30 Feminist Christmas Movies, Ranked
By Emily Scott
A Christmas Carol, Screencap via Disney
A Christmas Carol
There are many adaptations of this classic Charles Dickens story, but for the purposes of this article, we will use the most recent version from 2009. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean old man who hoards his money and hates the holidays. After being rude to his nephew Fred and his employee Bob Cratchit, he goes home from work. He then sees the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge to change his ways.
Throughout the rest of the movie, is visited by three more ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows him his own regretful memories. The Ghost of Christmas Present reveals how Scrooge has negatively affected the lives of others. Then, The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows him how he will be remembered, and what is to come of him if he does not change his ways. These visions show Scrooge that his bitterness and greed stem from the worst aspects of humanity. So, finally, when he comes out of it, Scrooge decides to make a change in his life and embody the kindness of the Christmas spirit.
The Good
- The entire story is kind of a message against corporate greed, which is a function of the patriarchy.
- Belle kicks Scrooge to the curb when he chooses money over her. Good for you.
The Bad
- Two semi-significant women in this movie. Better than one, I guess?
- One of those women is Fanie, Scrooge’s sister. Her storyline involves dying in childbirth. So, fun.
- The other woman is Belle, Scrooge’s ex-fiancée. Her storyline involves loving Scrooge, mostly. These are not the most nuanced portrayals of women.
The Ugly
- None of the women in the movie are characterized. Like, at all – negatively or positively. We barely see Fanie at all. And while Belle has the good sense to leave Scrooge when he shows he cares more about money than her, she is otherwise bland. Including women but excluding their interiority and agency might be worse than not including women at all.