🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and consume a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a crop of fresh holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the festive feeling, I marathoned as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the only 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they try 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 excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters 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 develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment 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 country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she meets a man in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and consume a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a crop of fresh holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the festive feeling, I marathoned as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the only 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they try 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 excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters 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 develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment 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 country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she meets a man in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher