🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and demolish a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Therefore, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the holiday mood, I watched as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This film is the only 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The popular band are stuck in the UK after finishing their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some touching storylines, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects 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 familiar story progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, 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 captivating and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like 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. En route, she meets a guy in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but endearing, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping holiday staples 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and demolish a box of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Therefore, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the holiday mood, I watched as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This film is the only 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The popular band are stuck in the UK after finishing their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some touching storylines, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor pops up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects 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 familiar story progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, 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 captivating and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like 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. En route, she meets a guy in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but endearing, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping holiday staples 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher