Triple Feature Holiday Check: Classics, Chaos, And Heart

Missed weeks call for a triple feature, so we went big and asked a surprisingly tricky question: what actually makes a Christmas movie? We line up It Happened on Fifth Avenue, Jumanji, and Last Holiday, then separate genuine holiday storytelling from films that simply borrow tinsel for the vibe. Along the way, we talk heart versus plausibility, how nostalgia can paper over dated moments, and why a warm feeling isn’t always the same as seasonal DNA.

First, we sit with the charm of a black-and-white classic where a squatter adopts a mansion and a tycoon goes undercover. The found-family beats land, the disguises stretch belief, and the holiday setting adds glow without steering the plot. Then we jump into Jumanji’s whirlwind—Robin Williams at full power, real scares, and a tender core about lost time and second chances. It’s endlessly rewatchable and family-loved, but not anchored to Christmas, even if it feels cozy on a cold night.

Finally, we savor Last Holiday’s wish-fulfillment arc: Queen Latifah embraces joy when time seems short, crossing paths with power and pretense in a luxe getaway. The performances are warm, the premise is big-hearted, and the conflict occasionally creaks, yet it all lands with a satisfying reset energy that leans more New Year than Christmas. We share general ratings and a separate “holiday factor” score for each, plus a few content notes for families and anyone planning a seasonal movie marathon.

If you love sharp takes with a soft center, this one’s for you. Queue it up, compare your own holiday criteria, and tell us which films make your yearly list. Follow the show, leave a review if the breakdown helped you plan your watchlist, and send us your must-watch holiday picks—we’ll shout out our favorites next week.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Triple Feature Setup
• 1:14 It Happened On Fifth Avenue Review
• 3:20 Is It Really A Christmas Movie?
• 4:01 Jumanji: Joy And Frights
• 6:01 Language, Nostalgia, And Ratings
• 6:45 Last Holiday: Premise And Performances
• 8:09 Believability And Holiday Factor
• 9:20 Final Ratings And What’s Next

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

On the couch we laugh and cry and feeling it all Breaking down the big screen, the hits and the floor. Have your teeth, let's play, let's take the picture. Lights, camera, action. It's the couch critic.

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Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand new episode of The Couch Critics. I'm your host and Nathan, and on today's episode, I'm doing a triple feature. The reason I'm doing a triple feature is because I've missed two Thursday episodes in a row. So that means I'm going to be taking on it happened on Fifth Avenue, Jumanji, and last holiday. And because I'm doing three movies, I'm going to skip doing the synopsis. Even going to skip doing who is in these movies. Because if you really want to know those things, you can just go on IMDB. That's basically what I do every single episode. See, there's a little behind-the-scenes tidbit if you didn't already know that already. So let's start with It Happened on Fifth Avenue. This is a classic, which means it's in black and white. It has some classic actors in it. Again, I'm not going over who the cast is. It is a classic, just heartwarming. It is a heartwarming movie. It has some really nice moments in it. It is about a guy who basically is like a squatter to this really rich guy. And he goes every year, he stays at this guy's house because he has another house that he owns in another state. But this year it's because he, I guess, is going to like a conference or something. And just shenanigans ensue. He meets another kind of homeless guy, brings him along, meets the daughter of the rich guy. Then the rich guy comes and disguises himself as another homeless guy. And it's again, it's a very classic black and white, old school movie. But at the same time, the premise is, and again, this could be me looking through modern eyes, but it's not really, it's not really believable. Like it's not believable that the rich guy would get away with disguising himself as a homeless person because they played off that no one has ever seen this rich guy before, which again, you know, they don't have TV and internet back then. So it's kind of more believable that they wouldn't really know what this guy looks like, so they couldn't really recognize him. And then his wife comes in or his ex-wife, they rekindle. It's it's a lot of storylines going on all at once. At the same time, it is a very heartwarming movie. Now, would I consider it a Christmas movie? Not necessarily. Again, it's one of those movies that has Christmas mentioned in it. There is like a Christmas scene. But if you take Christmas out of this movie, you'd still have a pretty coherent storyline going on. So I enjoyed it. I thought it was fun. I do think I fell asleep. That's like a commonplace for me nowadays, I guess. So should I really be a movie critic if I keep on falling asleep? I don't know. I'll let you decide. But I did think it was fun. I I would recommend it if you're into classic movies. It it obviously has a classic lineup of actors in it. And it is a fun, heartwarming movie. So I'm gonna give it happened on Fifth Avenue a 3.5 out of five when it comes to general rating, which is kind of in the middle. And for when it comes to Christmas, I'm gonna give it a 2.5 because it does has it does have those heartwarming moments that make you feel all warm and cozy inside. And again, there is that Christmas moment in there as well. So that is it happened on Fifth Avenue. Next up is Jumanji. This is the one out of all three that I don't know why it's on this Christmas list. I mean, obviously, I do know why, but to me, it doesn't scream Christmas. But of course, the number one thing I love about this movie is Robin Williams. May he rest in peace. What I always loved about Robin Williams is he was always really good at having those really, really funny moments and also those really nice, dramatic, sad moments. And he just is all over the place in this movie. I I think it's a great time. I try to watch it with my kids. Obviously, there are some some scary moments with the lion, and then Vanderbilt comes in and all that really craziness. I unfortunately was not able to finish this movie, but this is a movie I've seen before, so I feel like I can still critique it. Some of it is a little dated, some of the the wording and and some of the jokes are a little dated for that time. There is some foul language, like one or two parts. So if you want to watch it with your kids, be very careful. Like I said, I hadn't watched it in a while, so I didn't remember everything that was in it. So they do say like hell and and the B word and that kind of stuff. So it is there, so be careful. But if anything, this is a must watch in your Robin Williams collection. He just does a really good job. Kristen Dunce does a really good job in this movie. David Allen Greer is in this as well. He's really funny in it. There are really funny moments, really heartwarming moments, but in my opinion, it is not a Christmas movie. So I'm giving Jumanji a four out of five for general, and for Christmas, a 1.5 out of five. The only reason I get a 1.5 is because just Robin Williams gives me a sense of heartwarmness. So that's why I'm giving a 1.5 for Jumanji. And then last is the Queen Latifah holiday classic Last Holiday. No, I had never seen this movie before. I got it mixed up with Last Christmas, which Katie and I, I believe, watched. So, no, actually, Lexi and I watched that and we critiqued it. And this movie is with Queen Latifah. I'm gonna give a brief overview of it. She stars as a person who works at a department store. She finds out that she's been diagnosed with a terminal illness and she only has three weeks to live. So she goes lavish. She goes to this really fancy schmancy restaurant where she just so happens to run into a United States senator who I guess came from her hometown, and the owner of the whole company of department stores that she works at. I thought this was a fun movie. It had some funny moments, it had some pretty good acting in it. L Cool Jays in it, but the whole premise, it kind of reminds me of the first movie. The premise doesn't really make any sense. You don't understand why the owner of the department store just doesn't like Queen Latifah's character so much, like from the get-go. It's like this instant, who is she? What's going on? And I didn't really believe it because of the whole storyline itself. And then it wasn't believable when she reveals that she's, you know, dying, that all of a sudden they all care so much, especially the owner of the department stores. It wasn't believable to me. But again, it's still a fun movie. But also, again, this is one of those movies where I do feel you could take Christmas out of it because Christmas is barely mentioned. I think New Year's is mentioned a little bit more than even Christmas is. So I don't think you need Christmas in this movie. Yes, it's called Last Holiday, but I think they could change the title and give the same premise, and it would be the same exact movie. But again, I did think it was a fun time. I thought all three of these movies were a fun time. I am glad I watched them all, even though I didn't get to finish Jumanji. But I would give Last Holiday as a movie in general, I would give it probably a 3.5 because again, I did enjoy it. I didn't really understand the second half premise of the movie, but it did tie in together pretty well at the end. But for a Christmas movie, I think I'm gonna go with Jumanji's rating of a 1.5 out of five. That is my really quick triple feature review on this Thursday's episode of The Couch Critics. Next Thursday, I'll be taking on hopefully one movie, and that will be Little Women, the Greta Gerwig directed version. And this Cinema Sunday, I don't remember what I'm talking about. Oh, it's that special movie with my good friend Thomas on Cinema Sunday on The Couch Critics, where every movie gets its close-up.

SPEAKER_01: 9:00

It's not just a movie, it's a way of light. We'll watch it together. And don't let it flip,