‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and demolish a tin of mince pies in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
Once again, a batch of fresh seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start).
So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the holiday mood, I marathoned as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day.
7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Beginning, optimistically, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The Jonas Brothers are stuck in the UK after concluding their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.”
The repartee between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of references as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it.
8.45am - Tinsel Town
A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show.
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama.
His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their retort. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases.
There are some great jokes, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A New Spin on Scrooge
An actor pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Could this be 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 a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions 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 unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
Before lunch for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the difference.
Pleasant yet unmemorable.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems
This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she runs into a man in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris.
A commentator recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas
Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise.
The secret is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s gentle but charming, and good 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 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the concept, 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: 🎄🎄
Formulaic Fun
The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—holiday fare.
It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
