It’s the time of year when the whole family rushes to the TV to enjoy the best (or worst) Christmas movies. Are they all available on SVOD platforms or should we opt for video on demand individually?
Part of the Christmas spirit lies in the afternoon siestas, sated and slack from watching kitsch films and series. With the exception of a few “Christmas cupcake” breaks, you don’t need more ingredients to have a quality holiday. But you still have to know what you want to watch, and where.
With the proliferation of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms and the vagaries of broadcasting rights in France, it can be laborious to find who is broadcasting what content, depending on the period you are doing it.
Here is a small non-exhaustive list of kitsch romantic comedies to save you a few precious minutes. If you want to manage everything yourself, be aware that several applications, such as Just Watch, aggregate this data in real time. You can also just type in the name of the movie you’re looking for in Google, and a little “Watch Movie” box will appear on the right and tell you which platform you can go to.
The Holiday (Netflix)
Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law: there’s no shortage of headliners in The Holiday, which has become one of the most cult Christmas films. Combining love stories, humor and a big (big) dose of end-of-year holiday clichés, it is ideal for seeing the world in pink for a few hours.
give me your hand (Disney+)
It’s not just Anglo-Saxon films in life: give me your hand on Disney+with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Alain Chabat, is a very pleasant (and very funny) little candy.
Pretty Woman (Disney+)
Pretty Woman is currently on Disney+. The film that marked an entire generation in the early 1990s is considered one of the most famous fictional romances of this era, although by the yardstick of 2022… The film has taken quite a few wrinkles.
Proposal (Disney+)
Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds… A staple of romantic comedies since the late 2000s is available on Disney+. Proposal lasts almost two hours, perfect for taking a digestive nap.
Love at first sight in Notting Hill (Netflix)
OK, Love at first sight in Notting Hill (1999) doesn’t (only) take place at Christmas, but can you look us in the eye and say that this isn’t an excellent end-of-year film?
30 years or nothing (Netflix)
You’re still there, on the end screen Love at first sight in Notting Hill on Netflix? So follow on 30 years or nothing (2004) ! Although it was released only 5 years later, one cannot shake the impression that two decades separate these romantic films. In 30 years or nothing, Jennifer Garner falls back into childhood and into the arms of Mark Rufallo (a bit embarrassing, as a sentence).
Love Actually on AppleTV+, Amazon and Canal+ (VOD)
After being on Netflix France for a long time, Richard Curtis’ essential Christmas film is no longer available on any SVOD platform in December 2022. If you want to see Alan Rickman struggling to offer a necklace to his mistress or Andrew Lincoln shelling out the reasons why Keira Knightley has been secretly cracking him up for a decade, we will have to look at the rental or purchase side on VOD.
Bridget Joneson AppleTV+, YouTube and Canal+ (VOD)
Adaptation of the novels, Bridget Jones has accompanied a whole generation of men and women since the release of the first film in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, as for Love Actually, films with Renée Zellweger have disappeared from all SVOD platforms in France. However, they are easily commendable on Canal+, Apple TV+ or YouTube.
Four weddings and a funeral (AppleTV+, YouTube and Canal+) (VOD)
Hugh Grant may be on Netflix with Love at first sight in Notting Hillit changes platform for Four weddings and a funeral (1994). To access the film, you now know the song: you will have to rent it or buy it on a VOD platform.
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