🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing This Year's Holiday Movies: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a selection of fresh holiday movies hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an evil Santa, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the arguing trio is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees 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 A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their retort. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a holiday 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 determine how to reimburse the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she encounters a man in a bookshop who promises to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage 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 otherwise. The truth is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films 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 reality it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a selection of fresh holiday movies hopes to be part of our festive viewing—potentially even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio find themselves trapped in the UK after concluding their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an evil Santa, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the arguing trio is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while fans will certainly notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees 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 A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His pantomime fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. You can guess their retort. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the supporting actors is excellent, too. It’s the kind of movie that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Is this a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up Mr Sood, the modern take 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There’s time for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a holiday 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 determine how to reimburse the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. During her travels, she encounters a man in a bookshop who promises to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation. The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is very good too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage 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 otherwise. The truth is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known figures. It’s understated but endearing, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Star-Studded Family Drama Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films 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 reality it’s really a jumble of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a tale as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher