🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching The Latest Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to lounge on the couch and consume a packet of festive treats in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after concluding their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star tricked into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some touching side stories, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch 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 sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played 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 determine how to pay back the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - 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 to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but endearing, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a story 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
It is the season to lounge on the couch and consume a packet of festive treats in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a crop of new seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after concluding their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who are obliged to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star tricked into a traditional British stage show. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some touching side stories, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed Before lunch 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 sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played 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 determine how to pay back the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - 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 to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but endearing, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in execution it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a story 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