🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to lounge on the sofa and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a crop of fresh Christmas films hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the festive feeling, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up trapped in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The banter between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face pops up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts 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 charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed 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 determine how to pay back the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a man in a bookshop who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best 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 obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new offering 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 journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to lounge on the sofa and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a crop of fresh Christmas films hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the festive feeling, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up trapped in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The banter between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face pops up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts 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 charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed 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 determine how to pay back the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a man in a bookshop who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best 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 obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but sweet, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new offering 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 journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher