🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the time of year to relax on the sofa and demolish a tin of mince pies in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a batch of latest seasonal stories aims to become part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I binged as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while devotees will certainly notice lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting 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 assigned to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a literary haven who offers 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 holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. 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, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last 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 saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to relax on the sofa and demolish a tin of mince pies in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a batch of latest seasonal stories aims to become part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I binged as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while devotees will certainly notice lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting 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 assigned to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a literary haven who offers 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 holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. 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, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last 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 saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher