🔗 Share this article Devouring This Year's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the season to relax on the sofa and devour a packet of mince pies in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a high. This is the sole 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The banter 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 a timeless masterpiece, but is great for fans 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 A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star roped into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up 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 familiar story unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a guy in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother 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 starts by mentioning holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the sofa and devour a packet of mince pies in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a high. This is the sole 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The banter 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 a timeless masterpiece, but is great for fans 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 A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star roped into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up 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 familiar story unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a guy in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother 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 starts by mentioning holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher