“Bah humbug” London-set festive film Christmas Karma lands brutal 0-star review despite stacked cast

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The new holiday movie, Christmas Karma, which features a cast of famous actors, is getting harsh reviews. Critics are calling it unpleasant and even sickening, suggesting it’s a flop despite its big names.

Gurinder Chadha, the director behind films like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, is facing lukewarm reviews for her new Christmas musical, which comes out today.

This new movie offers a modern spin on the classic tale A Christmas Carol. It reimagines Ebenezer Scrooge as Eshaan Sood, a grumpy businessman portrayed by Kunal Nayyar, known for his role in The Big Bang Theory.

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Mr. Sood despises Christmas, but he gets a surprising visit from three ghosts – played by Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, and Boy George – who try to convince him to be more cheerful.

Hugh Bonneville plays Jacob Marley, Sood’s colleague, while Danny Dyer appears as a talkative taxi driver who likes to sing unusual songs for his riders. Leo Suter plays Bob Cratchit.

Even though everyone knows the general story, Chadha’s film adds a fresh perspective by exploring Sood’s past, revealing a heartbreaking lost love and the difficult experience of immigrating to the UK as a child.

Critics haven’t reacted well to this new movie, with The Daily Telegraph calling it “the worst since Cats” and giving it a zero-star rating. Despite having good intentions, it’s looking like it could be one of the biggest disappointments in cinemas this Christmas. Here’s what other reviewers are saying.

The Guardian

“It’s only November and this film has given me an overload of Yuletide nausea.

The Daily Telegraph

Despite being made with good intentions by kind people, Christmas Karma is a film that repeatedly fails in cringeworthy ways.

Empire Magazine

Gurinder Chadha’s adaptation of Dickens offers a fresh take on a well-known story, though it suffers from somewhat low production quality and unmemorable musical numbers. Ultimately, it’s designed to entertain a wide audience and might just succeed.

The Sunday Independent (Ireland)

The story’s connection to A Christmas Carol is well done, and the play really shines when it delves into Mr. Sood’s Indian background. However, the overly sentimental and busy musical numbers are distracting, and I feel the actor playing the grumpy main character is a little too young for the role.

Christmas Karma is in cinemas now.

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2025-11-14 20:19