🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing 2025's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to relax on the couch and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of new seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the festive feeling, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, optimistically, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers are trapped in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the casual viewer, while devotees will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she runs into a fellow in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the couch and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of new seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the festive feeling, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, optimistically, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers are trapped in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the casual viewer, while devotees will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she runs into a fellow in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher