Marathon Viewing This Year's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good.
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of mince pies in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
Once again, a selection of latest Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it).
Therefore, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This film is the sole 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time.
The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.”
The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the uninitiated, while devotees 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 great for fans and a positive start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it.
Late Morning: Tinsel Town
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a "panto".
“A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre.
His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, and the supporting actors is cracking, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A New Spin on Scrooge
A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become 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 an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses 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 cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a problem when he’s so central to everything.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There’s time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.”
But after he is awarded an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland.
There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to pay back the remainder.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
1.12pm - Champagne Problems
This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights 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 vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a man in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris.
A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. 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 extended debate about Die Hard is notable too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise.
The secret is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures.
It’s low-key but sweet, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling 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 classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Formulaic Fun
The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—festive fodder.
It’s a story as old as time: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher