🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the sofa and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new Christmas films strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, ideally, on a good foot. This film is the only 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stranded in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take 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 develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—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 remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films 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. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a bookshop who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head 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 opens by name-dropping Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new offering in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the sofa and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new Christmas films strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, ideally, on a good foot. This film is the only 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stranded in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take 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 develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—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 remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films 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. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a bookshop who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head 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 opens by name-dropping Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new offering in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher