🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and consume a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a selection of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, 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 great for fans and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Is this 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 The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits 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 sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network'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) convinces him blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris. A commentator recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and consume a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a selection of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, 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 great for fans and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Is this 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 The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits 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 sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network'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) convinces him blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris. A commentator recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher