It is the time of year to slob out on the sofa and consume a box of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a bad movie, or one that’s so bad it’s good.
Once again, a selection of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
Thus, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to find the festive feeling, I binged as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day.
Starting, optimistically, on a good foot. This release is the sole 2025 title on a famous website's list of the best 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The popular band find themselves stranded in the UK after concluding their international trek and must get home for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an evil Santa, who bursts into melody to state they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.”
The repartee between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the non-fan, while devotees will certainly notice lots of references as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary.
It’s private planes, trains and automobiles.
It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it.
A-list actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Hollywood star roped into a traditional British stage show.
“A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and ageing action hero Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage.
His Aladdin cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their retort. Except if you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases.
There are some very funny lines, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the ensemble is cracking, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at any other time of year, but is a highly enjoyable at Christmas.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
A familiar face pops up at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual?
This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who encounters 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 classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 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 captivating and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.”
But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland.
There’s just one issue—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to pay back the remainder.
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 scene of the film rather than its main point—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same.
Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. On the way, she encounters a fellow in a bookshop who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light.
A critic recently declared this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is very good too.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, despite the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The truth is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the assistance of a team of well-known experts and celebrities.
It’s understated but endearing, and perfect viewing while expecting Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch 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 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 unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the premise, but in reality it’s really a mash-up of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new entry in the saturated market of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and highly entertaining—festive fodder.
It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.