Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Bruce Willis already answered this

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? This is a question which crops up every Christmas time and it is still something that will cause arguments, more than bad presents and which bit of the turkey tastes the best.

Hell, even YouGuv go into the act a few years ago, when it took a break from Brexit and politics and polled thousands about whether they thought Die Hard was a Christmas movie.

The poll, shock! horror! found that 50% of adults do not consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie, with 19% no knowing either way and a further 31% saying it is a Christmas movie.

It is a poll they conducted again in 2021, when Die Hard was released on Disney Plus and... it was still a no, with 47% of people who have seen Die Hard say it is not a Christmas movie, whilst 44% of people insisted it is.

The thing is: it really depends on who you ask. If you ask us at ShortList, then hell yes it is a Christmas movie.

There is nothing more Christmas-like than seeing a deceased corpse wearing a Now I Have A Machine Gun Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas jumper. And any movie which uses Run-DMC's Christmas in Hollis to great effect is a festive movie in our books.

Interestingly, the director of Die Hard, John McTiernan agrees, explaining in a lengthy statement why the film is indeed a Christmas film. The whole reasoning, on The Hollywood Reporter, is a fascinating read but it's really this statement that says it all: “We hadn’t intended it to be a Christmas movie, but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie.”

Then there's the screenwriter of Die Hard, Steven E. de Souza, who answered fans with the following:

Yes, because the studio rejected the Purim draft #DieHardIsAChristmasMovie
— Steven E. de Souza (@StevenEdeSouza) December 24, 2017

Perhaps the last word in the never-ending 'Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?' debate should go to its main star, Bruce Willis, though.

Without him the movie would not have been anywhere near as memorable as it was. With his acting talents and wry sense of humour Bruce Willis turned John McClane into an Everyman hero - a guy, full of flaws, who gets hurt a lot but still manages to come through at the end.

Die Hard is Willis' film and he damn well knows it as he answered the question during his Comedy Roast back in 2018, where he was adamant Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie (watch from 50 seconds in below).

"Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a god damn Bruce Willis movie,” he says.

There you have it. As much as it pains us, this is case closed - Die Hard is definitely not a Christmas movie.

• Die Hard stars in our best Disney Plus Christmas movies guide (sorry, not sorry Mr Willis).
• Here are some amazing Die Hard facts you need to know about.

Main Image Credit: 20th Century Fox