🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to relax on the couch and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a batch of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the holiday mood, I marathoned as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, ideally, on a high. This is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of references as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” 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 inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict 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 brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face shows up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is flat—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 endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a guy in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the couch and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a batch of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the holiday mood, I marathoned as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, ideally, on a high. This is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of references as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” 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 inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict 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 brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face shows up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is flat—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 endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a guy in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher