🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of fresh holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio are stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a guy in a book store who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of fresh holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio are stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a guy in a book store who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher