🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to slob out on the sofa and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of new Christmas films strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, ideally, on a high. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after concluding their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she encounters a guy in a book store who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s low-key but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional 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 starts by mentioning 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 reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and demolish a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s so bad it’s good. As always, a crop of new Christmas films strives to join part of our festive viewing—potentially even finding a spot alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Starting, ideally, on a high. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time. The Jonas Brothers are stranded in the UK after concluding their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “rediscover their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while fans will no doubt notice lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for fans and a good start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. 8.45am - Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star cast a "panto". “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least distinct from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she encounters a guy in a book store who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently stated this is the finest new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s low-key but endearing, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional 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 starts by mentioning 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 reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but happily here’s a new offering in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and utterly watchable—festive fodder. It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher