🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a selection of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a high. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers find themselves stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? 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 develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation 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 the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The secret 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 endearing, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional 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 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 true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a selection of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, optimistically, on a high. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers find themselves stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? 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 develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation 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 the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The secret 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 endearing, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional 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 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 true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher