🔗 Share this article Devouring This Year's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the sofa and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly notice 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 an all-time classic, but is superb for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she runs into a man in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old 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 truth is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the sofa and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly notice 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 an all-time classic, but is superb for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she runs into a man in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old 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 truth is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher