Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Set around Christmas in — again — Los Angeles, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the directorial debut of screenwriter Shane Black, who is rather famous for setting films around the holidays (including Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout.)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starts off as a play on perhaps the least Christmas-y movie genre, noirs, with some deft Hollywood satire. But it embraces the Christmas season as actor Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) and private investigator Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer) team up with Santa-suited Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), a woman with many secrets.

Notably, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang came at a point in Robert Downey’s career when he was still considered a risk, due to a history with drugs. He started his comeback with 2003’s The Singing Detective, and built up to landing the lead role in 2008’s Iron Man — a casting choice that made him one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood history. Christmas is all about second chances, and Downey seized his.

Which brings us to the final film on our list…