🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching This Year's Festive Features: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of new seasonal stories hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, ideally, on a high. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of references as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His pantomime fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming storylines, and the rest of the cast 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. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the modern take 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 classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she meets a guy in a literary haven who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung 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 waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market 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 stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to relax on the couch and devour a box of mince pies in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a crop of new seasonal stories hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I watched as many fresh Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, ideally, on a high. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while followers will certainly pick up on lots of references as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is excellent for fans and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has tricked him into thinking he’s starring in renowned British drama. His pantomime fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming storylines, and the rest of the cast 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. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the modern take 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 classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a problem when he’s so central to everything. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she meets a guy in a literary haven who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung 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 waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market 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 stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher