Six years ago, Bruce Willis made his feelings on the Die Hard Christmas movie debate very clear. The actor said that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie in the closing monologue of the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis, which aired in 2018. The debate has grown tired for many people these days, but lots of fans agree with Willis.
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Willis ended his roast by musing on why exactly he agreed to put up with it in the first place. He said: “People ask my why I did this roast. Was it because one of the last guys who did it became president? Hell no. Why would I want to be president when I can just keep being Bruce F-ing Willis? I did this roast for one reason and one reason only – to settle something once and for all. Now, please listen very carefully: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie.”
That closed the show down to thunderous applause, but for many fans it went beyond bravado. For them, Die Hard can’t be counted as a Christmas movie because Christmas is not really the central theme of the story. Others maintain that the Christmas backdrop is enough, and that the movie does explore themes associated with the holiday such as family, redemption and altruism for its own sake.
Willis is unlikely to weigh in on this debate again now that he has generally stopped performing and making public appearances. The actor’s family officially announced that he had been diagnosed with aphasia in March of 2022, and then frontotemporal dementia in February of 2023. The disorder means that he struggles with language and communication. These symptoms may have been manifesting gradually in the years prior.
The Die Hard-Christmas Debate
The idea that Die Hard is a Christmas movie started as a joke, with fans simply pointing out that the movie takes place at Christmas time. In many memes, it was simply used as a justification to watch an action movie rather than a family-friendly title on the holiday. However, as the years have gone on, the debate has become more nuanced with some earnest analysis by fans and critics alike.
Today, many fans online feel that the debate has played out and is not worth re-hashing year after year. This may be due in large part to the fact that it has now been used as a marketing ploy. In 2018, 20th Century Fox released a re-edited trailer for the movie to make it look like a Christmas movie, calling it “the greatest Christmas story ever told.”
Of course, many fans simply appreciate an excuse to watch a great movie at a designated time each year. In 2024, we’re lucky – Die Hard is available to stream on Hulu, Peacock, Prime Video, Philo and AMC+ at the time of this writing. Whether it counts as a “Christmas movie” or not, it’s a great Bruce Willis movie.
