Binge-Watching This Year's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures.
‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful.
Once again, a crop of latest seasonal stories aims to become part of our festive viewing—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start).
So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the Christmas spirit, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Beginning, ideally, on a high. This release is the sole 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after concluding their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.”
The repartee between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will no doubt pick up on lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not an all-time classic, but is superb for fans and a solid start to the day.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it.
Next: A Star in Panto
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity cast a traditional British stage show.
“A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama.
His Aladdin fellow actors inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some great jokes, some heartwarming storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
10.19am - Christmas Karma
A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Is this a new Christmas tradition?
This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, 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 acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—he learns 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 remainder.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
1.12pm - Champagne Problems
This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she runs into a man in a book store who vows to show her the holidays in the City of Light.
A commentator recently stated this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a festive dalliance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings.
The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas
Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The truth is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s gentle but sweet, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who gather 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Formulaic Fun
The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—holiday fare.
It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
