🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Christmas Films: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of fresh Christmas films strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio are stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is amusing even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly notice lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their retort. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters 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 the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—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) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—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. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights 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. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she encounters a guy in a book store who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of fresh Christmas films strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio are stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is amusing even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly notice lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their retort. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some touching storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters 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 the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—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) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—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. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights 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. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she encounters a guy in a book store who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 premise, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher