🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the time of year to slob out on the couch and devour a tin of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt notice 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 great for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris. 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 Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 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 secret is to be discovered, 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 perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering 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 opens by name-dropping classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to slob out on the couch and devour a tin of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt notice 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 great for devotees and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor cast a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor shows up at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to reimburse the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris. 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 Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 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 secret is to be discovered, 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 perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering 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 opens by name-dropping classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher