🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to relax on the couch and consume a packet of festive treats in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of latest seasonal stories 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 (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the festive feeling, I watched as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale 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 different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip 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 figure out how to return the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - 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 cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a man in a literary haven who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - 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 classic festive films 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 what this is, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the couch and consume a packet of festive treats in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of latest seasonal stories 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 (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the festive feeling, I watched as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale 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 different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip 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 figure out how to return the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - 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 cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a man in a literary haven who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - 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 classic festive films 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 what this is, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher