🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to relax on the couch and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, optimistically, on a positive note. This release is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while devotees will undoubtedly pick up on lots of references as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 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 Hollywood star tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature 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 outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? 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 The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a man in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to relax on the couch and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, optimistically, on a positive note. This release is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while devotees will undoubtedly pick up on lots of references as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 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 Hollywood star tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature 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 outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? 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 The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a man in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher