🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the time of year to relax on the couch and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. This year, a selection of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—perhaps even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This release is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor appears at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a guy in a book store who promises to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to relax on the couch and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. This year, a selection of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—perhaps even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This release is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor appears at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a guy in a book store who promises to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher