🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a crop of latest Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the holiday mood, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The popular band end up stranded in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their response. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching side stories, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take 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 familiar story unfolds as the stingy 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 unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a guy in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a crop of latest Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the holiday mood, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The popular band end up stranded in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their response. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching side stories, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take 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 familiar story unfolds as the stingy 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 unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a guy in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known figures. It’s gentle but sweet, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher