Christmas on the Square

Christmas on the Square
Film poster
Directed byDebbie Allen
Screenplay byMaria S. Schlatter
Starring
CinematographyOliver Bokelberg
Edited byCasey O. Rohrs
Music byDolly Parton
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • November 22, 2020 (2020-11-22)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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]

Cast

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]

  1. "Main Title" – Orchestra
  2. "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
  3. "You" – Josh Segarra and Mary Lane Haskell
  4. "Queen of Mean" – Jenifer Lewis
  5. "Keeper of Memories" – Treat Williams
  6. "Everybody Needs an Angel" – Dolly Parton
  7. "Light Your Lamp" – Dolly Parton
  8. "Wickedest Witch of the Middle" – Josh Segarra and Ensemble
  9. "Try" – Josh Segarra, Mary Lane Haskell, and Ensemble
  10. "Fairytale" – Selah Kimbro Jones & Christine Baranski
  11. "Maybe, Just Maybe" (Reprise 1) – Christine Baranski
  12. "A Father's Prayer" – Douglas Sills
  13. "Everybody Needs an Angel" (Reprise) – Dolly Parton and Jeanine Mason
  14. "Rearview Mirror / Happy Town / Just Dance" – Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, and Ensemble
  15. "Maybe, Just Maybe" (Reprise 2) – Christine Baranski
  16. "A Father's Prayer" (Reprise) – Matthew Johnson
  17. "Christmas Is" (Reprise) – Jeanine Mason
  18. "Try" (Reprise) – Mary Lane Haskell
  19. "Angels Know" – Dolly Parton
  20. "Maybe, Just Maybe" (Reprise 3) – Christine Baranski
  21. "Try" (Gospel Reprise) – Jenifer Lewis and Ensemble
  22. "An Angel's Prayer" – Dolly Parton
  23. "Forgive Me" – Christine Baranski
  24. "Christmas Is / Christmas on the Square" (Finale) – Cast
  25. "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]

See also

References

  1. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (September 29, 2020). "Netflix Announces 'Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square' (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  2. ^ McHenry, Jackson (October 7, 2020). "Behold Actual Angel Dolly Parton in Netflix's Christmas on the Square". Vulture. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (October 22, 2020). "Dolly Parton Sings as an Angel in 'Christmas on the Square' Trailer". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Outstanding Made for Television Movie Nominees / Winners 2021".
  6. ^ "All the Songs on the "Christmas on the Square" Soundtrack". Newsweek. November 24, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "First Listen: Dolly Parton, 'Blue Smoke'". NPR.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  8. ^ "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  9. ^ "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square". Metacritic. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Avila, Pamela (August 30, 2021). "'Pose,' 'I May Destroy You,' 'Hacks' sweep LGBTQ critics' Dorian TV Awards". USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 Golden Reel Awards Winners". MPSE.org. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  13. ^ 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.