🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the season to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band are trapped in the UK after finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a man in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation 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 persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 what this is, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band are trapped in the UK after finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a man in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation 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 persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 what this is, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher