🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a packet of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a selection of fresh holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into 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 good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The popular band end up trapped in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will no doubt catch lots of references as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is superb for fans 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. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver 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 classic narrative develops as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she meets a guy in a book store who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young 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 truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a packet of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a selection of fresh holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into 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 good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a popular review site's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The popular band end up trapped in the UK after wrapping up their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will no doubt catch lots of references as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is superb for fans 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. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor roped into a traditional British stage show. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver 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 classic narrative develops as the miserly Mr Sood is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “avoids Christmas.” But after he gets an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she meets a guy in a book store who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a touch of class and gives the necessary heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young 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 truth. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last comes into her own. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher