🔗 Share this article Devouring This Year's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a selection of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly pick up on lots of references as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their response. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions 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 regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems 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 main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a fellow in a literary haven who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. 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, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the attempts 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 guidance of a team of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 what this is, but in reality it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a selection of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly pick up on lots of references as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their response. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions 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 regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems 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 main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a fellow in a literary haven who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. 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, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the attempts 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 guidance of a team of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 what this is, but in reality it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher