🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good. It is the season to lounge on the sofa and demolish a box of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a selection of latest seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of references as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor tricked into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. You can guess their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the supporting actors 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. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer shows up at the outset 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 singing black cab driver who collects 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment 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 dispatched to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she runs into a guy in a literary haven who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: 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 lounge on the sofa and demolish a box of mince pies in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. Once again, a selection of latest seasonal stories strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the Christmas spirit, I watched as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio are stuck in the UK after finishing their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their efforts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The back-and-forth between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will certainly pick up on lots of references as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor tricked into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older star Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His Aladdin cast-mates inform him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. You can guess their response. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the supporting actors 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. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge Danny Dyer shows up at the outset 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 singing black cab driver who collects 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story develops as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is lifeless—a problem when he’s so the main character. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special Before lunch for a channel's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) talks him into spending the sum on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to return the remainder. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment 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 dispatched to a country estate to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she runs into a guy in a literary haven who vows to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the required cozy feelings. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The secret is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but sweet, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including fellow 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally comes into her own. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—seasonal comfort food. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a far-off wintery locale and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher