🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the season to slob out on the couch and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of latest Christmas films strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the holiday mood, I marathoned as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a positive note. This film is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The popular band find themselves stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of references as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb 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. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast 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 appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a new Christmas tradition? 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 unfolds 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 cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a holiday 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 devise a plan for how to reimburse the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a fellow in a literary haven who vows 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 holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the couch and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of latest Christmas films strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the holiday mood, I marathoned as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a positive note. This film is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The popular band find themselves stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of references as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb 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. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast 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 appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a new Christmas tradition? 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 unfolds 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 cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is lifeless—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a holiday 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 devise a plan for how to reimburse the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a fellow in a literary haven who vows 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 holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher