Starring Tia Mowry, Tori Spelling, Johnathan Patrick Moore, Reginald VelJohnson
Directed by Paul Hoen
Music and Lyrics by various
Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas marathon goes back to 1996, when Freeform was still known as The Family Channel. From the first day of December to the 25th, they ran nothing but Christmas specials, movies, and episodes. (Later on, a few non-holiday family films like the Harry Potter series would sneak in.) This is one of the more popular movies to have aired as part of that marathon, debuting at number 1 in its slot in 2012. What made this one such a hit? Let's start with Holly (Mowry) as she rushes off to audition for the Snow Belles and find out...
The Story: The Snow Belles are a wildly popular local singing group who perform a huge concert at the local mall on Christmas Eve. Holly has always wanted to be a Snow Belle, ever since her mother founded the group 40 years before. However, their current leader Marci (Spelling) refuses to even listen to her audition, even though it goes well, due to Holly being late. Marci ends up hiring her friend Staci (Britani Bateman) instead, even though she's not as good of a singer.
Frustrated, Holly takes her sister Grace's (Tammy Townsend) advice to start her own group, and even goes to the mall manager (Jason Tatom) and convinces him to hold a Christmas Eve sing-off to let other groups show their stuff. She and her two guy friends at work encourage a shy co-worker with a sensational voice (Megan Kathleen Duffy) to join them.
They're not bad, but Holly figures they need something extra. When she's stranded at a bar, she discovers their workaholic boss Nick (Moore) is a great dancer and can really rock Elvis hits. He'd rather focus on work, until she blackmails him with the footage she shot at the bar. His choreography and leadership gives them the boost they need, even when Marci tells Holly she now wants her in the Snow Belles. Nick, however, abandons them for a job promotion. Holly's despondent, until her dad (VelJohnson) reminds her that her mother began the Snow Belles to enjoy singing with her friends.
The Song and Dance: Not hard to tell this was directed by the same guy who did the ZOMBIES films. The dance numbers have a lot of the same energy as those movies, with some excellent ensemble numbers for both groups. Mowray has a lot of fun as the talented secretary who wants to prove to everyone that singing means doing something you love, not just performing because you have to. Spelling has a blast as the spoiled head of the Belles, too, and ValJohnson has a nice moment at the end when he reminds his daughter that her mother loved singing right to her.
Favorite Number: The Snow Belles and the Mistle-Tones do two different versions of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to rehearse for the contest. The Mistle-Tones dance around a warehouse and have a blast doing so. The Belles try to stay in step, but Marci does nothing but demand they do better. Poor Bernie is so shy, Holly and the guys audition her singing "Deck the Halls" in the bathroom at work so no one sees her perform. Johnathan Patrick Moore tears up "Burnin' Love" at the bar, dancing and flirting with pretty ladies and having such a great time, you understand why Holly recorded him. The Mistle-Tones do a great "Winter Wonderland" in rehearsal, but their performance is superceded by the Snow Belles' perfectly synced "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Nick woos Holly back with the others outside the mall with "Baby Please Come Home."
What I Don't Like: This is cliched as heck...and what on Earth does any of it really have to do with Christmas? You could hear this type of story at any time of the year. Everyone is about as one-dimensional as you can get. It's also something of a Christmas jukebox musical, with all of the songs being either carols or recent holiday hits.
The Big Finale: Cute enough that I enjoyed seeing it once, but it's too cliched to be something I watch every year. If you love the cast or are a fan of romantic comedies, you may find a lot more in this one than I did.
Home Media: Not currently on disc, but it can be found for streaming in many places, including for free at Freeform's web site, at Disney Plus with a subscription, and at Amazon Prime.
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