Marathon Viewing 2025's Holiday Movies: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights.
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful.
This year, a batch of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
Thus, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many new festive movies as possible in a single day.
First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick
Kicking off, hopefully, on a high. This film is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The popular band find themselves stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their efforts are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to state they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.”
The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while devotees will undoubtedly notice lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using every mode of travel possible.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a solid start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it.
Next: A Star in Panto
A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star cast a "panto".
“A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage.
His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he retorts. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some great jokes, some touching storylines, and the supporting actors is cracking, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A New Spin on Scrooge
An actor shows up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who picks up 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 familiar story progresses as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the main character.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Lunchtime: Stuffed
There’s time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a family trip to Lapland.
There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder.
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 background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels cosy and festive all the same.
Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. During her travels, she runs into a fellow in a literary haven who promises to show her the holidays in the City of Light.
An expert recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a hint of sophistication and gives the required heartwarming sensation.
The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is particularly strong too.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas
Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise.
The truth is somewhere, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities.
It’s low-key but endearing, and ideal viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
A Star-Studded Family Drama
Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary.
Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before declaring: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes 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 eventually finds her strength.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s waned in quality, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—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 discovering romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
