Ok, phew... I wasn't sure about this one once I saw the direction it was going in, but by the end I was crying like a baby. They took something that was going to be a bit eye-rolling but managed to do it in a very cute, respectful way.
Also, Scott Wolf is forever adorable.
Major spoilers ahead...
Katherine (Kristin Chenoweth) once wrote and starred in a very successful Broadway play. Since it's closing, she's been teaching music and, more important to our story here, directs a Christmas choir. The choir, apparently, is a BIG deal and it culminates in a BIG concert in a Broadway theater that has to cost beaucoup bucks. It's a hot ticket and usually ends with a new original Christmas song written by a famous composer. The funds raised finances the choir for another year.
Things go a bit awry when the composer and Katherine's star boy both drop out. One's just a jerk, the other gets sick. But all is not lost! Enter Danny, who starts out as a one-day volunteer looking for extra credit from his high school, but ends up having a great set of pipes. Danny's dad, Greg (cute-as-a-button Scott Wolf), is surprised to learn that Danny's side-hustling with the choir and not interning at some tech/finance firm. Greg's not exactly mad, just surprised since Danny hasn't shown much interest in music since his mom, Meghan, passed away. In the meantime, Katherine is persuaded to write the song herself.
Katherine is type-A all the way and isn't about to let her new headliner go without a fight. After multiple calls to Greg, Katherine rents a car and heads up to Greg and Danny's house in Connecticut to convince father and son. She ends up joining them on their annual hunt for a Christmas tree, and even spends the night getting to know Greg when a surprise snow storm hits.
Obviously Danny rejoins the choir and plays a little hand in matchmaking Greg and Katherine. Greg hasn't dated anyone since Meghan passed away and his colleagues are thrilled when he brings Katherine to the office party (he's an architect).
Katherine eventually, after overcoming some writer's block, writes the song and names Danny to sing the duet with her.
About three-quarters of the way through the movie we find out that Katherine had, some years ago, put her baby up for adoption. And with it being Christmas and all, she's feeling pulled to find out more about the life her baby had without her. See where this is going?
Now, at this point I was ready to write the movie off. There as going to be some tearful, dramatic Christmas declaration and they'd all live happily ever after, but that's not quite exactly how it plays out.
You see, Danny has known all along that Katherine is his birth-mother, and the whole volunteering at the choir thing was just a ploy to meet her. That's all he wanted. Katherine and Danny have a really beautiful moment where Katherine asserts that Meghan is/was, and always will be, Danny's mom but Katherine would like to be his friend. Katherine's completely taken by surprise by Danny's revelation (though Greg had said that Danny had been "a gift" to him and his wife) and respects that Danny wants to be the one to tell Greg, and thus, she presses pause on their budding romance, to Greg's confusion. Danny later tells Greg that he sought Katherine out specifically and Greg takes it exactly as you would want someone to. Greg's a cool dad and has known that Danny was struggling with something.
The concert goes off without a hitch, with Katherine rocking an absolutely stunning gold gown, and the duet with Danny is flawless. Normally I'd think it was weird for the choir director to sing with one of her students, but I get that we need it here to move the plot ahead.
Greg, Danny, and Katherine reunite backstage and Greg invites Katherine to spend Christmas with them. We end with Katherine arriving at Greg's house, exchanging gifts, and singing with the guys.
Scott Wolf plays the emotional dad to perfection. Kristin Chenowith (or Annabeth Schott, if you are also a WW aficionado) really does have the voice of an angel.
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- One of the best parts of the movie is Julie, Katherine's sister. She's sassy and funny, and had me since she put on a fake Minnesota accent to gently mock her inlaws. We need more Jennifer Aspen in our collective HM movie lives.
- Scott Wolf and Eric Close could play brothers. Fun fact, Eric also directed this one!
- This movie seemed very New York City. Was it filmed here? It seems like it might have been.
- Although the interior of Katherine's apartment suggests that it may not be. Seriously, do you even know what that would cost? High ceilings, enough room for a baby grand, and a second story?!
- If Katherine can afford that apartment she should be able to afford a proper, long, dress coat. (Total pet-peeve of mine!)
- This was a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, which means it has the BEST, most emotional commercials. I didn't stand a chance.
Also, Scott Wolf is forever adorable.
Major spoilers ahead...
Katherine (Kristin Chenoweth) once wrote and starred in a very successful Broadway play. Since it's closing, she's been teaching music and, more important to our story here, directs a Christmas choir. The choir, apparently, is a BIG deal and it culminates in a BIG concert in a Broadway theater that has to cost beaucoup bucks. It's a hot ticket and usually ends with a new original Christmas song written by a famous composer. The funds raised finances the choir for another year.
Katherine is type-A all the way and isn't about to let her new headliner go without a fight. After multiple calls to Greg, Katherine rents a car and heads up to Greg and Danny's house in Connecticut to convince father and son. She ends up joining them on their annual hunt for a Christmas tree, and even spends the night getting to know Greg when a surprise snow storm hits.
Obviously Danny rejoins the choir and plays a little hand in matchmaking Greg and Katherine. Greg hasn't dated anyone since Meghan passed away and his colleagues are thrilled when he brings Katherine to the office party (he's an architect).
Katherine eventually, after overcoming some writer's block, writes the song and names Danny to sing the duet with her.
About three-quarters of the way through the movie we find out that Katherine had, some years ago, put her baby up for adoption. And with it being Christmas and all, she's feeling pulled to find out more about the life her baby had without her. See where this is going?
Now, at this point I was ready to write the movie off. There as going to be some tearful, dramatic Christmas declaration and they'd all live happily ever after, but that's not quite exactly how it plays out.
You see, Danny has known all along that Katherine is his birth-mother, and the whole volunteering at the choir thing was just a ploy to meet her. That's all he wanted. Katherine and Danny have a really beautiful moment where Katherine asserts that Meghan is/was, and always will be, Danny's mom but Katherine would like to be his friend. Katherine's completely taken by surprise by Danny's revelation (though Greg had said that Danny had been "a gift" to him and his wife) and respects that Danny wants to be the one to tell Greg, and thus, she presses pause on their budding romance, to Greg's confusion. Danny later tells Greg that he sought Katherine out specifically and Greg takes it exactly as you would want someone to. Greg's a cool dad and has known that Danny was struggling with something.
The concert goes off without a hitch, with Katherine rocking an absolutely stunning gold gown, and the duet with Danny is flawless. Normally I'd think it was weird for the choir director to sing with one of her students, but I get that we need it here to move the plot ahead.
Greg, Danny, and Katherine reunite backstage and Greg invites Katherine to spend Christmas with them. We end with Katherine arriving at Greg's house, exchanging gifts, and singing with the guys.
Scott Wolf plays the emotional dad to perfection. Kristin Chenowith (or Annabeth Schott, if you are also a WW aficionado) really does have the voice of an angel.
-
- One of the best parts of the movie is Julie, Katherine's sister. She's sassy and funny, and had me since she put on a fake Minnesota accent to gently mock her inlaws. We need more Jennifer Aspen in our collective HM movie lives.
- Scott Wolf and Eric Close could play brothers. Fun fact, Eric also directed this one!
- This movie seemed very New York City. Was it filmed here? It seems like it might have been.
- Although the interior of Katherine's apartment suggests that it may not be. Seriously, do you even know what that would cost? High ceilings, enough room for a baby grand, and a second story?!
- If Katherine can afford that apartment she should be able to afford a proper, long, dress coat. (Total pet-peeve of mine!)
- This was a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, which means it has the BEST, most emotional commercials. I didn't stand a chance.
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