🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This release is the only 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face pops up at the start 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 encounters 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, 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 notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but charming, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This release is the only 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their retort. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face pops up at the start 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 encounters 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he gets an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, 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 notable too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but charming, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher