We may not be in December yet, but Netflix’s cheesy Christmas movie season has already kicked off, flooding us with an array of improbable rom-com shenanigans. From Lindsay Lohan and topless magical snowmen to a topless troupe of male dancers led by Chad Michael Murray in 2024, the 2025 lineup promises more of the same—only this time with Alicia Silverstone, Minka Kelly, and Sex Education and Barbie star Connor Swindells. And yes, there’s even a topless firefighting scene, obviously.
This year’s slate includes four new films: A Merry Little Ex-Mas, Champagne Problems, Jingle Bell Heist, and My Secret Santa. But which of these new flicks are worth your time? Whether you’re looking for an enjoyably brainless 90-minute escape or something that might make it into your annual festive viewing schedule, let’s take a closer look.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas
Currently, this is the best of the bunch in my eyes. It has a different vibe than the lighter, glossy affairs, focusing on older characters and an established relationship that’s in trouble. I was actually pleasantly surprised from the start, as it begins with an animated explainer to catch you up on the protagonist’s life.
Though, lest you think this is particularly serious, this is also the film that features a character stripping down to his underwear while attempting to fight an indoor fire—something you’d expect in a holiday movie.
Starring Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jameela Jamil, Pierson Fodé, and Melissa Joan Hart, A Merry Little Ex-Mas follows Kate (Silverstone) and Everett (Hudson) as they attempt to quietly divorce after drifting apart over the years. Their plans to enjoy one last family Christmas together with their young adult kids are thrown off course when Everett’s glamorous new girlfriend (Jamil) unexpectedly arrives.
Jamil plays another take on the snooty-but-kooky Brit, similar to her character Tahani in The Good Place, but she does it pretty well—and is also actually British. It’s the same for Kate’s daughter Sienna’s (Emily Hall) boyfriend, a Harry Potter tour guide played with panto levels of broadness by Timothy Innes.
But I must say, while Silverstone and Hudson are impressive gets for this type of Netflix fare, and provide decent performances, it’s Fodé who steals the show as the town’s “everyjobber” Chet. He also woos older woman Kate with an endearing glee, truly delighting in his role in the same way he did in The Wrong Paris earlier this year.
It’s still not the most original premise, but A Merry Little Ex-Mas boasts a script better than the bare minimum. Its exploration of family drama is a little bit different from the norm without straying into territory too deep, which would—of course—rather defeat its purpose as a Netflix Christmas movie.
My rating: 3/5 cheddars on my Christmas cheeseboard
Champagne Problems
Champagne Problems is more of the usual frothy fare when it comes to a Netflix festive rom-com. You get Paris at Christmastime and some fun supporting characters. It’s the perfect film to watch while ironing, folding laundry, or decorating the tree—i.e., not at all taxing on the brain. While that seems like faint praise, would I watch it again? Yes, absolutely.
I was largely mesmerized by leading man Tom Wozniczka (Slow Horses), oozing effortless French charisma as an avid reader wanting to open a bookshop that also serves wine (sign me up immediately, to both him and that).
Minka Kelly (also seen in Netflix’s Ransom Canyon) twinkles just about enough too as business executive Sydney, sent to Paris to acquire a famous champagne brand for her company.
On the one night off she promises her sister she’ll take while there, they enjoy a meet-cute and a… rendezvous (although demurely cut away so we can watch some fountain statues getting hot and heavy instead). The next morning, it turns out he’s the champagne heir and very sceptical of Sydney’s employer thanks to their cut-throat reputation.
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Which is your favorite Netflix Christmas rom-com so far?
A Merry Little Ex-Mas
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Champagne Problems
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It’s the standard comedy of errors and misunderstandings, and Riley from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Samuel Xavier) even pops up as Sydney’s work nemesis—you just know a serious businessman with that many highlights in his hair is bad news.
Sydney is a bland protagonist, but functions well as a cipher through which any viewer can enjoy the romance they too deserve with a sexy Frenchman.
For our sakes, Champagne Problems happily gorges itself on all the Parisian tropes like copious shots of the Eiffel Tower, enough outdoor lighting to be seen from space, and knowing French hotel staff who roll their eyes and laugh at the “adorable” shenanigans of the heroine.
But that’s fine—it’s giving us what we want as well as some unexpected additions—that Die Hard line had no right to go as hard as it did.
My rating: 2.5/5 cheddars on my Christmas cheeseboard
Still to come…
Jingle Bell Heist and My Secret Santa—which is out on December 3—so don’t forget to come back and see where they finish up in my final ranking.
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