🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Festive Features: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to relax on the couch and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of new holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I watched as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, optimistically, on a good foot. This film is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale develops as the stingy 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 distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he receives an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a man in a book store who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a jumble 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 waned in quality, but happily here’s a new addition in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to relax on the couch and demolish a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of new holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the festive feeling, I watched as many new festive movies as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, optimistically, on a good foot. This film is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale develops as the stingy 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 distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he receives an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a man in a book store who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a jumble 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 waned in quality, but happily here’s a new addition in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher