🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to slob out on the couch and demolish 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 latest holiday movies hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio find themselves stuck in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, 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 lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears 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 crooning chauffeur who picks up 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 familiar story progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions 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 regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money 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 return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a bookshop who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing Christmas classics 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 premise, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new entry in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the couch and demolish 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 latest holiday movies hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio find themselves stuck in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, 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 lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears 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 crooning chauffeur who picks up 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 familiar story progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions 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 regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money 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 return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a bookshop who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing Christmas classics 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 premise, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new entry in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher