🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching The Latest Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to relax on the sofa and consume a box of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of latest Christmas films aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a good foot. This film is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band are stranded in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming storylines, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—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 excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she meets a man in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but sweet, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to relax on the sofa and consume a box of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of latest Christmas films aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a good foot. This film is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band are stranded in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming storylines, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—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 excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she meets a man in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but sweet, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher