🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the time of year to lounge on the couch and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a crop of latest Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up trapped in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while devotees will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to pay back the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 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 main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to lounge on the couch and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a crop of latest Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up trapped in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while devotees will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to pay back the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 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 main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher