🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—potentially even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a solid 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 Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted 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 flat—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets 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 figure out how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator 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 holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s low-key but endearing, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who come back together 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our festive viewing—potentially even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a solid 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 Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted 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 flat—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets 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 figure out how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator 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 holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s low-key but endearing, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who come back together 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher