Dolly Parton is back on Netflix with Christmas on the Square, a new holiday musical that stars Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, Treat Williams, and (of course) Dolly Parton. Three HuffPost writers weigh in on the Netflix film. The logistics of the arrangement are too fabled to grasp. MJ: It’s one of those things that is so well-intentioned and harmless you sort of feel bad dinging it. Debbie Allen did the bodies — the Ailey-isms and breakdances and swiveling in the pews. Watch on Netflix. “Who would do this to people during the holidays?” Christian asks and she tells him, “Rich people who get tax breaks.” Regina don’t play. Regrettably, I think it can. Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski. Neither does Parton’s homeless angel. I don’t want to go into it too much here so people can just watch for themselves. It’s the first of many, many, many things in this movie that make little sense. Their little ditty felt vampy in a way that I can appreciate. It’s nonstop entertainment! She’s got cloudy tuffets to perch on and manners to teach Scrooge-y Regina. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square 2020 7+ 1h 38m Family Features Seasonal cheer comes to a screeching halt when a cold-hearted woman tries to sell her hometown's land. Baranski is a chilly queen (“Regina” could not be a more fitting name for her and her Antoinette-esque character), and Lewis matches her with a fiery turn as her betrayed best friend from childhood. It’s ... a lot? My hair follicles flinched in sympathy. Pastor Christian Hathaway (left, played by Josh Segarra), Jenna Hathaway (Mary Lane Haskell) and Regina Fuller (Baranski) talk about resistance to Regina’s plans. It seems like none of the performers (aside from Baranski and Lewis, who are seasoned enough to survive the script’s silliest impulses) realized they were making a movie and not a stage production. CF: You’re right. “Girl, you think you’re so fierce,” sings Lewis. This truly signals the collapse of plot coherency. I don’t want to go into it too much here so people can just watch for themselves. Anybody who prefers their entertainment spiced, spiked, salted, smothered and smoked might have been waiting for Baranski vs. Lewis. CF: Any joy I found came in the first half of the movie, before the narrative took a running dive off a cliff, trailing broken plot threads behind it. Dolly Parton rescued a child actor from getting hurt on the set of her new Netflix movie “Christmas on the Square." Early on, the high-volume zaniness of the predictable made-for-TV holiday movie tropes offered an undeniable camp factor. With Dolly Parton, Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Jeanine Mason. The latter twist was, I thought, just as ill-timed as ― and much more ill-considered than ― the eviction theme. In about five minutes, “Christmas on the Square” resolves the fate of the town, an adoption mystery, both health problems and everybody’s contempt for Regina. Every moment is Dolly Parton’s moment, but it’s never been more true than this week. Perhaps because both of them could do no wrong in my book. WATCH: Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis Discuss Christmas on the Square The new Netflix movie is directed and choreographed by … She just doesn’t care. In case you somehow missed this, Dolly Parton has been out here saving the world in 2020. Quirky is right. Have we described this movie as “a lot” yet? Who wouldn’t love Dolly singing about Christmas? It is definitely not the kind of musical that works as background noise while you’re, say, washing the dishes. A lot of “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” bears some resemblance to the familiar — greeting cards, mulled cider, Dickens, Velveeta. The duet between Baranski and Lewis in the hair salon definitely did catch my attention though and is at least memorable. EE: RIGHT. But the rest is its own thing. Region 0 - Plays in every country, any DVD player. From the opening number, a jaunty ensemble performance set in the titular square, I quickly realized that what I was in for was a little bit Hallmark, sure, but also a little bit “Schitt’s Creek”-meets-Broadway. 'Emily in Paris' Is As Boring And Basic As A Sponsored Instagram Story, ‘The Undoing’ Is Unoriginal But Highly Watchable, There's A Whole Lotta Girl Power On 'The Boys' Season 2. Directed by Debbie Allen. ©2021 Verizon Media. By the end of this thing, she’s virtually the deity at the end of “Angels in America,” full of vinegar instead of vengeance. I feel like the wickedest witch of the middle of my apartment for daring to have critiques. They just lack hooks. Erin Evans: Before hitting play, I knew I was gonna be in for a ride. I’d skip this one. The actress stars as an angel in … Starring Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, and Treat Williams, the plot follows the wealthy Regina Fuller (Baranski), returning to her hometown to evict the residents and sell the land to a mall developer. Erin, that was one of the few effective jokes in the script. “Guess I don’t need a needle to get my ears pierced,” deadpans Baranski. And not just any old hairdresser, but your childhood friend, as we are told first in a line of dialogue and again 10 minutes later in song. Before I start receiving nasty grams from Dolly Parton fans, please know that I’m actually a fan of Dolly Parton’s music and I’d love to visit Dollywood someday. For me, the forced adoption scene was rock bottom ― any other lowlights for you two? Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski and Jenifer Lewis? Three HuffPost reporters are here to tell you all about it. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square Not rated. Dolly plays an Angel, there are 14 original tunes. I have tried my best to keep from repeating it in every paragraph. But everyone has ups and downs in their oeuvre, and I have to admit that most of the songs felt pretty flat to me ― warbling ballads and energetic choruses that chugged along dutifully until enough exposition had been laid out and the scene could end. DOLLY PARTON’S CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE is an entertaining, fun musical on Netflix about a small, vibrant, diverse town threatened by a wicked real estate woman. The Sucret line is cute! It’s a Sucret.” Where did y’all find joy, if at all, in this musical? EE: The pregnancy story, in particular, really came out of nowhere for me. But it’s also dark! Well, she is. Find out in Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square coming to Netflix on November 22, 2020. All of her pessimism and corporate ruthlessness is apparently rooted in that moment. "On Oct. 2, [Parton will] release A Holly Dolly Christmas, which will include both holiday classics and originals — and duets with Michael Bublé, Willie Nelson and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus — and mark her first album for 12Tone Music Group (which licenses the music from Parton’s own Butterfly Recordings)," Melinda Newman announced in a recent Billboard cover … Imagine evicting your hairdresser right before she’s about to go at you with a comb and a straightening iron. “Don’t be the queen of mean!!”. I realized “Christmas on the Square” would defy all assumptions at the first sight of Dolly’s mildly smeared eyeliner, tattered gray outerwear and stringy bangs. If you want a cute Christmas musical, go watch Netflix’s “Jingle Jangle” instead. It’s one of those things that is so well-intentioned and harmless you sort of feel bad dinging it. CJ: It’s a testament to the sheer overstuffedness of this movie that I forgot about the “possibly fatal tumor” subplot. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square follows Regina (Christine Baranski), an embittered businesswoman who returns to her hometown to notify the residents that she’s selling the town to a conglomerate that will force the townsfolk to move and turn the land into a mall. From the opening number, a jaunty ensemble performance set in the titular square, I quickly realized that what I was in for was a little bit Hallmark, sure, but also a little bit “Schitt’s Creek”-meets-Broadway. Dolly, thank you. EE: If you want a cute Christmas musical, go watch Netflix’s “Jingle Jangle” instead. On Thursday, Netflix dropped the first trailer for Parton's Christmas on the Square and it's as stuffed full of festive fun as a stocking on Christmas morning. But everyone has ups and downs in their oeuvre, and I have to admit that most of the songs felt pretty flat to me ― warbling ballads and energetic choruses that chugged along dutifully until enough exposition had been laid out and the scene could end. Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square isn't quite up to its star's standards, but its overwhelming good cheer and campy self-awareness may be just what viewers are looking for. The town’s pastor spearheads a resistance campaign, while Dolly ― an angel who walks among the townspeople disguised as a glamorously made-up panhandler ― tries to change Regina’s heart. News to me. The duet between Baranski and Lewis in the hair salon definitely did catch my attention though and is at least memorable. She’s not only funding the development of a new COVID-19 vaccine, she’s dropping a Christmas movie musical ― which she co-produced, composed, and performs in ― on Netflix to keep us all entertained through a lonely, cold holiday season. Yes: It’s a child separation subplot, complete with a heartbroken young mother crying out in anguish as her baby is taken away forever. But the rest is its own thing. It has color cover and proper artwork on disc. Starring Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Treat Williams and … Promotional Video DVD, This is not an official release. Who else would bother describing what a mess really is by pronouncing the word so that it sounds like ‘car accident’? It’s so jarring that it feels impossible not to discuss, so, SPOILER ALERT: Late in the movie, we learn that Regina became pregnant as a teenager and was forced to give up her infant. At Regina’s hair appointment, Margeline lets her friend have it with a gospel number that leaves some ripostes for Regina. It’s ... a lot? Their little ditty felt vampy in a way that I can appreciate. But she’s nothing if not earnest, and I wonder if the too-muchness of “Square” risks trying the patience of even the most open-minded Christmas junkie. Can music, magic and memories change her mind? They’re not even Parton bronze. Regrettably, I think it can. Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. It’s so jarring that it feels impossible not to discuss, so, So the first time I watched this, I fell asleep in the middle and woke up at the end very confused about Regina talking about “my son.” I was too exhausted to fully accept that this is where the movie had veered off into yet another storyline. No wonder they all want to stay. Parton did the music. CF: Funding the COVID vaccine will remain Dolly’s greatest contribution to my holiday cheer. Any joy I found came in the first half of the movie, before the narrative took a running dive off a cliff, trailing broken plot threads behind it. You really have to pay attention because ... there are so many twists and turns. EE: So the first time I watched this, I fell asleep in the middle and woke up at the end very confused about Regina talking about “my son.” I was too exhausted to fully accept that this is where the movie had veered off into yet another storyline. CF: It’s nonstop entertainment! I couldn’t help but think about the measly $1,200 Americans received in the last eight months. Allen and Parton clearly want this town to be a quaint “Gilmore GIrls”-esque snow globe, but instead, it just feels like a bunch of playacting, which makes subplots about infertility, unrequited high school sweethearts, sassy child bartenders, a cancer scare, teen pregnancy and something about a very important lantern all the more awkward. A beauty shop that basically doubles as a drag ball? I suppose I found joy in a song called “Wicked Witch of the Middle,” in which the townsfolk gather in a church to do a round-robin ditty about Regina being the wicked witch of Middle America. You’re right. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes. The best scenes in the film being the two-handers between Parton and Baranski. CF: My hair follicles flinched in sympathy. Well, that’s not new, but no one’s actually in drag. Allen’s camera is as overcaffeinated as her choreography. This is a Christian undertaking, and Parton’s lyrics have the declarative navigability you need to learn a lesson. Today is National Voter Registration Day! “Campy” is camp with a diploma and a martini. Everyone is operating at an 11 when a 6 would have sufficed. All of her pessimism and corporate ruthlessness is apparently rooted in that moment. Then, I found out Debbie Allen, one of my faves, was directing. Imagine evicting your hairdresser right before she’s about to go at you with a comb and a straightening iron. It is definitely not the kind of musical that works as background noise while you’re, say, washing the dishes. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square will launch globally on Netflix on Sunday November 22nd 2020. Singing a ballad about the haves and have-nots, she appears to be green-screened into the aforementioned square, possibly because Dolly Parton does not go anywhere without flattering lighting equipment — even when she is supposed to look homeless. What they are, though, is committed to the task at hand: some percentage of wit, wisdom and attitude that every number seems to call for and with double the amount of exposition. It’s the first of many, many, many things in this movie that make little sense. Wait, I made it this far without mentioning that Regina’s also having a medical crisis?! I will say there were a couple lines in it that made me laugh out loud, like Dolly’s delivery of, “First of all, that’s not an emergency button. Credit: Netflix Of course, there’s a reason for Regina’s coldness, a tragedy from her … Matthew Jacobs: I realized “Christmas on the Square” would defy all assumptions at the first sight of Dolly’s mildly smeared eyeliner, tattered gray outerwear and stringy bangs. I feel embarrassed to even be evaluating her work! Have we described this movie as “a lot” yet? I’ll see you when you do my hair tomorrow. What were your initial impressions? Don’t be late.” The woodwinds rise in hungry mischief to meet each “ate.”. But even Dolly Parton can’t save this holiday movie on … But man, Fullerville was just full of drama. The songs aren’t Parton gold. Given the delightful news that the promising COVID-19 experimental vaccine from Moderna was funded in part by a $1 million donation from Dolly Parton, “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” For me, the forced adoption scene was rock bottom ― any other lowlights for you two? Who wouldn’t love Dolly singing about Christmas? It’s a testament to the sheer overstuffedness of this movie that I forgot about the “possibly fatal tumor” subplot. In this case, that relentless inoffensiveness gets stretched to its breaking point. Funding the COVID vaccine will remain Dolly’s greatest contribution to my holiday cheer. Perhaps because both of them could do no wrong in my book. “Don’t be the queen of mean!!”. “Dolly Parton’s Christmas On The Square” is a new movie musical premiering on Netflix on November 22, 2020. Musical film Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square stars Parton alongside Mamma Mia actress Christine Baranski, and it’s already been declared as … I feel like the wickedest witch of the middle of my apartment for daring to have critiques. Her songwriting is enjoying swiping a little of everything from the music buffet: Rodgers and Hammerstein, treacle, Ike and Tina. Her scenes are spent guiding an angel trainee and giving Baranski the evil eye along with the withering folksiness that is Parton’s specialty as a movie star. So I was IN for all the hijinks. I suppose I found joy in a song called “Wicked Witch of the Middle,” in which the townsfolk gather in a church to do a round-robin ditty about Regina being the wicked witch of Middle America. I feel embarrassed to even be evaluating her work! It’s the sort of bad that sets itself in a town that is doomed to become a mall, yet already has the peppy wink-wink of an Old Navy commercial. Erin E. Evans is senior enterprise editor of culture at HuffPost. You gotta push that all away to try to enjoy a bit of the quirkiness of this. We have on our hands the sort of knowing bad that names a pastor Christian. So yes, the movie has more stretches than a yoga class. The results are mixed, to say the least. In Netflix’s ‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,’ Regina (Christine Baranski, left), who has been trying to evict townspeople, is visited by an angel (Dolly Parton). An embittered "Scrooge" of a woman plans to sell her small town, regardless of the consequences to the people who live there. Dolly Parton is bringing her country music charm to Netflix once again with the holiday movie Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square.. Beginning Sunday, November 22, viewers can catch Parton … And “Christmas on the Square” is a drunk. Even on the second watch, I found myself asking, “HOW DID WE GET HERE?”. I have never really appreciated the movie musical, and “Christmas on the Square” exemplifies the primary reason: The camera brings the viewer right onstage, where we end up staring closely at broad emoting and ensemble dance numbers from a much closer vantage point than the genre was designed for. Seasonal cheer comes to a screeching halt when a cold-hearted woman tries to sell her hometown’s land. Regina, a modern-day Scrooge, has to explore the horrific consequences of her selfishness and revisit the tragedy that closed her heart. But is “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” any good? It also stars Christine Baranski, Treat Williams, and Jennifer Lewis. NETFLIX Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is a movie with a brick strapped to the accelerator — and you’ll love every insane second. MJ: And not just any old hairdresser, but your childhood friend, as we are told first in a line of dialogue and again 10 minutes later in song. Oh, and the flashback happens while she’s getting a CT scan to see if she has a tumor. MJ: It seems like none of the performers (aside from Baranski and Lewis, who are seasoned enough to survive the script’s silliest impulses) realized they were making a movie and not a stage production. Three HuffPost reporters are here to tell you all about it. dolly parton's christmas on the square (l to r) christine baranski as regina and jeanine mason as felicity in dolly parton's christmas on the square cr. But she knows when to slow down and take in a scene, as she does with a couple of the ballads, like a duet between Baranski and a kid tending bar, who winds up in a last-act medical crisis. Then there’s the matter of Dolly Parton herself. Now there’s a lot going on in Fullerville, so I had to sit for a second to reorient myself while watching this because it very much gives you over-the-top TV-movie-musical vibes. 'Dolly Parton's Christmas On The Square' Is, Well, A Very Quirky Holiday Musical. The film … Dolly Parton is no newcomer to holiday flicks, and last year released a Hallmark film called “Christmas at Dollywood,” so I thought I knew what to expect from her latest, “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.” Matt, Erin, I was wrong. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote! A lot of “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” bears some resemblance to the familiar — greeting cards, mulled cider, Dickens, Velveeta. The latter twist was, I thought, just as ill-timed as ― and much more ill-considered than ― the eviction theme. The Sucret line is cute! What else should we expect from a movie involving a woman whose million-dollar donation to medical research reportedly resulted in a Covid-19 vaccine? Regina, a modern-day Scrooge, has to explore the horrific consequences of her selfishness and revisit the tragedy that closed her heart. I also must have blinked when the storyline with the little Black girl and her father. Premiering Sunday, “Christmas on the Square” tests whether the holiday-TV-movie industrial complex can handle maximal musical-theater cheesiness. It’s the sort of bad that Christine Baranski can captain to yachtdom. I’d skip this one. “Margeline, don’t even argue, ‘cause even though we’re friends who have grown up here together, here’s a notice to vacate and a notice to relocate. Dolly Parton's. No wonder they all want to stay. Everyone is operating at an 11 when a 6 would have sufficed. Complete 2020 Musical Movie. She plays Regina Fuller, the dame who arranged the sale of the town and spends the opening numbers blithely handing out eviction notices to shop owners, kids and dancers. Have a Holly Dolly #Christmas2020 with this Netflix holiday musical featuring 14 original songs by #DollyParton. There’s a church-bound sequence in which Christian and his parishioners rail against Regina’s heartlessness, and somebody sings that “She’s cold as a witch’s —,” before everybody practically gasps and sings past her. Lewis really took out her frustration on Baranski’s wig. You’re right, Claire, that nothing can rob Dolly of her songwriting credentials; she’s one of the best in the business. She gifted us with a new Christmas album, holiday sweater line, and bakeware.She donated money to help develop a … So pour yourself a stiff eggnog or two, surrender to the cheesiness of it all and it might just inspire you to decorate that tree. And the storyline — a mean lady coming to a town to evict everybody in the dead of winter in Fullerville because the Cheetah Mall conglomerate wanted to build a mall — just was ... a lot to digest. The next is Regina, a Trumpian spin on Ebenezer Scrooge, distributing eviction notices to children. Movie musical “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” will premiere Nov. 22 on Netflix. Can music, magic and memories change her mind? Even on the second watch, I found myself asking, “HOW DID WE GET HERE?”. Christine Baranski serves up some Scrooge-like holiday cheer in the form of ... eviction notices. Dolly Parton as Angel in 'Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square.' Dolly’s whole brand is designed around appealing to everyone. In this economy? You’re right, Claire, that nothing can rob Dolly of her songwriting credentials; she’s one of the best in the business. Early on, the high-volume zaniness of the predictable made-for-TV holiday movie tropes offered an undeniable camp factor. She starts out homeless, in gray rags, singing in the center of town about the power of togetherness, wagging her box for change at people too busy doing back flips and jetées to notice. A mall, really? On Tuesday, September 29, Netflix announced their newest holiday title, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, which is streaming as of November 22.The much-anticipated movie is directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen, a three-time Emmy and Golden Globe winner, not to mention the actress who portrays Catherine Avery on Grey’s Anatomy.. And just a few years ago in 2016, the Dollywood Foundation donated $1,000 a month to several hundred East Tennessee families who lost their homes during wildfires. The Bottom Line. Once the halfway point of the movie arrives, dramatic reveal follows dramatic reveal, with crucial details left unexplained. Imagine someone singing to you at a salon while you’re trying to relax with cucumbers on your eyes. But man, Fullerville was just full of drama. Christmas on the Square (full title Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square) is a 2020 American Christmas musical film directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen. The basic plot: Cold-hearted Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski) has recently inherited this charming town from her father and is serving eviction notices at Christmas so that she can sell it to a mall conglomerate. Before hitting play, I knew I was gonna be in for a ride. Yes, this movie seems engineered to test whether a Christmas musical can be too corny. SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,” streaming now on Netflix. Premiering Sunday, “Christmas on the Square” tests whether the holiday-TV-movie industrial complex can handle maximal musical-theater cheesiness. Singing a ballad about the haves and have-nots, she appears to be green-screened into the aforementioned square, possibly because Dolly Parton does not go anywhere without flattering lighting equipment — even when she is supposed to look homeless. But she’s nothing if not earnest, and I wonder if the too-muchness of “Square” risks trying the patience of even the most open-minded Christmas junkie. Dolly needs no defense of her songwriting chops; this woman wrote “Jolene” and “And I Will Always Love You” in one day! But it’s also dark! It’s “Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la Land.”. And for the first 40 minutes, she, Parton and the screenwriter Maria S. Schlatter keep it all humming with the campy swish you need for a romantic-musical-family-tragedy holiday comedy. All rights reserved. Plus, an elementary schooler can bartend without a license. Netflix released the film on November 22, 2020. EE: I have tried my best to keep from repeating it in every paragraph. Then, I found out Debbie Allen, one of my faves, was directing. This scene brought me to tears, and not in a good way; the framing, in fact, is that this crime should be forgiven and forgotten because it was committed with good intentions.