🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. ‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a batch of fresh Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I binged as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the exclusive 2025 title 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 finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of references as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is superb for fans and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 miserly Mr Sood is confronted 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 different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a man in a book store who vows to show her a festive Paris. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new offering in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a batch of fresh Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I binged as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This is the exclusive 2025 title 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 finishing their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The banter between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of references as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is superb for fans and a positive start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage. His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming storylines, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer pops up at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 miserly Mr Sood is confronted 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 different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the difference. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a man in a book store who vows to show her a festive Paris. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory heartwarming sensation. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s gentle but sweet, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a bickering 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new offering in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman travels to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher