Binge-Watching This Year's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good.
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
Once again, a selection of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it).
So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Starting, ideally, on a high. This film is the sole 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The musical trio are stranded in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.”
The banter between the arguing trio is enjoyable even for the non-fan, while fans will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using any means of transport necessary.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a solid start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it.
Late Morning: Tinsel Town
A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity roped into a traditional British stage show.
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage.
His Aladdin cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional panto catchphrases.
There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma
Danny Dyer shows up at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the next movie straight. Could this be a new Christmas tradition?
This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the modern take 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Noon: A BBC Special
There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he receives an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland.
There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the remainder.
Pleasant yet unmemorable.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems
This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the setting 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 assigned to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she meets a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her a festive Paris.
A critic 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 festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the required cozy feelings.
The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The secret is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities.
It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary.
Pfeiffer begins by referencing 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—seasonal comfort food.
It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
