🔗 Share this article Devouring The Latest Festive Features: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to lounge on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the only 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the casual viewer, while devotees will undoubtedly notice lots of in-jokes 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 solid 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 celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 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 performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a man in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but charming, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to lounge on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a batch of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—potentially even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a noble effort to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many recent holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Beginning, hopefully, on a good foot. This film is the only 2025 movie on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves trapped in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their sibling bond.” The banter between the bickering brothers is amusing even for the casual viewer, while devotees will undoubtedly notice lots of in-jokes 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 solid 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 celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he protests. One can imagine their retort. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma Danny Dyer shows up at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the miserly Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 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 performance is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a major broadcaster's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he discovers there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. On the way, she encounters a man in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently claimed this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the obligatory cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s low-key but charming, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up stumbling across romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher