🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Holiday Movies: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a selection of fresh Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up stranded in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt pick up on lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a solid 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 Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, 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. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects 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 familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 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 charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation 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 figure out how to pay back the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a selection of fresh Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I binged as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio end up stranded in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt pick up on lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a solid 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 Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and aging action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, 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. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects 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 familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 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 charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation 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 figure out how to pay back the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she encounters a fellow in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher