🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the time of year to relax on the sofa and demolish a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a batch of latest holiday movies strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a high. This release is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees and a solid 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 appears as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash 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 devise a plan for how to return the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to secure an acquisition 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 stated this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “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 combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to relax on the sofa and demolish a packet of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. Once again, a batch of latest holiday movies strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—potentially even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a high. This release is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stranded in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while followers will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees and a solid 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 appears as a Hollywood star roped into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up 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 the director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This South Asian reinterpretation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash 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 devise a plan for how to return the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its main point—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to secure an acquisition 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 stated this is the best new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s gentle but endearing, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “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 combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new entry in the saturated market of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher