🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the festive feeling, I marathoned as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their response. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—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) talks him into splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a guy in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning holiday staples 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 the concept, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the festive feeling, I marathoned as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their response. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—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) talks him into splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a guy in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning holiday staples 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 the concept, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher