Every year, the heated debate over what constitutes a holiday movie continues. One common point of conversation throughout this argument is Die Hard’s holiday status. The movie follows protagonist John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, as he tries to save his spouse and other members being held hostage by German terrorists. Although Christmas contributes to the setup of the movie, the holiday plays an insignificant role in its overall theme.

   Anyone simply googling Die Hard is met with the two small, yet keystone, words for the movie’s genre: “action/thriller.” If Google isn’t convincing enough, the IMDb website only says the exact same thing. There is no use denying that the film follows the structure of any other action movie; the story begins with the introduction of an insurmountable villain, the main character struggles and is forced to face their flaws, and that character is finally able to beat the bad guy to save the day. Other than the fact that terrorists have taken over a Christmas party, there is not a drop of Christmas spirit, no caricatures of well-known Christmas figures, no real influence from the holiday at all. The film’s lead actor should be another giveaway, as Willis has based his career off of roles in the world of action and thriller popcorn flicks. From IMDb, Willis has played main parts in movies such as Armageddon, Sin City, and The Expendables (imdb.com).

   To entertain the idea of the film’s supposed holiday ties would be futile. According to Rotten Tomatoes, this supposed “Christmas classic” was released… in the middle of July of 1988. Although there is no defined time to start celebrating the holiday season, everyone is in agreement that this period begins after summer ends. Another connection Christmas-fanatics make is that family is a driving force for the main character. There is a trope in many Christmas movies that connects the two, but from looking at the bigger picture, their argument dissolves; wanting to escape from imminent death and salvage a family is what any other person would do under these circumstances, regardless of the time of year. Frankly, not everything that happens or is related to winter has to equate to Christmas (rottentomatoes.com).

   Still, Christmas is crucial for the story’s setting, and for that there is some credit due. The movie takes place on Christmas Eve, at an office Christmas party. Some students believe that’s all the evidence there needs to be. Junior Zion Granatowicz said, “Christmas is the season of miracles; anything can be a Christmas movie if it contains the same magical element.” While the notion of one man defeating a horde of heavily-armed enemies is impractical, that’s just a byproduct of Die Hard being an American “hero always wins” story. Other students understand that the holiday is irrelevant to the movie. Junior Tyler Tran said, “Die Hard could have taken place any time of the year. It just happened to take place the day before Christmas.” As long as there was a reason for an office party, the storyline stays relevant. For example, if the movie took place on New Year’s Eve, the story would be the exact same.

   The fact that the movie still causes a debate among watchers 34 years later is only evidence of the movie’s immortality. Over the past three decades, countless arguments have ensued regarding whether or not the film qualifies as a Christmas classic. However, given Willis’ career, the movie’s release date, and the fact that any other holiday could easily fill in Christmas’s placeholder, Die Hard does not qualify as a Christmas movie.