Christmas on the Square has all the laughter, loss, and love of previous festive favourites but with a fresh reminder to find the light in the darkness that 2020 has brought.
The musical follows the story of a modern-day Scrooge who plans to sell a small town and shatter the Christmas dreams of the residents that live there. The chaos is brought to life by characters including an angel, a pastor, and a child-bartender. Sounds like your average holiday shenanigans, right?
Parton’s characteristic rhinestones and sequins may be dazzling but they are undeniably outshined by the vocals of the incredibly talented cast. The lyrics written by Parton herself are delivered beautifully by a cheery Christmas chorus, as well as the familiar Christine Baranski who is no stranger to the musical movie. It’s difficult to hate the moody protagonist when you hear the Mamma Mia star’s voice.
Parton and Baranski are not the only characters whose singing shines on screen but Fullerville’s other residents can carry an impressive melody, including Princess and the Frog’s Jenifer Lewis as Margeline and young Selah Kimbro Jones as Violet.
As if I wasn’t stunned by the music of this movie already, Debbie Allen’s crazy choreography had me believing I was watching a Broadway show. With a stellar opening number and a range of styles including tap, this movie proved not only vocally amazing but visually pleasing too.
So they can act, they can sing, they can dance, but what’s the real Christmas miracle about this movie? The diversity of its cast. With actors of differing ethical backgrounds, ages, body types, and acting credits, this is a Christmas movie with a difference.
The moral is made clear with themes of kindness, forgiveness, and community spirit. This is the perfect movie to remind us all what is important this Christmas. The issues of rent, loss, and mental health are real issues that are all too close to us today.
Parton is bringing joy in more ways than one this Christmas, with her $1 million donation to the coronavirus vaccine preceding the movie’s Netflix arrival.
If there’s anything to be taken away from this comedic Christmas film, the message is obvious. Be a little kinder this Christmas.
Featured Image Credit: Variety
20 year old queer poet and journalist 😎
You must log in to post a comment.