Dolly Parton’s Square Christmas review: the brightest Christmas movie of all time

At this point, the formula for a cheesy Christmas movie is pretty well known. These movies aren’t always on the Hallmark Channel, but Hallmark certainly does a lot and helps define the flavor of the rest. They almost always take place in a small town where celebrating Christmas is the most important thing the locals do. In general, the focus is on small businesses and the community, which are threatened by a small real estate developer who wants to evict the city, seize the family farm, or build a super mega mall on beloved land. There is usually a small town romance involved too, resulting from a city dweller living like a fish out of water and ending up in the small town, whether it be someone who is gone there are years and who is now in the process of finding her. childhood sweetheart, or a real estate developer enchanted by a small town bakery owner.

Christmas movie Netflix by Dolly Parton Christmas in the square Collect all the Christmas pictures in a blender. Partly cheesy Hallmark film, part community theater production, part A Christmas Carol

Satisfied It’s a wonderful life, the special is a mosaic of Christmas tropes, and that’s good. The acting is overkill, and the plot has as much subtlety as Dolly’s stunning platform boots, but her larger-than-life theatrical nature makes it even more enjoyable. Yes Christmas in the square it was just a poor delivery system for these tropes, it would fall apart. But because everything shines with an intensity of fire befitting of Dolly herself, it shines.

[Ed. note: This post contains slight spoilers for Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.

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Like a lot of cheesy last Christmas movies, Christmas in the square you are in a small town. Rich Regina (Christine Baranski) returns to Fullerville after the death of his father, having inherited most of the land. She resents the city, due to an unspecified mysterious event in her past, and decides to sell everything to a real estate developer who will soon build a shopping center on the property. And of course, because the whole drama is absolutely top notch, their eviction notices require the townspeople to be out before Christmas Eve. Good night!

Naturally everyone is upset and the village pastor, Pastor Christian (yes, he’s literally called Pastor Christian) is organizing a protest against Regina. Long live the power of collective action! Regina’s old friends and her old sweetheart, general store owner Carl (Treat Williams), can’t believe she would betray them like this. Regina, meanwhile, can’t wait to leave this small town, especially since this strange homeless woman continues to haunt her. The homeless woman turns out to be Dolly Parton as an angel (named Angel), and she appears at Regina’s fabulous mansion at the end of her first day in Fullerville, starting Regina’s journey inside. land and regret!

Of course, this is all done with a song every five minutes. Christmas in the square has a suit 14 new songs from Dolly Parton. Some of them work better musically than others. The opening number is up there with the introduction of In the woods for the way it defines the exhibit and presents the set, plot, and main characters with eye-catching ver and engaging choreography. But Carl sings a slow track that basically sounds like the song everyone is skipping on the official cast soundtrack. Still, most of the songs are fun and advance the plot. The characters say letters like “Reggenie, you are evil!” Play Queenie! I love you since we were little! »With full emotion.

Of all the cast, Baranski is by far the most talented actor. Everyone else is fighting. Some are a bit steep and feel like they’ve been cast in a community theater production; others, especially Jeanine Mason, who plays Regina Felicity’s assistant, act like they’ve pulled out half a dozen peppermint mocha. But let’s face it, if you connect Dolly parton Christmas in the squarewith Christine Baranski, You are there for Dolly and Christine; everyone just highlight them. Dolly plays more or less herself, but like an angel. (Although Dolly Parton’s possible real status as a minor deity is worth considering.) Baranski keeps the cast grounded, managing to be convincingly ruthless and understanding, especially when the secret and deep past of Regina is revealed.

Even when the plot seems to be going in a very worn direction, Christmas in the square presents another Christmas movie trope. It’s a roller coaster of clichés, each of which escalates the drama more and more until it finally climaxes. Of course, since this is a sparkling and delicious Christmas flick, it all ends with hot spots and a triumphant replay of the opening number, with every lingering plot point tied perfectly with a sparkling bow. But hey, that’s exactly what you’d expect from a movie where Dolly Parton plays an angel named Angel. Everything else would not live up to expectations. Thank you, Dolly, for injecting sparkling Christmas magic into this dreary winter season.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas in the Plaza streaming now on Netflix.