Musical about war veterans-turned-entertainers has maybe the most famous Christmas song of all time in it
08:00, 27 Nov 2025Updated 08:15, 27 Nov 2025
For some, the festive season really starts once they hear Mariah Carey yell, 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' - but for others, it's watching one particular film synonymous with this time of year.
Tonight, BBC Four is showing 'White Christmas', the 1954 musical starring the iconic singer and actor Bing Crosby alongside Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. For those of you who have never seen this classic before, it tells the story of two soldiers who are now performers and, after returning from World War 2, team up with a sister act to save the failing Vermont inn, owned by their former commanding officer.
The heartwarming flick scores a respectable 76% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 46 critic reviews. Meanwhile, its audience score is even stronger, with 89% of film-goers giving it the thumbs up.
Some people agreed that the film has its saccharine moments, calling it “unabashedly sentimental”, but in the end, its enduring appeal is simply “too cheerful to resist.” Plenty of viewers gave it glowing five-star reviews.
One wrote: "Transports you to a different time in such a wonderful way. My absolute favourite. I can watch all year long!" Another gleamed: "This film is just Christmas magic," and added that, "Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby’s chemistry is 10/10, and the story makes your eyes sweaty by the end. It’s a fantastic feel-good Xmas story!"
A third said that for all its cheesiness, it is still essentially the best film to watch at Christmas. "Is it corny? Yes. Is it totally unrealistic? Yes. Is it still absolutely wonderful? Yes. The greatest Christmas movie of all time," they commented.
A four-star review noted: "While some view White Christmas as an outdated and unrelatable album promotion, others view it as a graceful and timeless holiday classic. Musical arrangement is a focal point of most holiday-themed flicks, and this movie knocks it out of the park due to Bing Crosby’s legendary vocal performances featured throughout the film."
The magic wasn't there for everyone, though. A one-star review said: "Schmaltzy and cheesy and silly. The music wasn't even that good."
In a similar vein, another one-starrer added: "Yikes! Absolutely awful! I read that it wasn't well-liked when it was originally released, and now I can see why. Long & boring."
Of course, whatever your thoughts about the film, it can't be mentioned without also speaking about its titular song, 'White Christmas', written by Irving Berlin and sung by Crosby.
Aside from being the biggest-selling single of all time, shifting more than 50 million copies worldwide since 1942, the Yuletide anthem often tops polls of the greatest Christmas songs of all time.
At its heart, 'White Christmas' remains an old-school musical with an uncomplicated plot and a bundle of sentiments such as loyalty, hope and the belief that coming together will always make everything okay in the end.
'White Christmas' is on BBC Four at 7.05pm tonight (Thursday, November 27).