Festivity plays a vital role in our lives. It makes us feels happy, and takes us to the moment(s) we cherish most. Cinema has often used festivity as a theme for its stories to convey its festival’s message while encasing its celebratory-vibes. The recently-released Dolly Parton’s “Christmas on the Square” is a new addition to such festival films.
The story is about Regina (Christine Baranski) who comes to the town of Fullerville post her father’s death; due to it, she has inherited most of the land. Due to Regina’s peculiar unstated incident in the past, she wants to go away from the town. She decides to sell his land so the developer can make a mall there. The townsfolk view this as evil. Christmas Eve is near, and people get a notice for evection before it. Regina wants to get out of the town the quick, which disappoints her friends in town as well, as she didn’t think of them before taking such steps.
One day a lady calling herself an angel (Dolly Parton) appears in Regina’s house. As Christmas comes, the angel tries to change Regina and tells her to reconnect with her old love. This, and the angel’s focus on saving the townspeople from being evicted, is what “Christmas on the Square” is all about.
All over this movie, screenwriter Maria S. Schlatter perpetuates the quintessence of the musical film. It always feels good to see something light and faithful on Christmas day, and the writer ticks those boxes with her script.
Christine Barnaski in s scene from “Christmas on the Square” (Magnolia Hill Productions, 2020).
One of the film’s key components is its repeated songs, which are good but are sometimes one-offs. There are fewer regular dialogues, but including these would not have harmed the musical format of the story. The film has phenomenal cinematography by Oliver Bokelberg; he captures the Christmas festival’s true spirit perfectly. The choreography of the dance sequences is perfect and helps the movie in the right way. Dolly Parton deserves a lot of applause for the splendid music and songs here, that connect straight to viewer emotions.
The director Debbie Allen does excellent work from the start in bringing up the film’s Christmas mood. We see Parton appear on-screen singing a Christmas song in her mesmerizing voice, and is joined by everyone singing and dancing along with her. A musical is not an easy thing. It requires many dancing and singing characters singing and choreography; yet the director finely pictures it. Overall, she gives us an ideal festival musical story to enjoy.
Speaking of acting in the film, Christine Baranski as rich and cold Regina is perfect; she flawlessly portrays the role’s soft and challenging emotions. The way she brings out her layered character sets the perfect tone for the film. Dolly Parton does an equally fine job acting and singing; she is marvelous in the movie and places you in the right mood. Her subtle sound and expressions are outstanding. Like Josh Seggara, Treat Williams, and Jeanine Mason, the rest of the cast perform well in their roles.
Overall, Dolly Parton’s “Christmas on the Square” has a light-hearted feel and is an excellent musical drama. It’s a family film you can enjoy over the weekend. The film marks all the boxes when it’s come to be a prototypical Christmas story, yet bring out a freshness in it. The film takes you to Christmas cheer early in this challenging year. “Christmas on the Square” is a delight of a Christmas watch which won’t disappoint you.
You can check out this film now on Netflix.
