Devouring This Year's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good.
It is the time of year to slob out on the couch and demolish a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
Once again, a crop of fresh Christmas films aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it).
So, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day.
7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The musical trio find themselves stranded in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.”
The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using all transportation available.
It’s a journey of epic proportions.
It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a solid start to the day.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it.
Next: A Star in Panto
Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a "panto".
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre.
His pantomime fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions.
There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too.
It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A New Spin on Scrooge
A familiar face shows up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Could this be a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This South Asian reinterpretation is at least unique from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a significant issue when he’s so the main character.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There’s time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland.
There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the difference.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems
This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting 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 dispatched to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she meets a man in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris.
An expert recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance 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: 🎄🎄🎄
3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas
Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise.
The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known experts and celebrities.
It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, 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 thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food.
It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
