🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and demolish a packet of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—maybe even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This film is the sole 2025 title 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 world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching side stories, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a man in a book store who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and demolish a packet of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—maybe even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This film is the sole 2025 title 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 world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching side stories, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she meets a man in a book store who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher