🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to relax on the sofa and devour a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a crop of new holiday movies hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, ideally, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor pops up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the excess. 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 setting—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a guy in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but sweet, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama 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 begins by referencing classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the sofa and devour a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a crop of new holiday movies hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, ideally, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor pops up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the excess. 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 setting—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a guy in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but sweet, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama 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 begins by referencing classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher