We hung our socks over the fireplace and got a plate of cookies in the living room. Now, all we have to do is wait for Holiday-themed original movies to come to Netflix. However, while there are still some Christmas flicks to enjoy this month on the streaming platform, and Netflix is focused on bringing some quality family-friendly content to the viewers, December might be one of their best months for original movies yet this year. That’s because many highly-anticipated releases are coming to Netflix this month, and there’s definitely something for everybody. So, without further ado, here are the seven best original movies on Netflix in December 2022.
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Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Available on: December 2 | Director: Stephen Donnelly
Cast: Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Jonathan Pryce
It’s already a Hollywood tradition to make a different film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol every Holiday season. It couldn’t be different in 2022, so Netflix is bringing us Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, a new animated take on the classic story about a grumpy man who’s forced to rethink his life after being visited by ghosts on Christmas Eve. Starring Luke Evans as the voice of the cold-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol tries to give a new spin to the old tale by adding original songs to the animated feature. The movie also takes some notes from recent animated hits, such as The Mitchells vs. the Machines, by adding some pretty 2D effects on top of the 3D animation, which gives this version of the tale a distinctive look.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Available on: December 2 | Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Cast: Emma Corrin, Jack O'Connell, Matthew Duckett
Based on the novel of the same name by D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover tells the story of a woman split between duty and passion. Starring Emma Corin as the titular Lady Chatterley, the film adaptation follows a woman who gets chained to a dull life after marrying a man she doesn’t love. However, when Lady Chatterley crosses paths with her family’s handsome gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors (Jack O’Connell), she defies the morals and embraces infidelity. That’s right, Netflix is bringing another period romance about forbidden love, which is just the perfect movie to watch under warm blankets while snow falls outside.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Available on: December 9 | Director: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Gregory Mann, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz
We all know the classic Italian tale by Carlo Collodi about a marionette who wants to become a real boy. However, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio promises to give us a version of the story we never dreamed of. First, del Toro pushes the limits of how good a stop-motion film can look. The artists that brought this version of Pinocchio to life are so important for the movie they are credited as equal to voice actors. Then, del Toro’s version of the story includes new characters such as Podestà (voiced by Ron Perlman), a fascist official who turns Pinocchio into a soldier. The filmmaker never avoided discussing politics in his movies, and fascism is in the background of fan-favorite films such as Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. Still, it will be interesting to see how del Toro transforms the fairy tale into a story about fascism.
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Available on: December 16 | Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Cast: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani
Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu is no stranger to metalinguistic projects, but Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths might be his most auto-referential movie yet. The story follows Silverio Gacho (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a renowned Mexican journalist who returns to his birth country after spending years living in Los Angeles. The journey leads Silverio into an existential crisis as he questions his identity and the legacy he’ll leave behind for the people of Mexico. So, Bardo’s main character is someone with a life story that mimics Iñárritu’s. It’s not random that Bardo is also the first movie Iñárritu shoots entirely in Mexico since Amores perros, his 2000 feature directorial debut. While Iñárritu might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Bardo shouldn’t be missed by anyone who loves filmmaking.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Available on: December 23 | Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn
Rian Johnson’s Knives Out revolutionized the whodunnit subgenre by completely changing the focus of the mystery to how and why a murder happened. The movie is also unapologetically light-hearted, putting the “fun” at the funeral. So, we cannot underline how excited we are about Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, a sequel that once again promises to subvert expectations. The sequel will take us on vacation to sunny Greece, which will certainly warm our winter nights. And the story about a billionaire who becomes a victim while hosting a murder mystery puzzle game at his mysterious mansion is too delicious to be ignored. In short, Glass Onion is Netflix original movie that should be on everyone’s radar this December.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Available on: December 25 | Director: Matthew Warchus
Cast: Alicia Weir, Emma Thompson, Andrea Riseborough, Stephen Graham, Sindhu Vee
Last year, Netflix acquired Roald Dahl's entire body of work. This December, Netflix is giving one of Dahl’s most beloved books a new live-action adaptation. Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical puts a musical spin on the tale of the rebellious titular girl (newcomer Alicia Weir) who uses her mind powers to overthrow the authoritarian regime of her new school. And with Emma Thompson playing the wicked Miss Trunchbull, the musical has enough star power to convince people to give the movie a chance. And yes, we all love the 90s movie directed by Danny DeVito, but it’s great that the tale is getting a new version that can enchant a younger generation and show them children’s voices matter.
White Noise
Available on: December 30 | Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy, Jodie Turner-Smith
Inspired by a book of the same name by Don DeLillo, White Noise explores the absurdity of trying to keep everything together when you and your loved ones could die at any moment. Directed by Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), White Noise takes us to a different kind of apocalypse, as the impending doom doesn’t stop one ordinary family from trying to move on with their everyday life. It’s a concept that’s ever more relevant once we think about the COVID pandemic and how we all struggled to find the balance between accepting our new reality and trying to hold to normality.