It's the holidays, which means spending lots of time with family and spending even more time with Netflix. But when deciding what to watch, you may want to avoid anything too inappropriate (your grandma may not be a fan of the Quaalude-induced chaos of "The Wolf of Wall Street) or too dark and gory for the cheery season (i.e. "American Horror Story").
After you get through Netflix's best Christmas TV episodes, here are the best movies to watch with the whole family that aren't the same old holiday classics:
"The Muppet Christmas Carol"
Walt Disney Pictures
Scrooge may hate Christmas, but when surrounded by singing and dancing Muppets, who could resist? In this twist on the Charles Dicken's classic, Kermit, Miss Piggy and company show Michael Caine's Scrooge the true spirit of Christmas.
James Bond marathon
Archive Photos via Getty Images
The holiday season is long, so why not spend the time having an epic 007 marathon? Netflix currently has nine James Bond films including "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "You Only Live Twice," "Live and Let Die," "For Your Eyes Only," "A View to Kill," "Never Say Never Again," "The Living Daylights" and "Skyfall." If that's not enough, there are also two Bond documentaries to satiate your secret-agent craving.
"White Christmas"
Paramount Pictures
This 1954 musical classic stars Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as two war buddies who help save a Vermont inn for two women they fall for. If song-and-dance numbers in Technicolor are how your family celebrate the holidays then definitely add "White Christmas" to your queue.
Advertisement
"Pirates of the Caribbean"
Walt Disney Pictures
Remember the days of the good Johnny Depp characters? Yeah, us too. Revisit the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" this holiday season with your family for all the sword fighting, pirate lingo and Captain Jack Sparrow antics, because they're oh so good.
"Happy Christmas"
Magnolia Pictures
If you're looking for a low-key Christmas movie that isn't filled with Hollywood stars and cliche storylines, indie filmmaker Joe Swanberg's "Happy Christmas" is the perfect choice. After Jenny (Anna Kendrick) goes through a bad breakup before the holidays, she moves in with her friends (Melanie Lynskey and Swanberg) and their two-year-old only to prove more self-destructive.
"The Usual Suspects"
Gramercy Pictures
Few crime thrillers have as great of a twist and as entertaining of a cast as Bryan Singer's 1995 film "The Usual Suspects." The film stars Kevin Spacey as a small-time con man retelling the events between himself and four other criminals, one of which is played by a hilarious and crazed Benicio del Toro. "Usual Suspects," which expires from Netflix at the end of the year, is a great film for the whole family to try and unravel the mystery.
Advertisement
"Zoolander"
Village Roadshow Pictures
"Blue Steel," "Magnum," "Le Tigre" -- all valid options for faces to make in your family holiday photos. There's fewer things funnier than Will Ferrell as Mugatu, Derek and Hansel's walk-off and male models playing with gasoline to Wham!, so why not watch "Zoolander" again?
"Love Actually"
StudioCanal
It's a holiday staple -- what more can we say? You either watch "Love Actually" every Christmas, or you're of the crowd who avoids the British rom-com with all your might. Either way, the movie expires from Netflix at the end of the year so if you're planning to watch it, you might as well do it now.
"Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2"
Miramax
For the cinephile family who loves all things Tarantino, "Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2" is the perfect double feature. Because at the end of the day, nothing evokes the magic of Christmas time like snow delicately falling on O-Ren Ishii's garden before a brutal sword fight, right? Right.
Advertisement
"Sleepless In Seattle" & "You've Got Mail"
Warner Bros.
If the family's in the mood for some classic rom-coms, there's no better onscreen pair than Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Make it a double feature with "Sleepless in Seattle" & "You've Got Mail," because you can never have too much of these two falling in love via technology of the time. Plus, the latter is expiring from Netflix on Jan. 1.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas"
Touchstone Pictures
Is it a Christmas movie? Is it a Halloween movie? Is it both? The debate goes on, but doesn't stop us from wanting to revisit Tim Burton's magical universe on both holidays.