🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the time of year to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. This year, a crop of new seasonal stories aims to become part of our festive viewing—perhaps 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 sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a high. This release is the only 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they try 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 loved ones who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the modern take 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing 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 true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. This year, a crop of new seasonal stories aims to become part of our festive viewing—perhaps 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 sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a high. This release is the only 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they try 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 loved ones who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the modern take 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing 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 true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher