It is the time of year to relax on the sofa and devour a packet of festive treats in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good.
Once again, a crop of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our holiday traditions—maybe even finding a spot alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
Therefore, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to find the festive feeling, I marathoned as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day.
Beginning, ideally, on a good foot. This release is the only 2025 title on a well-known aggregator's list of the best 100 festive features of all time.
The Jonas Brothers end up trapped in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an malevolent Father Christmas, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their familial spark.”
The banter between the arguing trio is entertaining even for the casual viewer, while fans will undoubtedly catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using every mode of travel possible.
It’s a journey of epic proportions.
It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees and a solid start to the day.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who must sit through it.
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a movie actor tricked into a traditional British stage show.
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and older action hero Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose manager has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage.
His pantomime fellow actors let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. It's easy to predict their response. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional panto catchphrases.
There are some great jokes, some heartwarming storylines, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
An actor shows up at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Might this become a fresh holiday staple?
This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The well-known tale unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This South Asian reinterpretation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Before lunch for a network's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a lovably grouchy guy who “doesn’t really do Christmas.”
But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—he learns there was an error with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to reimburse the difference.
Pleasant yet unmemorable.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
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 main point—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
High-powered businesswoman Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a vineyard to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she encounters a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light.
A critic recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a dash of elegance and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is notable too.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the efforts of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The secret is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known figures.
It’s gentle but sweet, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee 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 saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the concept, but in reality it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the crowded field of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—festive fodder.
It’s a tale as well-worn: An American woman journeys to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
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