🔗 Share this article Devouring This Year's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to relax on the couch and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. This year, a crop of latest holiday movies hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, ideally, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band are stuck in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity cast a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum 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 reimburse the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the setting—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 (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. 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 packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. This year, a crop of latest holiday movies hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, ideally, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band are stuck in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity cast a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum 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 reimburse the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the setting—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 (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. 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