10 Winter Movies to Get You Through the Season
The winter can be brutal. Fortunately, wintertime is movie time.
I don’t think people realize that winter has just begun.
We get lulled into a wintery festivus due to the holidays and dark days beginning in November, but the official first day of winter is only December 22nd.
You’d better hold fast because a long, cold winter is ahead.
Fortunately, wintertime is movie time, a season when you don’t need a reason to curl up on the couch all day and gaze at the white flakes falling outside and the cozy pixels on your TV.
To help you survive the toughest mental health period of the year, here are ten movies that can provide comfort, understanding, and hope against the imminent winter blues.
January Winter Movies
1. The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter’s remake of 1951’s A Thing From Another World depicts an ensemble cast of dudes holed up in an arctic research facility. A mysterious visit from a dog sets off a claustrophobic whodunnit that captures the anxiety of January’s laborious length.
The ambiguous final scene portrayed by Kurt Russell and Keith David is how I feel every weekday morning in January lying in my bed—an acceptance of the bleakness.
“Why don't we wait here, see what happens.”
2. Emma (2020)
To counteract the darkness of The Thing, take in the colorful Jane Austen adaptation from 2020, Emma, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Mia Goth. While this film covers multiple seasons, Bill Nighy’s portrayal of Mr. Woodhouse depicts the essence of winter survival.
Throughout the film, the uptight English nobleman constantly avoids the wintery drafts in his country home. He’s so obsessed that he orders two servant boys to block any drafts with tall folding screens.
It’s the part of Victorian life still relatable today, especially if you live in a drafty historic home like me.
My wife while we’re sitting on the couch.
3. The Shining
Is there any film that evokes the negative mental effects of cabin fever other than The Shining? This psychological horror flick will still send chills down your spine.
Plus, exploring the lore of the making of The Shining could keep you busy all winter long.
The only peaceful part of the movie.
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson movies are like sour beer. It’s an acquired taste that most millennial white guys like because they think they must.
Wes Anderson movies are like sour beer. It’s an acquired taste that most millennial white guys like because they think they must.
Still, whether you’re a fan or not, The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of his most palatable films because it captures the glitz of pre-war Europe and the coziness of the historic hotel wrapped in the wintery landscape.
The Grand Budapest is a place I’d like to check in for a warm winter getaway.
Is there a Groupon for this place?
February Winter Movies
5. Groundhog Day
My wife hates this movie.
It’s one of my favorites of all time.
Winter feels like the same day over and over again, and director Harold Ramis symbolizes this neverending feeling in the dark, humorous, and heartfelt Groundhog Day.
I’ve been trying to make February 2nd an actual holiday in my household by celebrating an annual screening of the film. However, like Phil courting Rita, my continuous attempts have failed.
Maybe tomorrow.
Read more: 5 Mental Health Lessons From Groundhog Day Quotes
6. Sleepless in Seattle
We’ve lost something in our modern cinematic world–big-budget romantic comedies.
We’ve lost something in our modern cinematic world–big-budget romantic comedies.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, or if you just need a cozy Saturday afternoon flick, give Sleepless in Seattle a rewatch. Between the timeless soundtrack, twinkling lights, and dramatic climax, you’ll realize, like I have, that they don’t make them like they used to.
Thanks, Tom. I needed that after failing all my New Year’s resolutions.
7. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
As a young adult living in a cold climate town, there wasn’t much to do in the winter. The options were playing video games, thrifting, seeing a movie, or catching live music at a dingy venue. But mainly, we were hopping from coffee shops to house parties, starving off boredom and the cold, until we figured out what the hell we wanted to do with our lives.
If the angst of my wintery teens were captured on film, it would be Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
If the angst of my wintery teens were captured on film, it would be Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
While some of the jokes haven’t aged well, this stylistic comic book adaptation is a flashback cast of up-and-coming millennial stars:
Michael Cera
Mary-Elizabeth Winstead
Aubrey Plaza
Anna Kendrick
Alison Pill
Kieran Culkin
Allison Brie
Chris Evans
Plus, the soundtrack still hits.
March
8. The Fugitive
March is a cruel bastard. Technically, spring doesn’t start until March 19, but you feel like winter should be over. Unfortunately, there’s always a rogue blizzard that makes you impulse buy tickets to Florida on an airline that’s a glorified puddle jumper.
And just like the betrayal of a faux spring, so too does Dr. Richard Kimble find himself in a perplexing situation, getting framed for the murder of his wife.
The Fugitive is an action thriller starring Harrison Ford as Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as the fiery U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard hot on his trail.
Once a week, I repeat Gerard’s famously delivered line when he almost catches Kimball after he escapes a prison transport bus (typically, I say it silently during a work call).
“I didn’t kill my wife,” Kimble says.
“I don’t care,” Gerard says.
The film mainly takes place in Chicago during March, where the grey skies and trenchcoats are plentiful. And one of the big set pieces takes place during the iconic Chicago St. Paddy’s Day parade.
Green beer and dark weather are a perfect pairing.
Kimble may be in a sucky situation, just like the month of March, but he never gives up the pursuit of clearing his name.
And neither should you. Spring is just around the corner.
Earth-toned skies and jackets. The perfect semblance of March in cold weather climates.
9. The Princess Diaries and The Princess Bride
Okay, a bit of a double billing here, but both of these princess movies evoke the lightness of spring.
The former is a delightful coming-of-age story of a young Anne Hathaway convincing the audience that she’s not pretty.
The latter is an eternal comedic fantasy from director Rob Reiner that I quoted non-stop to my siblings growing up.
Both films will put you in the spirit to get outside for an adventure, go to a beach party, and possibly catch a ride on Josh’s catamaran, aptly named “The Josher.”
Get your sweater on and go for a spring cruise on "The Josher.”
10. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Two Jane Austen adaptations in one list?
How dare I?
No, how dare you, dear reader.
This is about survival, not having a Letterboxd “recent activity” that your film school professor would be proud of.
Like most millennials, I prefer the 2005 adaptation of Austen’s most famous work. Its majestic cinematography, acting, and score are like a warm cup of tea. You could put this movie on in the darkest snowstorms and still feel the warmth of a spring sunrise to heal your soul.
Winter Movies Are Coming
So, what winter movies help you survive the season? Drop your favorite in the comments below.
And for more conversations like this, listen to Least Important Things.