🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a batch of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the holiday mood, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The popular band find themselves stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming storylines, 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. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up 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 crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a guy in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed 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 touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known figures. It’s understated but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping Christmas classics 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 what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and consume a tin of mince pies in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a batch of latest seasonal stories hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the holiday mood, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, ideally, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The popular band find themselves stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the non-fan, while followers will no doubt catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their retort. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming storylines, 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. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up 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 crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the miserly Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a guy in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed 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 touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known figures. It’s understated but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping Christmas classics 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 what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher