Marathon Viewing 2025's Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights.
It is the season to lounge on the sofa and devour a packet of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
This year, a batch of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the holiday mood, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Starting, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the only 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The Jonas Brothers find themselves stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.”
The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it.
8.45am - Tinsel Town
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star cast a traditional British stage show.
“A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre.
His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their reply. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions.
There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, and the ensemble is brilliant, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
10.19am - Christmas Karma
Danny Dyer shows up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple?
This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who encounters Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There’s time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland.
There’s just one snag—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the difference.
Enjoyable but forgettable.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems
This is one of those Christmas films where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she meets a fellow in a book store who vows to show her Christmas in Paris.
A commentator recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
A Charming Quest
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth.
The truth is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s low-key but sweet, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who come back together 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes 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 eventually comes into her own.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s gone downhill, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food.
It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up finding romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
