Marathon Viewing The Latest Holiday Movies: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures.
It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
Once again, a crop of latest Christmas films strives to join part of our festive viewing—perhaps even joining the ranks 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 embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The popular band find themselves stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.”
The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using all transportation available.
It’s a journey of epic proportions.
It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees 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.
Next: A Star in Panto
Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star cast a "panto".
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama.
His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases.
There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming side stories, and the ensemble is cracking, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma
A familiar face pops up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 well-known tale develops as the tight-fisted 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 different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so the focal point.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Lunchtime: Stuffed
Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.”
But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland.
There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems
This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris.
A critic recently claimed this is the finest 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 necessary warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth.
The answer is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s gentle but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional 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 Christmas classics 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Formulaic Fun
The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food.
It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
