Marathon Viewing 2025's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good.
‘Tis the season to slob out on the couch and consume a tin of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific.
As always, a selection of fresh Christmas films aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it).
So, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to find the holiday mood, I binged as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Beginning, ideally, on a positive note. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The Jonas Brothers find themselves trapped in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their sibling bond.”
The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the non-fan, while fans will certainly catch lots of in-jokes as they attempt to get back using every mode of travel possible.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is superb for devotees and a good start to the day.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it.
Late Morning: Tinsel Town
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity cast a "panto".
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and older star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama.
His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming side stories, and the ensemble is excellent, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma
A familiar face pops up at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters 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 classic narrative progresses as the tight-fisted 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 unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Noon: A BBC Special
There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.”
But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money 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 reimburse the excess.
Fun while it lasts but not lasting.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
A Classy Netflix Romance
This is one of those holiday movies where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the setting of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light.
A critic recently claimed 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 dash of elegance and gives the required heartwarming sensation.
The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief 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 scientists and personalities.
It’s understated but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who gather 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 stating: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a mash-up of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually finds her strength.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new entry in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—festive fodder.
It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
