🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a batch of fresh holiday movies strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the sole 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt notice 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 devotees and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 classic narrative progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an error 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: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to secure an acquisition 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 commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping holiday staples 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 what this is, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a batch of fresh holiday movies strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the sole 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt notice 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 devotees and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 classic narrative progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an error 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: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to secure an acquisition 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 commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping holiday staples 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 what this is, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher