🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Holiday Movies: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and demolish a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio are trapped in the UK after finishing their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while devotees will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face shows up at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters 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 classic narrative unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited 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 distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a vacation 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 devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a fellow in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “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 forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and demolish a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio are trapped in the UK after finishing their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while devotees will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face shows up at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters 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 classic narrative unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited 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 distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a vacation 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 devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a fellow in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “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 forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher