🔗 Share this article Devouring This Year's Festive Features: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. It is the season to relax on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a selection of latest holiday movies hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the non-fan, while fans will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is superb for fans and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. You can guess their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions 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 sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man 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 splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: 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 main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she meets a guy in a literary haven who promises to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 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 at last takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to relax on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a selection of latest holiday movies hopes to be part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the non-fan, while fans will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not an all-time classic, but is superb for fans and a good start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. You can guess their response. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor appears at the start of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin 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 filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions 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 sadly he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man 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 splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: 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 main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she meets a guy in a literary haven who promises to show her a festive Paris. An expert recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is somewhere, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 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 at last takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher