It is the season to relax on the sofa and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a great film, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful.
This year, a crop of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our festive viewing—perhaps even finding a spot alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start).
So, in a noble effort to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the festive feeling, I marathoned as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day.
Starting, optimistically, on a high. This release is the only 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The popular band end up stuck in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must return for Christmas. Their endeavors are thwarted by an evil Santa, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.”
The repartee between the squabbling siblings is enjoyable even for the uninitiated, while followers will no doubt catch 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 legendary, but is great for devotees and a good start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it.
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor cast a "panto".
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in high-class London stage.
His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. You can guess their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response.
There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is excellent, too.
It’s the type of film that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A familiar face appears at the start of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Is this a new Christmas tradition?
This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters Mr Sood, the modern take 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 miserly Mr Sood is visited by the apparitions of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so the focal point.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
There’s time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.”
But after he receives an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him spending the sum on a holiday to Lapland.
There’s just one snag—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference.
Pleasant yet unmemorable.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the background—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 (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a man in a literary haven who vows to show her a festive Paris.
A commentator recently claimed 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 touch of class and gives the required heartwarming sensation.
The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, refuses to stop believing in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the truth.
The truth is somewhere, and Chris sets out to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known experts and celebrities.
It’s low-key but charming, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary.
Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 the premise, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the crowded field of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and highly entertaining—holiday fare.
It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman travels to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
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