🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a batch of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the festive feeling, I watched as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the sole 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band are trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans 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 legendary, but is superb 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching side stories, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor pops up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a holiday 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 determine how to return the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a man in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions 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. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a batch of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the festive feeling, I watched as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the sole 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band are trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.” The repartee between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while fans 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 legendary, but is superb 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching side stories, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor pops up at the outset of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a holiday 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 determine how to return the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she runs into a man in a book store who promises to show her Christmas in Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the real champions 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. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher