🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the couch and demolish a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Therefore, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, hopefully, on a high. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly notice 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 an all-time classic, but is great for devotees 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity tricked into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum 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 devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a guy in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the couch and demolish a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a selection of new seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—perhaps even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Therefore, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, hopefully, on a high. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly notice 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 an all-time classic, but is great for devotees 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity tricked into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit cheesy at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer shows up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum 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 devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a guy in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher