A Festive Guide to 2020's New Christmas Streaming Options
By: Richard Lebeau
Tags: Television, Movies, Music, Streaming, Holidays

LIVE ACTION MOVIES:

Image copyright: 1492 Pictures/Netflix

The Christmas Chronicles 2 (115 minutes; Netflix)

2018’s The Christmas Chronicles followed two young kids in Lowell, Massachusetts who were struggling with the death of their father and naturally ended up helping Santa Claus save Christmas. It presented precious little in the way of fresh ideas but it was bursting with Christmas joy and benefited greatly from the inspired casting of Kurt Russell as Santa Claus. For the sequel, Chris Columbus (the helmer of Home Alone and other classics) takes over the directing reins. It is a more lavish spectacle than the original, in large part because it shifts the action to the North Pole, which is brought to life with a lovely mix of top notch production design and CGI. Russell remains a delight as Santa and — in a purely perfect bit of casting — Goldie Hawn, Russell’s long-time partner and Oscar winning actress in her own right, plays Mrs. Claus. Her delightful performance serves as an urgent reminder that she has been gone from the screen for too long. Unfortunately, the film has a bit of a messy screenplay with an unsatisfying villain and a “kid struggles with their parent getting remarried” plot that is not only tired but also seems to bring out the most unlikeable aspects of all involved. Despite its imperfections, it is very entertaining and rivals Mariah Carey’s AppleTV Christmas special (reviewed below) as the most festive of this year’s new Christmas programs.

Quality Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

Christmas Spirit Rating: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Image copyright: Warner Bros. Television/Netflix

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (98 minutes; Netflix)

When Netflix announced that legendary singer-songwriter-actress-philanthropist Dolly Parton and the extraordinarily gifted Christine Baranski (whose TV and movie credits include Cybill, The Good Wife, The Birdcage, and Chicago) were teaming up for a Christmas musical directed by Tony- and Emmy-winning choreographer Debbie Allen, I literally squealed. I could not imagine a more joyous gift in this dreary year. Unfortunately, the film falls far short of the standards of all involved. The unoriginal and wholly predictable screenplay follows embittered, lonely rich woman Regina (Baranski) who decides to sell her wholesome Kansas hometown to developers, which requires her to evict all of the residents right before Christmas. She has a brush with death, repeated visits from an angel (Parton), and a reconnection with an old love (Treat Williams). And, well, it all plays out exactly as you would expect. Baranski is truly wonderful, as is Parton and co-star Jenifer Lewis, but the film has numerous problems. The film has way too much music, with the genuinely inspired numbers getting largely lost amidst the forgettable ones. The set design are garish and the whole production feels more on par with an average Hallmark movie as opposed to a Netflix film with major talent. The chemistry between the cast is lacking and no character other than Regina is sufficiently developed. It is innocuous and it certainly has its moments (particularly when Baranski gets savage or the film displays some campy self-awareness), but it was hard not to expect much more given the talent involved.

Quality Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Christmas Spirit Rating: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Image copyright: TriStar Pictures/Hulu

Happiest Season (102 minutes; Hulu)

2020 brought us the first real wave of Christmas programs with LGBTQ stories at their center, with both the Hallmark and Lifetime cable channels premiering Christmas movies centering on gay male couples. But the highest profile of them all is this romantic comedy centering on a lesbian couple that premiered on Hulu to huge buzz during Thanksgiving week. Directed and co-written by actress and filmmaker Clea DuVall (herself an out lesbian), the film tells the story of a young couple Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) whose relationship is put to the test when they go to visit Harper’s family for Christmas. Harper only reveals to Abby on the drive there that she is not out to her parents yet and that she does not intend to come out until after the holidays. Harper’s family includes her conservative, image-obsessed parents (played by tremendously gifted veterans Mary Steenburgen and Victor Garber) and two sisters, odd duck Jane (an utterly delightful Mary Holland, who co-wrote the screenplay) and the insufferably cruel Sloane (Alison Brie). The film’s ensemble is undoubtedly its highlight with the entire cast giving committed and memorable performances. Of note, Schitt’s Creek co-creator and star Dan Levy also delivers a wonderful turn as Abby’s best friend. The screenplay, which was the subject of much debate on social media among those who found certain characters irredeemable and the ending frustrating, is overall a success in my estimation. But it certainly has some uneven and problematic elements. Happiest Season is unlikely to enter the pantheon of great Christmas movies, but it is charming, clever, well-acted, funny, and a major step forward in terms of on-screen representation.

Quality Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Christmas Spirit Rating: 🎄 🎄 🎄

Image copyright: Brillstein Entertainment/Netflix

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (124 minutes; Netflix)

The biggest surprise of the Christmas season for me is this extraordinary musical that quietly debuted on Netflix last month. Directed and written by David E. Talbert, Jingle Jangle is a fresh and fully realized production that tells a heartwarming story and manages to balance spectacular musical numbers, heavy fantasy elements, and believable and engaging character dynamics. Narrated by the iconic Phylicia Rashad, the story centers on Jeronicus Jangle, a young inventor whose brilliant work is stolen by his apprentice, setting off decades of heartbreak and withdrawal from society. The film flashes forward to find Jeronicus (Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker) an aging man facing eviction from his workshop and getting an unexpected visit from his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills). Naturally she helps him rediscover love and reclaim his inspiration. The cast is uniformly excellent, with top marks going to Whitaker, Anika Noni Rose (who plays Jeronicus’s daughter), and Keegan-Michael Key (who plays Jeronicus’s nemesis as an adult). The musical numbers are absolutely sensational, with memorable music and stunning choreography that evoke The Greatest Showman (but much, much better). The film looks spectacular, with production and costume design that make the film feel like a much larger production than it is and create a genuinely unique and memorable universe. And Talbert maintains the perfect tone, never letting things to too far into fantasy, sentimentality, or predictability. The film isn’t perfect; it is a bit too long and there are certain elements of the screenplay that feel particularly cheesy and convoluted. But it is a masterful achievement that marks an exciting, memorable, and fresh entry in the Christmas movie genre. It also centers black actors and behind-the-scenes creatives, a rarity among Christmas movies. This is a perfect example to use when anyone questions the premise that increased diversity can lead to better art.

Quality Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

Christmas Spirit Rating: 🎄 🎄🎄 🎄