🔗 Share this article Devouring This Year's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the season to relax on the sofa and devour a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of fresh holiday movies strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while followers will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted 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 distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the setting 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 sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional 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 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to relax on the sofa and devour a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of fresh holiday movies strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while followers will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted 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 distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the setting 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 sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional 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 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher