Review: Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 11:17AM by Christopher James
When someone tells you who they are, believe them. If the title Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square didn’t already clue you in as to whether you are within the target audience for the film, the opening minutes do. After credits play over the kitschiest of Christmas landscapes, Dolly Parton appears as the world’s comfiest homeless person in full hair and makeup. Her beautiful voice launches into an original song/life lesson that prompts the entire town to break out into a highly choreographed dance routine. This all takes place, you guessed it, in the titular Square. Over the next 98 minutes, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of the Square continues to deliver exactly what it promised you upfront. With __ original songs throughout, Christine Baranski doing a drag version of her gay Twitter persona and Dolly Parton as the chicest homeless person around, Christmas on the Square is Parton’s Citizen Kane...
During that highly choreographed number, we’re introduced to town Scrooge, Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski), passing out eviction notices like they were holiday party invitations. After the death of her Father, she inherited the town and has decided to sell it all to a mall developer. In this timeline, malls still exist and can replace an entire small town. She faces opposition from her childhood best friend and hairdresser, Margeline (the always wonderful Jenifer Lewis), and the charismatic local pastor, Christian (Josh Segarra). Yes, the pastor’s name is Christian. If that makes you roll your eyes rather than laugh, you’re in the wrong place.
So where does Dolly factor in?
Even in real life, Dolly possesses an otherworldly, angelic quality. Thus it makes sense that Dolly starts appearing to Regina as an angel named Angel (again, same note as Pastor Christian). As Christmas looms and the sale is about to close, Angel forces Regina to reconnect with her old love, Carl (Treat Williams) and reconsider whether to evict the whole town.
The magical realism doesn’t stop there. Writer Maria S. Schlatter throws a lot more curveballs our way. With each musical number (and there are many), we seem to get redirected to another Christmas movie trope interpreted wildly by director Debbie Allen. Still, the movie always keeps moving with plenty of energy, glitter and Christmas cheer.
In the center of it all is the divine Christine Baranski.
It’s no secret that Baranski gives some of the best line readings in Hollywood. This makes her a perfect choice for the town Scrooge, as she gets to read and eviscerate any person who dares stand in her path. Gif-able moments a plenty will be heading to Twitter soon. Still, Baranski never makes Regina one-note. Even as she goes through her reckoning with Parton’s Angel, Baranski never sacrifices Regina’s bark while having a change of heart.
The rest of the cast never quite rises to the level of professionalism as Baranski, Parton and Lewis. The A-list stars seem even more A-list among the cheesy Lifetime-esque ensemble. Similarly, Parton’s songs are hit and miss throughout, with the opening number likely being the most memorable. Still, for all the cheesiness on every inch of the frame, it’s hard to resist Parton’s Christmas cheer.
There’s something almost ungradable about a Dolly Parton project. Her fan-base is so wide reaching because her persona touches on so many different communities. I’ve long admired her as a gay icon and activist, and there’s plenty of her camp persona on display here. For the family and religious crowds, Christmas on the Square presents a morality tale rooted in faith and Christianity. Even the Hallmark/Lifetime movie lovers get plenty of twists, turns and big swings as the movie rounds into the final act. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of overlap between these groups. Yet, Dolly Parton has long known how to bring people together over her 50+ year career.
A for Christine Baranski
B for Dolly Parton and Debbie Allen
ABCDF for the original songs
CDF for the rest of the cast
“Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” premieres on Netflix today
Reader Comments (14)
Good Lord you know you're desperate for movies to review when this gets its own thread. lol
I love myself some Christmas kitsch, but too much is too much.
For every delicious read from Baranski about Parton's style, you must suffer three or four terrible songs about god, family and babies.
Every set is terribly superficial and not in a good way, the church scenes made me want to puke and Jenifer Lewis' voice made my ears bleed....
Baranski and Parton are irresistible together but everyhting around them is really Hallmark's level..... from Netflix, i really hoped for something more polished.... the writing, direction and cinematography are awful.
But i agree with Christopher : this film never tries to disguise itself as anything more than it is.
I don't know if I want to see this but I refuse to slander Dolly Parton. The woman is a national treasure and because of her $1 million donation to those people trying to create a vaccine for COVID. The woman should be given the highest of all honors. If it was in Britain, we'd call her Dame Dolly Parton. Honestly, she should be given some American title. How can anyone not like this woman? "Jolene", "I Will Always Love You", "9 to 5". She is America but also so much more.
Well, Regina means queen. Hence you can begin with Baransky’s name.
Now I understand why so many gays are becoming Christians and looking for a church.
And Dolly helped fund a covid vaccine, she is perfection.
Baranski is a ton of fun here, and it's great to see that whether she's in something high-budget (like her network shows or films) or this, she knows exactly what to give the audience. Dolly is a lot of fun and mixes her star power, comedy, and campiness to maximum effect to provide for fun moments.
It seems like Netflix, Dolly, and the producers basically decided to give us a Hallmark film with two big stars that we love. Even the casting of Treat Williams seems like a wink to the audience as do the stale sets. It works perfectly for all audiences, and when it shifts away from what they would want, it's easy to look at your phone until that storyline comes back. Nice, easy holiday viewing in the year of corona.
Just when I needed it most came Dolly Parton's musical Christmas on the square. This pandemic has really gotten me down and this movie has given me some sort of hope. That's how we have to live for each other
As much as the content of this does not appeal to me, I certainly hope it is as successful and beloved as she is. Dolly reaches across all demographics first-and-foremost because she's a good person to everyone, and she proves it daily.
I read on a Dolly fan site that the title song might get an Oscar campaign. She didn’t make it in for the song from Dumplin’, another TV-ish Netflix movie, but she’s had a hell of a year, and there’s less competition than usual, so ... maybe it’ll be a contender after all?
Love, love, love Dolly Parton!!! Voice of an angel, heart of gold & talented beyond any words I can think of that do her justice!! From the get go this production was ALL DEBBIE ALLEN!!! SO terribly LAME & SICKENINGLY SWEET, after about 20 minutes, I HAD to put myself out of agony & stop watching! I am sorry to see Dolly’s name associated with this! After her “Circle of Many Colors:Circle of Love”, & “Coat of Many Colors” which were SUPERP, I don’t understand how this production took such a bad bad turn! My guess, too much influence by Debbie Allen & all her choreography, which by the way at best was lousy!! Ur still my favorite gal & humanitarian, Dolly, ALWAYS, & ur songs make me believe on the worst days. Don’t ever “team” up with Debbie Allen again whose self interest is riding on ur good name & ur coattails! Kate
I have never seen anything like this. I watched Christmas on the Square for as long as I could. The holiday movie falls short on almost all the basic elements of drama/theater and good basic entertainment. I found weaknesses in plot, theme, characters (casting), dialogue, music and spectacle. I am sorry, I love Dolly Parton and her heart is evident, but, I went to bed.
After enduring this agonizingly awful movie, I would like those hours of my life back. Kids left after 15 minutes.
Yes it's a very sweet nice storyline and performance by all, that's a good thing to have. Better in many ways to our current situation. Did anyone notice a few things in common with A place to call home series?