What to Know
- Movies on the Roof at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks
- Dec. 3-18, 2021; select nights
- $10; all proceeds will be donated to three local non-profits: Valley Relics Museum, Hope of The Valley, and Overdue
Long before the first cineplex was built inside a mall, movies were regularly depicting shopping, shoppers, and the eternal acts of browsing, selecting an item, and purchasing.
Characters fell in love in shops, and bumped into each other on street corners, dropping all of their boxes and bags, and spending a good part of a film selecting a special ring or gift? That's often a major plot point in a movie.
Films that take place at Christmastime regularly visit stores, markets, and malls, with hilarity or drama ensuing (the search for that hard-to-find toy is an anxiety-inducing experience shared by many audience members).
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To celebrate both the season and the shopping center, My Valley Pass is presenting several festive films that are, in some way, connected to both Christmas and commerce.
And the group, which shines a spotlight on the charms of the San Fernando Valley through a host of vibrant events, has found an ideal location for its series: Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks.
"Movies on the Roof" will take place outside, on the parking garage roof of the mall, and while not every film in the line-up boasts a shopping scene or element, several will call upon the ever-iconic food courts, fancy fountains, and escalators of various malls.
"Miracle on 34th Street" from 1994 is the first film of the series, which begins on Dec. 3. "Bad Santa," "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," "Batman Returns," "Jingle All the Way," and "Elf" will follow on select nights.
And the sweetest cherry on this Christmas cake? All of the proceeds will be donated to three Valley-based organizations: the neon-tastic Valley Relics Museum, Hope of The Valley Rescue Mission and Overdue, "a collective of individuals who pick up trash together to make their communities cleaner, greener and friendlier."
Giving back to the community? That's even sweeter than a Meet Cute on some city corner, where both characters drop all of their boxes and bags but find romance.
Find out more now on tickets, times, and the organizations that this film series is supporting.