🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a box of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a crop of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stranded in the UK after finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the casual viewer, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of references as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face shows up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 familiar story develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time 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 gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: 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 strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a box of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a crop of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This is the sole 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stranded in the UK after finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the casual viewer, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of references as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face shows up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Could this be a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who picks up Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 familiar story develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time 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 gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to reimburse the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: 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 strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher