🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing The Latest Holiday Movies: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a selection of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a high. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face pops up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an sizable holiday payout 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 learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a fellow in a book store who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, 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. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but sweet, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing Christmas classics 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 the concept, but in reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to slob out on the sofa and devour a tin of holiday pastries in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good. Once again, a selection of latest holiday movies aims to become part of our holiday traditions—potentially even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments). Thus, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the Christmas spirit, I marathoned as many fresh holiday releases as possible in a single day. First Up: The Jonas Brothers' Holiday Flick Kicking off, hopefully, on a high. This is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 festive features of all time. The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after finishing their world tour and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are hampered by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not an all-time classic, but is excellent for devotees and a positive start to the day. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a Hollywood star tricked into a pantomime. “A panto-what??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has misled him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “No I'm not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their reply. Unless you’re ignorant of traditional stage call-and-response. There are some great jokes, some cockle-warming storylines, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge A familiar face pops up at the beginning of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the next movie straight. Might this become a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s portrayal is flat—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's holiday special—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an sizable holiday payout 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 learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels cosy and festive all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a fellow in a book store who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a overstatement, 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. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the efforts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The truth is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known figures. It’s understated but sweet, and perfect viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing Christmas classics 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 the concept, but in reality it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the crowded field of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder. It’s a story as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher