🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, 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 are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their retort. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming side stories, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer pops up at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the tight-fisted 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 unique from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. 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 main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a man in a literary haven who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but charming, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning holiday staples 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 execution it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest 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 couch and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, 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 are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their retort. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming side stories, and the ensemble is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer pops up at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the tight-fisted 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 unique from all the others, but sadly he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. 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 main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a man in a literary haven who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but charming, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning holiday staples 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 execution it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher