The Family Plan 2 (2025) – A Perfectly Okay Christmas Action Flick You’ll Forget by New Year’s

Hello, movie lovers! Enter The Family Plan 2 (2025), Apple TV+’s holiday sequel starring Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, and new villain Kit Harington. Dropped November 21, it’s 106 minutes of European Christmas lights, car chases, and dad jokes. Critics shredded it (15% RT), but I walked away with a shrug and a smile—solid 6/10 background holiday noise.

The Family Plan 2 (2025) – James Bond on Eggnog, Mission Impossible with Diapers

It’s basically the first movie again, but with tinsel. Dan Morgan (Wahlberg), ex-black-ops turned suburban dad, just wants a nice Christmas in London and Paris with wife Jessica (Monaghan) and the kids. Then Kit Harington shows up looking like Jon Snow grew up and chose vengeance instead of dragons. Cue bank heists in front of Big Ben, car chases through snowy Paris, and Wahlberg yelling “FAMILY FIRST!” while firing a machine gun with one hand and holding a stroller with the other. There are laughs (a few), action beats (some decent), and gorgeous shots of Christmas markets that honestly made me want to book a flight. It’s Home Alone meets Taken meets a Hallmark card—on and off like cheap fairy lights.

Why It’s Fine (and Only Fine)

• Pretty Christmas eye-candy: London at night, Eiffel Tower sparkling, mulled wine everywhere.
• A couple of legit funny bits (the baby in the casino scene cracked me up).
• Zero stakes, zero thinking required—perfect for folding laundry or eating leftovers.
• Kit Harington clearly having fun being the bad guy for once.

Ratings and Reception (So Far)

• IMDb: 5.6/10 (1,300 votes – still fresh)
• RT: 15% critics (13 reviews) / 41% audience (50+ ratings)
• No box office (Apple TV+ exclusive)

Critics are calling it “lazy,” “recycled,” and “a contractual obligation sequel.” Audience scores are climbing the more families discover it while half-watching on Thanksgiving weekend. Classic streaming holiday fodder.

The Honest Verdict: 6/10 – Peak “Leave It On” Material

The biggest problem is the pacing: it’ll give you a solid action/comedy burst, then immediately cut to 10 minutes of family bickering in a hotel room. Fire on, fire off, repeat. But that’s also kind of the point—this isn’t cinema, it’s a cozy Christmas sweater in movie form. Throw it on while wrapping presents, making cookies, or arguing about whose turn it is to take out the trash. You’ll laugh once or twice, go “aww” at the family moments, and completely forget it by January 1st.

If you liked the first one, you’ll tolerate this one. If you want actual quality, go watch Violent Night again. Me? I’ll probably have it on in the background next December while I put up the tree. And that’s exactly what it was made for.

Did you survive the Morgan family’s European vacation, or did you tap out at the first carol sing-along chase? Drop your holiday survival stories below—and tell me your favorite “leave it on while I do chores” Christmas movie! Like, follow, share so the hitmen don’t find you. Thanks for the eggnog-fueled chaos—see you under the mistletoe!