Binge-Watching The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures.
‘Tis the season to lounge on the sofa and consume a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
Once again, a selection of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start).
Thus, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, 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 exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time.
The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.”
The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while devotees 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 solid start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it.
8.45am - Tinsel Town
A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity cast a traditional British stage show.
“A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre.
His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their response. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions.
There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A New Spin on Scrooge
A familiar face appears at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Could this be a fresh holiday staple?
This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale develops as the tight-fisted 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 performance is flat—a significant issue when he’s so the main character.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
Lunchtime: Stuffed
There's just enough time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.”
But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—he learns 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.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
1.12pm - Champagne Problems
This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a guy in a bookshop who promises to show her Christmas in Paris.
A commentator recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation.
The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
A Charming Quest
Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s gentle but sweet, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
A Star-Studded Family Drama
Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food.
It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
