🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Holiday Movies: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to relax on the couch and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I binged as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by 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 vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong 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 persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a panel 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 quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to relax on the couch and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I binged as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by 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 vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong 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 persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a panel 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 quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher