Dolly Parton’s approval rating is perpetually sky high. That’s because the woman, and her songs, are a national treasure. Christmas on the Square doesn’t have anything super special, or barely even any songs, but when Dolly gets to talk singing you can’t help but smile and talk sing along with every word. And if that doesn’t work, Christine Baranski’s there to eyeroll you back to your Netflix queue.
See if you’ve heard this story before. In a small town, everyone’s excited for the holidays, especially Christian (Josh Segarra) and Jenna (Mary Lane Haskell) Hathaway, who hope to have their first kid. There’s one Scrooge like figure who’s NOT happy though; as it turns out, Regina (Christine Baranski) is also the owner of all the town’s property, and hopes to convert it into a mall. By New Years. So that means, the whole town has to leave by Christmas Eve. This being a small town at Christmastime, naturally, there’s a homeless singing woman (Hello, Dolly!) who might be more than meets the eye.
I’m fairly certain most of the actors hired here were hired for their singing ability than their acting ability. That puts Parton and writer Maria Schlatter in a conundrum they write themselves out of by casting Christine Baranski. Baranski, ever underappreciated for her talents, dutifully dons the Ebenezer Scrooge role here, replacing the humbug with a dry sense of humor covering up depths of sadness. This means the story revolves around Baranski, meaning the cast can sing at her and she can chime in here and there, mostly using her skills to react in fun ways to what’s happening around her. And what’s happening around her? Wholesome nonsense. When Parton and Schlatter amp up the crazy, Christmas on the Square really gets fun. The use of the Holy Spirit is pretty wacky in the wishes in can grant, Dolly Parton on a cloud is never not amusing, and watching Baranski have a late night drink and chat with her bartender is ridiculous in the best way.
The big question though, is does the movie deliver on the schmaltz it is going for? The answer depends on whose schmaltz. Anything not involving Christine Baranski is a waste of time, so use that as a time to go to the bathroom. The Baranski story sort of works. Schmaltz, unlike humor, works best when in small, sweet doses. The best parts of Christmas on the Square’s payoffs revolve around Regina coming to terms with her complicated upbringing though little reminders of why the past can be good, and why it might be time to make up for past sins. The movie mostly plays it chill early on, with little moments affecting change in Regina. However, there’s a late movie reveal that goes for tears but made me eyeroll and laugh at how poorly constructed and stupid it was. Thankfully, the movie quickly gets past it just in time for the big ending speech, which Baranski eases into the finale like a pro.
You’ll laugh. You might cry. You might smile. And you’ll definitely sing. Dolly Parton, ever the Southern Charmer, wills Christmas on the Square to something perfectly sugary delightful, with a little spice thrown in by Christine Baranski. When’s that woman gonna get some awards recognition by the way? Ever the nominee, it’d be nice to, ya know, reward her for fighting the good fight!