Catch a Christmas Star (2013)

Title: Catch a Christmas Star
Year of Release: 2013
Available On: Hallmark app – December 2017
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Jingle Bells

Grandpa said that holidays are especially difficult for people with long-term grief. – My new favorite child, Sophie (played by Julia Lalonde).

A grief sensitive script! A grief sensitive script! No Kubler-Ross “stages,” but an actual understanding that grief is lifelong and surprises us and doesn’t stop when we want it to go away! And emotional intelligence when it comes to having more than one in your life? Can this be real?

But everything else about this is pretty horrific: Nikki (Shannon Elizabeth) is supposed to be a huge pop star, but they have trouble making her look like a pop star with the budget. The songs are … uh. Not good. I don’t know if Shannon can sing, but if it’s her voice that’s recorded, they really made it look as unnatural as humanly possible. I would almost feel better about the performances if it wasn’t her voice. And I also have trouble moving on from remembering Shannon Elizabeth as anything other than the exchange student in American Pie…

In case you were wondering which of the five movie plots this was, it’s the Precocious Kids Plot to Get Their Widow(er) Parent to Fall In Love Again.

Christopher Jacot as Carmine is a stereotypical gay man character, but I admit that I still liked him and was amused. Why do they always hate kids though? I like how supportive he is of Nikki’s unconventional love.