🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Festive Features: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a selection of latest seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—perhaps even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the festive feeling, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a high. This is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers find themselves trapped in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will certainly pick up on 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 fans and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming side stories, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? 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 a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions 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 compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—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 (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is to be discovered, 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 perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films 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 what this is, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
It is the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a selection of latest seasonal stories strives to join part of our festive viewing—perhaps even earning a place alongside enduring classics like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Thus, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the festive feeling, I binged as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a high. This is the sole 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time. The Jonas Brothers find themselves trapped in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an evil Santa, who sings to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will certainly pick up on 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 fans and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging star Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose representative has misled him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming side stories, and the supporting actors is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Might this become a fresh holiday staple? 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 a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions 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 compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a major broadcaster's holiday special—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 (played by Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. During her travels, she meets a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A commentator recently stated this is the best new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a hint of sophistication and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The answer is to be discovered, 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 perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping classic festive films 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 what this is, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s gone downhill, but happily here’s a new entry in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—seasonal comfort food. It’s a tale as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher