, it's worth revisiting in an R-rated capacity.

4 Bad Santa (2003)

Billy Bob Thornton In A Raunchy Christmas Comedy

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Bad Santa is easily one of the best R-rated Christmas comedies. Billy Bob Thornton portrays Willie, alongside turns from Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac, and John Ritter. Thornton is a mall Santa who only works during the holidays and spends his time as Santa robbing stores in the mall after closing hours. The entire Christmas movie is extremely raunchy and deliberately R-rated for a Santa movie. On top of the R-rated movie, there is also an unrated version that gets a little more raunchy before all is said and done. The movie also picked up a sequel in Bad Santa 2​​​​​​.

3 Love Actually (2003)

An Ensemble Christmas Classic

Love Actually

R

Release Date

November 14, 2003

Director

Richard Curtis

Cast

Colin Firth , Emma Thompson , Liam Neeson , Keira Knightley , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Laura Linney , Alan Rickman , Hugh Grant , Bill Nighy , Andrew Lincoln

Runtime

135 minutes

Stream now on Netflix

While it is an R-rated movie, somehow Freeform found a way to air Love Actually in their celebration every year. They did so, mostly, by doing away with the subplot between Martin Freeman and Joanna Page, who have stand-in sex while shooting a film. They're arguably the part of the story that most contributes to the R-rated nature. But even beyond that, stars like Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, and Emma Thompson make this one of the best holiday movies ever made, R-rated or otherwise. While it has some moments that have not aged well, Love Actually remains on many people's list of favorite Christmas movies.

2 In Bruges (2008)

An Action Movie During Christmas In Bruges

In Bruges

t

Release Date

February 8, 2008

Director

Martin McDonagh

Cast

Colin Farrell , Brendan Gleeson , Ralph Fiennes

Runtime

107minutes

• Stream now on Starz

Martin McDonagh wrote and directed the crime thriller, black comedy In Bruges, and the movie also doubles as an underrated Christmas film, as the holidays provide much of the moral thrust of the characters. The lights and decorations also help portray Bruges as an impossibly gorgeous city. Colin Farrell plays Ray, an inexperienced hitman who pulls off a kill but accidentally kills a child as well. When his boss Harry orders Ray's mentor to kill him, the action moves to the city of Bruges, which plays as the holiday-themed backdrop to the gunfights and R-rated dark humor.

1 The Night Before (2015)

Seth Rogen In An R-Rated Christmas Modern-Day Classic

The Night Before

R

Release Date

November 25, 2015

Director

Jonathan Levine

Cast

Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Jillian Bell , Seth Rogen , Lizzy Caplan , Anthony Mackie

Runtime

101minutes

• Stream now on Fubo

When The Night Before was released in 2015, it didn't immediately seem like a new holiday classic. But in recent years, word-of-mouth has spread, and the film has been propped up as the funny R-rated Christmas movie that it is. There's plenty of adult humor that Seth Rogen is known for, even in the holiday tale. However, it's also surprisingly sweet, and it even dabbles in elements of fantasy. Rogen's performance is perhaps the best in the movie, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie also help carry this movie to great heights.