Off the Beaten Path Holiday Movies on VOD

I AM SANTA CLAUS is a documentary following the lives of the men behind the beard and funny red suit. Though it received more attention (and controversy) for the inclusion of one of the Santas, Jim Stevenson, who happens to be gay, the film unearths some poignant character studies in search of what it means to be Santa.

The production and funding of the film began in 2011 with a Kickstarter campaign and eventually found distribution through a deal with Virgil Films and Producer Morgan Spurlock. Following the lives of four Santas, the film showcases what it means to take on this iconic role, the good, the bad and the ugly. Also in pursuit of being Santa is WWE superstar Mick Foley, who proves totally committed to taking this honor seriously.

These men, some of whom appear doleful and abhorrent, are simply human. It's the irony behind the super human character they portray that the producers portray so well. Each Santa wants nothing more than to be the best they can be and bring some happiness to children. It's worth a watch. Now playing on Netflix.

We're No Angels, the 1955 film Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Mildred Pierce), starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov, is a hidden gem of a holiday movie.

It tells the story of three Devil's Isalnd's escapees who find themselves the unlikely guardian angels of a kindly shopkeeper and his family on Christmas Eve. This delightful film will make you smile. It's filled with a wonderful supporting cast in addition to the three starts including Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennett and Basil Rathbone as the wickedly detestable Uncle.

Watch it on Amazon Prime. You will be pleasantly surprised by this sweet holiday classic.