Marathon Viewing 2025's Festive Features: The Good, The Bad and The So-Bad-It's-Good.
It is the time of year to slob out on the couch and consume a tin of festive treats in front of a great film, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good.
This year, a selection of fresh seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (no arguments).
So, in a noble effort to separate the winners from the losers, and to get into the festive feeling, I marathoned as many recent Christmas films as possible in a single day.
Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Beginning, optimistically, on a positive note. This is the only 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 festive features of all time.
The Jonas Brothers end up stuck in the UK after wrapping up their global concert series and must get home for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an malevolent Father Christmas, who breaks into song to announce they won’t get home until they “rekindle their brotherly magic.”
The banter between the arguing trio is amusing even for the uninitiated, while followers will no doubt catch lots of easter eggs as they try to get back using any means of transport necessary.
It’s a journey of epic proportions.
It’s not an all-time classic, but is great for fans and a positive start to the day.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who are obliged to sit through it.
Next: A Star in Panto
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland appears as a movie actor tricked into a pantomime.
“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 tricked him into thinking he’s starring in high-class London stage.
His pantomime cast-mates let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases.
There are some very funny lines, some touching sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
10.19am - Christmas Karma
A familiar face appears at the beginning of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Is this a budding festive ritual?
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 an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy 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 different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s portrayal is wooden—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
Noon: A BBC Special
There’s time for a major broadcaster's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.”
But after he receives an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (portrayed by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland.
There’s just one issue—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the excess.
Enjoyable but forgettable.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
A Classy Netflix Romance
This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
Driven corporate star Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is sent to a French chateau to negotiate a purchase for a champagne business. During her travels, she runs into a guy in a bookshop who vows to show her Christmas in Paris.
A commentator recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a lengthy discussion about Die Hard is notable too.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
A Charming Quest
Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the reality.
The secret is to be discovered, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a group of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s understated but charming, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄
A Star-Studded Family Drama
Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary.
Pfeiffer begins by referencing 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 real champions of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s the premise, but in practice it’s really a jumble of those inspirations, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally takes center stage.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and strangely compelling—festive fodder.
It’s a narrative as old as time: An American woman goes on a quest to a picturesque cold country and ends up discovering romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher