Binge-Watching The Latest Holiday Movies: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures.
It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
This year, a crop of fresh Christmas films hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start).
Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I binged as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day.
7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the only 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time.
The popular band are stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.”
The repartee between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while devotees will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary.
It’s a journey of epic proportions.
It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it.
Late Morning: Tinsel Town
Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star roped into a "panto".
“A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre.
His pantomime fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming side stories, and the ensemble is brilliant, too.
It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A New Spin on Scrooge
A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Could this be a new Christmas tradition?
This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 classic narrative progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts 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 regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—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 (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—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.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
A Classy Netflix Romance
This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the scene 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 dispatched to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a man in a book store who offers to show her a festive Paris.
An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The answer is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures.
It’s gentle but charming, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
A Star-Studded Family Drama
Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary.
Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder.
It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher