🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a packet of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a batch of fresh holiday movies hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Could this be a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits 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 flat—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights 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. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a man in a bookshop who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts 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 guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including other 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a packet of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a batch of fresh holiday movies hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Could this be a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits 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 flat—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights 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. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a man in a bookshop who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. An expert recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the efforts 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 guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including other 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher