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« April 29th should be a national holiday | Main | TCM Film Festival Day 1: This Fest is on Fire! »
Friday
Apr292016

Posterized: Movies named after holidays

With Mother's Day in theaters today starring romcom queens of yester-yore (Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston) the question comes to mind: What other U.S. holidays are available for Garry Marshall to make all star ensemble mosaics about?  A lot of holidays are already taken as you'll see in today's Posterized. (Disclaimer: We've opted to include only movies with theatrical releases and no holiday-themed titles -- there'd be hundreds with straight to dvd titles or movies with a holiday within the title)

How many of these movies, which take their names from holidays, have you seen?
Let's take them in order of their place on the calendar.

New Year's Day (1989), New Year's Day (2000), Groundhog Day (1993)

Ash Wednesday (1973), Valentine's Day (2010), April Fool's Day (1986)

Mother's Day (2016), Independence Day (1983), Independence Day (1996)

Labor Day (2013), Halloween (1978), Halloween (2007)

Christmas Eve (1947), Christmas Eve (2015), New Year's Eve (2011)

Still waiting for the Garry Marshall Treatment: Columbus Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Flag Day, President's Day, Easter, Father's Day, Thanksgiving... although the latter did get that sick sick sick fake slasher trailer by Eli Roth in Grindhouse (2007)

It seems beyond strange that the best movie named after a holiday is still a low budget 1970s slasher movie (that turned out great and became highly influential, for better...and usually worse). Halloween was #3 in our list of greatest modern horror movies.

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Reader Comments (16)

God knows where he'll go next. I'd like to point out that SNL already spoofed this "franchise"(? hah!) with an "Apocalypse Day" skit. And, more importantly, 30 Rock once included a fake trailer for "MLK Day", starring Jenna Maroney!!

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterCarlos

I think these fims stop with M/day,what''s with Julia busted wig from Notthing Hill's fake movie Helix.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered Commentermark

Nat: Ash Wednesday would actually be after Valentine's Day but before April Fool's Day. Why? Ash Wednesday in 1973 (it's a rover) was March 7.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterVolvagia

I've seen 11. I looked up the 2000 New Year's Day and it sounds very intriguing so I'll be checking that out.

I have no intention of seeing Mother's Day, it's getting terrible reviews and all the other ones Marshall did with that theme have been just awful.

That latter day Liz Taylor vehicle Ash Wednesday isn't very good but she made worse pictures during that period.

Other holiday titled movies:

Christmas Holiday (1944)
Columbus Day (2008)
Father's Day (1997)

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterjoel6

I've seen Groundhog Day. I tried to watch Labor Day on Amazon Prime, but the video playback quality was really poor (or maybe it was my WiFi).

I think life's too short to see most of these.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterSuzanne

Groundhog Day is the best "holiday" film.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterRaul

I am so gonna watch Mother's Day even w/ bad reviews. Somehow, Jen's movies always make me happy & entertained after watching them. Definitely, this one's no different. Luv Jen!

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMayette

C'mon, Nathaniel—Groundhog Day is obviously the best film on this list.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterHayden W.

Born on the Fourth of July?

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterbrandz

Groundhog Day and Halloween are head-and-shoulders above the rest.

There actually is a (little-seen, largely-forgotten) film called Fathers' Day (1997) that was directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Robin Williams & Billy Crystal, as well as Columbus Day (2008), starring Val Kilmer. ('memba him?) Does Easter Parade (1948) technically check the Easter box?

P.S. As a kid, I was obsessed with/terrified by the cover art for April Fools' Day (1986), which I first saw when my grandparents owned a video store in Provo, Utah, and which apparently was remade in 2008!

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMareko

Does Easter Parade count?

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered Commentertom

Born on the Fourth of July?

The born on the part disqualifies it from inclusion.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered Commenter/3rtful

Martin Luther King Jr. Day got the 30 Rock treatment! http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xo3yw7_30-rock-martin-luther-king-day-trailer_shortfilms

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterJake D

Yeah, I remember a Father's Day being pretty terrible. Shame you couldn't include New Year's Evil.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterGlenn Dunks

I'm waiting for Satan's Day.

April 29, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterSteven

Happy to say I've only seen three of these, including the two indisputable classics and the Liz Taylor oddity. I wouldn't mind catching the George Raft/Joan Blondell flick, but I will be avoiding the Stepford-Witches-from-Eastwick-looking Mothers Day.

April 30, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPaul Outlaw
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