🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the season to lounge on the sofa and demolish a box of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—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 separate the winners from the losers, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, ideally, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The popular band are stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? 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 an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a man in a book store who promises to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but charming, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 reality it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to lounge on the sofa and demolish a box of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—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 separate the winners from the losers, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, ideally, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The popular band are stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? 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 an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a man in a book store who promises to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but charming, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 reality it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher