Entertaining Christmas comedies

Actors: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche

The fun begins when the rich and greedy Duke Brothers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) wager a bet over whether born loser Valentine (Eddie Murphy) could become as successful as the priggish Winthorpe (Dan Akroyd) if circumstances were reversed. The Dukes have the money to make this happen, but when Valentine and Winthorpe catch on they arrange for a rich and riotous payback!

Actors: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern

Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) has become the man of the house, overnight! Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, Kevin gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he's not decking the halls with tinsel and holly. Two bumbling burglars are trying to break in, and Kevin's rigging a bewildering battery of booby traps to welcome them!

Actors: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz

This is a story you've never heard before, a hilarious and heartwarming comedy about Fred Claus, Santa's brother – and complete opposite. After growing up in saintly Nick's shadow, Fred becomes a grouch who's lost his belief in Christmas. Then, one magical December, Fred flies north (first class via reindeer) to find brother Nick is in trouble: a scheming efficiency expert is out to shut down Christmas forever! Expect fun by the sleighful as Fred helps save Christmas and rediscovers the gift of family. Join Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey and more in a yuletide treat to enjoy for years to come.

Actors: Bill Murray, Karen Allen

A network TV president is perhaps the most cold-hearted man ever, but his holiday spirit is given a painful booster shot by three vengeful ghosts. In this darkly comic updating of Charles Dicken's Christmas classic "A Christmas Carol," Bill Murray portrays Frank Cross, an evil, crass, executive who caters to the lowest-of-the-lowest common denominators, firing people whenever he wants to and for the flimsiest of reasons. Therefore, to change his cruel and tasteless ways, Cross is taken on a trip through his past to his future, accompanied by ghosts David Johansen and Carol Kane, so that he can achieve redemption.

Actors: Melinda Dillon, Zack Ward

Destined to become a holiday classic, this family comedy follows an Indiana schoolboy whose obsession with getting a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas leads to hilarious consequences. Co-starring Emmy-winner Darren McGavin ("Kolchak: The Night Stalker"). Based upon a true story.

Actors: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis

The comic misadventures of the beleaguered Griswold family continue in this latest "Vacation" outing, the third and most successful of the series. (Over $71,000,000!) This time America's most dedicated dad (Chevy Chase) is determined to stay at home to create "the most fun-filled old fashioned family Christmas ever" -- but life has a particular way of throwing wet logs on Clark Griswold's fire. Look for Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus (TV's "Seinfeld") in a supporting role. Written by John Hughes ("Home Alone" series).

Actors: Jim Carrey

Discover the magic of the Mean One this holiday season! Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and Oscar®-winning producer Brian Grazer bring Christmas' best-loved grump to life with the help of the irrepressible Jim Carrey as The Grinch. The Grinch is a celebration of the holiday spirit no home should be without! Why is The Grinch (Carrey) such a grouch? No one seems to know, until little Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) takes matters into her own hands and turns both Whoville and The Grinch's world upside down, inside out…and funny side up in her search for the true meaning of Christmas.

Actors: Dyllan Christopher, Tyler James Williams

It's Christmas Eve and five kids have just been snowed in at the airport - and there isn't a parent in sight. "Unaccompanied Minors" follows awkward Spencer (Dyllan Christopher --"Seabiscuit," "Armageddon"), rich-girl Grace (Gina Mantegna -- "13 Going on 30," "Uncle Nino"), tomboy Donna (Quinn Shephard), geeky Charlie (Tyler James Williams -- TV's "Everybody Hates Chris," TV's "Sesame Street") and bashful Beef (Brett Kelly -- "Bad Santa," "Out Cold") as they try to outwit a disgruntled airport official (Lewis Black -- TV's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "The Aristocrats") and reunite with their families. Using "borrowed" golf-carts, a canoe on a snow hill and the help of a reluctant flight attendant (Wilmer Valderrama -- TV's "That 70's Show," "Summer Catch"), these kids are about to prove the holidays aren't about where you are, but who you're with.

Actors: Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Marisa Tomei

Oscar® winners Diane Keaton, Alan Arkin, and Marisa Tomei team with Golden Globe® winner John Goodman, Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde in this hilarious and heartwarming comedy. When four generations of the Cooper clan gather for a reunion, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside-down — leading the Coopers toward a joyful rediscovery of family bonds and the magic of love.

Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi

High powered businessman Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger), is hard at work taking last-minute orders from customers to whom he just can't say no, including his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), who asked for the hottest action figure of the season -- Turbo Man! Unfortunately, Howard is facing one BIG problem. It's Christmas Eve and Turbo Man has been sold out since Thanksgiving! Howard's down-to-the-wire trek to find Turbo Man quickly turns into an odyssey wilder than he could have ever imagined. In the course of his seemingly endless Yuletide misadventures, he finds himself in a no-holds-barred fight-to-the-finish with a crazed postman named Myron (Sinbad), who is out to claim the last Turbo Man for his kid. It's enough to scare away even the bravest of men. But to Howard, this is war -- and he's determined to win...no matter what!

Actors: Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan

One Christmas Eve a long time ago, a baby crawled into Santa's bag of toys... Raised as an elf, Buddy grows into an adult three times larger than the biggest elf--and realizes that he will never truly fit in at the North Pole. This holiday season, Buddy goes looking for his true place in the world--in New York City. Buddy finds his workaholic father…who's on Santa's "naughty" list, a new mother and a 10-year-old brother who doesn't believe in Santa Claus or elves. Here, now, Buddy discovers his destiny…to save Christmas for New York and the world! Starring Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominee Will Ferrell ("Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," TV's "Saturday Night Live"), Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominee James Caan ("The Godfather," "Funny Lady"), Golden Globe-winner and Emmy Award-nominee Bob Newhart (TV's "Newhart," "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde"), Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner Edward Asner (TV's "Lou Grant," "JFK"), Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Mary Steenburgen ("The Brave One," "Melvin and Howard") and Zooey Deschanel ("Almost Famous," "Failure to Launch").

Actors: Billy Bob Thornton, Lauren Graham, John Ritter

The baddest Santa ever comes to town with the hilarious Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, and John Ritter! Ill-mannered store Santa Willie Stokes (Thornton) is really a safecracker with a holiday tradition of making one big score every Christmas Eve with his clever Elf-partner-in-crime Marcus. But this year's heist-fest could be completely foiled by a snoopy store manager (Ritter), savvy mall detective (Mac), sexy Santa fan, and an innocent 8 year old misfit who thinks the intoxicated and felonious Willie is the real Santa he seeks.

Actors: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate

Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) uneager to spend another lonely Christmas in his own home. Longing for holidays past, Drew travels to his childhood home intending to relive the experience of a family Christmas — unfortunately, his family no longer lives there. This represents only a small snafu to Drew, who offers the Valco patriarch and his wife (Sopranos star James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara) a huge amount of money if they consent to pretend they are his parents and that he is a cherished member of the family. This entails participating in Latham family traditions, such as Christmas tree selection and crowded holiday shopping excursions. Though the Valcos reluctantly go along with Drew's requests, Alicia, their eldest daughter, arrives at home and refuses to comply with her "brother's" wishes.

Actors: Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito star in this hilarious holiday comedy as two competitive neighbors who try to put the "win" in "winter!" Determined to unseat Steve Finch (Broderick) as the town's holiday season king, Buddy Hall (DeVito) plasters his house with so many decorative lights that it'll be visible from space! When their wives (Kristin Davis and Kristin Chenoweth) bond, and their kids follow suit, the two men only escalate their rivalry, and their decorating. It's anybody's guess whether the holidays will wind up jolly or jostled in this wild laugh-fest the whole family will love!

Actors: Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Tim Allen

When their only daughter Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) decide to book an island cruise to beat the yuletide blues and just skip the holidays. But their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever! With fast-paced energy and support from Dan Aykroyd, Cheech Marin, Jake Busey and M. Emmet Walsh, this hilarious adaptation of John Grisham's best-selling novel, "Skipping Christmas" has become "an instant family classic!" (Gorman Woodfin, CBN)