Marathon Viewing The Latest Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures.
It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful.
As always, a batch of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day.
7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Beginning, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.”
The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it.
8.45am - Tinsel Town
A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a pantomime.
“A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre.
His Aladdin cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma
A familiar face shows up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale develops as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 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 flat—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Noon: A BBC Special
Before lunch for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.”
But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into 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 return the excess.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
A Classy Netflix Romance
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 main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same.
Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a man in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris.
An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation.
The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
A Charming Quest
Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise.
The answer is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities.
It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress 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 true heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food.
It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
