🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a tin of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This release is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio find themselves stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while devotees will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching side stories, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, 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, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions 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 sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 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 core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a literary haven who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a tin of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This release is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio find themselves stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while devotees will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching side stories, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, 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, insulting someone for the second film in a row. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions 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 sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 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 core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a literary haven who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher