🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the time of year to lounge on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new holiday movies hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up trapped in the UK after finishing their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while fans will certainly catch lots of references 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 great for fans and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity cast a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming storylines, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a holiday 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 devise a plan for how to reimburse the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a guy in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The secret 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 low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to lounge on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new holiday movies hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up trapped in the UK after finishing their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while fans will certainly catch lots of references 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 great for fans and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity cast a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming storylines, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a holiday 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 devise a plan for how to reimburse the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a guy in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The secret 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 low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher