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

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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.

External links

Dolly Parton
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie
Netflix Christmas films and specials
Categories