🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing 2025's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the season to lounge on the couch and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a crop of new holiday movies hopes to be part of our festive viewing—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, ideally, on a high. This film is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Might this become 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 an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts 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 charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a problem when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a holiday 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 devise a plan for how to pay back the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she meets a guy in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, 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 happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to lounge on the couch and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a crop of new holiday movies hopes to be part of our festive viewing—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, ideally, on a high. This film is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Might this become 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 an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts 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 charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a problem when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a holiday 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 devise a plan for how to pay back the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she meets a guy in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, 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 happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher