🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a selection of fresh seasonal stories hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Therefore, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a positive note. This film is the sole 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an evil Santa, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a guy in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new entry in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a selection of fresh seasonal stories hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Therefore, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a positive note. This film is the sole 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an evil Santa, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a guy in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new entry in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher