🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and demolish a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a selection of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. 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 find themselves stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a new Christmas tradition? 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 The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she runs into a man in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale 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 box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a selection of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. 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 find themselves stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a new Christmas tradition? 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 The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she runs into a man in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher