Christmas on the Square
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.[1] Starring Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, and Treat Williams,[2] the plot follows the wealthy Regina Fuller (Baranski), returning to her hometown to evict the residents and sell the land to a mall developer.[3] Netflix released the film on November 22, 2020.[4] At the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, Christmas on the Square won the award for Outstanding Television Movie.[5]
Christmas on the Square | |
---|---|
Directed by | Debbie Allen |
Screenplay by | Maria S. Schlatter |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Oliver Bokelberg |
Edited by | Casey O. Rohrs |
Music by | Dolly Parton |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Cast
- Dolly Parton as Angel
- Jenifer Lewis as Margeline
- Josh Segarra as Pastor Christian Hathaway
- Jeanine Mason as Felicity Sorenson
- Mary Lane Haskell as Jenna Hathaway
- Treat Williams as Carl Pellam
- Christine Baranski as Regina Fuller
- Brandon Hudson as Randy
Songs
Parton wrote all of the songs featured in the film.[6] A soundtrack album was not released, although Parton did record versions of "Christmas Is" and "Christmas on the Square" for her 2020 album A Holly Dolly Christmas. "Try" was originally featured on Parton’s 2014 album Blue Smoke.[7]
- "Main Title" – Orchestra
- "Christmas Is / Christmas on the Square / Gotta Get Out / Maybe, Just Maybe / So Sorry" – Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Josh Segarra, Mary Lane Haskell, Jeanine Mason, and Ensemble
- "You" – Josh Segarra and Mary Lane Haskell
- "Queen of Mean" – Jenifer Lewis
- "Keeper of Memories" – Treat Williams
- "Everybody Needs an Angel" – Dolly Parton
- "Light Your Lamp" – Dolly Parton
- "Wickedest Witch of the Middle" – Josh Segarra and Ensemble
- "Try" – Josh Segarra, Mary Lane Haskell, and Ensemble
- "Fairytale" – Selah Kimbro Jones & Christine Baranski
- "Maybe, Just Maybe" (Reprise 1) – Christine Baranski
- "A Father's Prayer" – Douglas Sills
- "Everybody Needs an Angel" (Reprise) – Dolly Parton and Jeanine Mason
- "Rearview Mirror / Happy Town / Just Dance" – Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, and Ensemble
- "Maybe, Just Maybe" (Reprise 2) – Christine Baranski
- "A Father's Prayer" (Reprise) – Matthew Johnson
- "Christmas Is" (Reprise) – Jeanine Mason
- "Try" (Reprise) – Mary Lane Haskell
- "Angels Know" – Dolly Parton
- "Maybe, Just Maybe" (Reprise 3) – Christine Baranski
- "Try" (Gospel Reprise) – Jenifer Lewis and Ensemble
- "An Angel's Prayer" – Dolly Parton
- "Forgive Me" – Christine Baranski
- "Christmas Is / Christmas on the Square" (Finale) – Cast
- "Try" (End Credits) – Dolly Parton
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 35 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "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."[8] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 |
Dorian Awards | Campiest TV Show | Christmas on the Square | Nominated | [10] |
Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR for Non-Theatrical Feature Film Broadcast Media | Trip Brock, Jacob Ortiz, Marc S. Perlman, Michael T. Ryan, Raymond Park, Jackie Johnson, Bruce Stubblefield, Michael Farrow and Tom Ruttledge | Nominated | [11] | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Television Movie | Dolly Parton, Maria S. Schlatter, Debbie Allen, Sam Haskell, Joe Lazarov and Hudson Hickman | Won | [12] | |
Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming | Debbie Allen | Won | |||
Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures | Dolly Parton and Sam Haskell | Nominated | [13] |
References
- Oganesyan, Natalie (September 29, 2020). "Netflix Announces 'Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square' (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- McHenry, Jackson (October 7, 2020). "Behold Actual Angel Dolly Parton in Netflix's Christmas on the Square". Vulture. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- Turchiano, Danielle (October 22, 2020). "Dolly Parton Sings as an Angel in 'Christmas on the Square' Trailer". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- Mallenbaum, Carly (October 21, 2020). "Everything new on Netflix in November: 'The Crown' Season 4 to Shawn Mendes documentary". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- "Outstanding Made for Television Movie Nominees / Winners 2021".
- "All the Songs on the "Christmas on the Square" Soundtrack". Newsweek. November 24, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- "First Listen: Dolly Parton, 'Blue Smoke'". NPR.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square". Metacritic. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- Avila, Pamela (August 30, 2021). "'Pose,' 'I May Destroy You,' 'Hacks' sweep LGBTQ critics' Dorian TV Awards". USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- "2021 Golden Reel Awards Winners". MPSE.org. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- Pedersen, Erik (March 8, 2021). "PGA Awards Nominations: 'Borat', 'Ma Rainey', 'Chicago 7', 'Nomadland', 'Mank' & 'Minari' Among Pics Vying For Marquee Prize". Deadline. Retrieved March 8, 2021.