🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing 2025's Festive Features: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a selection of latest Christmas films aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up stranded in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while followers will certainly catch lots of references as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is superb for fans and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 filmmaker behind 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 South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed 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 receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. 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 background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering 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 declaring: “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 forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—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 stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a selection of latest Christmas films aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up stranded in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while followers will certainly catch lots of references as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is superb for fans and a solid start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 filmmaker behind 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 South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed 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 receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. 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 background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering 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 declaring: “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 forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—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 stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher