The last month of 2025 is just around the corner, and December has arrived packed with a host of new pre-Christmas movies to enjoy on the world’s best streaming services.
For those who prefer TV shows, Netflix has also introduced a new Western-era series and, depending on your musical inclinations, a documentary that has proven to be highly controversial. Whatever type of content you consume, I’m sure this week’s roundup of recommendations will have something for you. – Tom Power, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Jay Kelly (Netflix)
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A character study that satirizes life as a Hollywood character. Jay Kelly a great addition to this month’s new Netflix movies and worth watching for its strong lead performances alone.
Stars George Clooney and Adam Sandler play a famous actor and his manager who embark on a profound journey through Europe where they both examine the decisions they have made in life, their relationships, and the legacies they will leave behind.
Our Jay Kelly The review is full of more great reasons why I will be watching Noah Baumbach’s latest feature on Netflix. this weekend and you should too. – Lucy Buglass, Senior Entertainment Writer
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (Paramount+)
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Your mission, should you choose to accept it, dear reader, is to catch Ethan Hunt’s potentially final mission on Paramount+ this weekend (N.B: (currently only available in North America, but will be released internationally in the coming weeks and months).
In fact, with the eighth Mission impossible movie now available, Tom Cruise’s time as the world’s top spy (well, until James Bond returns…) might be over. However, you’ll have to watch it to see if Hunt survives the events of his latest life-threatening mission.
If you do, you will receive everything we expect from each Mission impossible movie: explosive action, high-stakes drama, the occasional bit of comedy and Cruise performing death-defying stunts that Hunt himself would be proud of. I’ll stay sitting on the couch… – T.P.
Oh. That. Fun. (main video)
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Prime Video always has one big Christmas blast each year, and the 2025 deal is Oh. That. Fun. As you can see from the punctuation in the title, there’s a big emphasis on sarcasm here for one of December’s new Prime Video movies.
Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) has the family Christmas planned to perfection…until everyone forgets about it. It takes a while for everyone to realize that she’s missing, but until then, it’s total chaos.
We all need to be reminded regularly not to take ourselves (or the festive period) too seriously, which is why this Amazon Original It really comes at the perfect time. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what Pfeiffer is doing: if she’s on the screen, I’m there. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter
The Abandoned (Netflix)
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Gillian Anderson as a Netflix villain? Continue then. The abandonments It is best described as a matriarchal version of yellow stone and drama abounds.
Anderson plays wealthy tyrant Constance Van Ness, who intends to terrorize the town of Angel’s Ridge with an iron fist. Your biggest enemy? Poor rancher Fiona (Lena Heady). Brave and defiant, all he wants is to keep his found family on the land he believes is theirs. This results in a face-off that turns fatal, with the standout dual performances one would expect.
You’ll enjoy its seven episodes in no time, but don’t be fooled: the drama gets incredibly dark. Luckily for us, Anderson on his (literal) high horse makes it all worth it. – joint venture
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (Disney+)
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Beloved children’s book author and illustrator Jeff Kinney has written and produced another new animated film based on his best-selling novel. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book series for Disney.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw marks the second Christmas-themed animation, this time adapting the third book in the franchise, which follows disaster-prone student Greg Heffley as he tries to prove to his father that he can change his weak ways.
Since Disney+ is almost guaranteed to be a hit with little ones during the Christmas holidays, one of December’s new Disney+ movies seems like a safe bet if you need something to distract them for an hour or two. – Amelia Schwanke, Senior Entertainment Editor
The McMullen Family (HBO Max)
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The McMullen Family is just one of the big new movies on HBO Max this month. Serving as a legacy sequel to The McMullen Brotherscenters on original characters Barry, his brother Patrick, and widowed sister-in-law Molly, who return for a new story 30 years later.
Since everyone has aged since the 1995 film, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, there’s a lot to catch up on. Expect to see romantic obstacles and challenges, including a canceled wedding and other unpleasant surprises. After all, it’s not a family reunion without a lot of drama.
It is worth settling for a double account, since The McMullen Brothers It’s also streaming on HBO Max if you’ve never seen it before or need to refresh your memory. – pound
Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)
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I still don’t understand why Sean ‘Diddy’ Comb’s streaming numbers went up after being arrested for prostitution-related crimes involving two ex-girlfriends. However, whatever your opinion on whether the now-convicted artist should be given airtime, Netflix has proceeded with a major release, which has generated some backlash since its December 2 debut.
Sean Combs: The Reckoninga four-part series documenting Comb’s life before arrest, is now available. But the criminal’s lawyers have since accused the streamer of “using stolen images”, raising questions about whether Sean Combs: The Reckoning He will continue to live from service.
Director Alexandria Stapleton responded by saying that the production team, which includes Comb’s former rival Curtis James Jackson III (aka 50 Cent), obtained the footage legally, sparking even more fanfare around the already toxic story. – AS
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