Marathon Viewing The Latest Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights.
It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good.
Once again, a batch of new holiday movies strives to join part of our festive viewing—perhaps even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
Therefore, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day.
7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The musical trio are trapped in the UK after concluding their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.”
The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while devotees will certainly catch lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible.
It’s private planes, trains and automobiles.
It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it.
8.45am - Tinsel Town
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show.
“A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre.
His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. You can guess their reply. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma
An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects 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 familiar story develops as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There's just enough time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.”
But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the excess.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
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 setting of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a fellow in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris.
A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
A Charming Quest
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth.
The secret is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s gentle but sweet, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—holiday fare.
It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
