🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the time of year to lounge on the sofa and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a selection of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a good foot. This is the only 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their retort. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming side stories, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer pops up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—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 (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good 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 answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but charming, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together 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 finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest 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 sofa and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a selection of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a good foot. This is the only 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their retort. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming side stories, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer pops up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—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 (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good 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 answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but charming, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together 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 finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher