REVIEW: The Hallmark Sequel "Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up" Is as Silly as the First One

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Emily and Jared are looking forward to celebrating the holidays together as a couple, and they prepare to work with their neighbors on Evergreen Lane to make this year's Christmas celebrations the best yet.  When a house on the block goes up for sale, the soon-to-be-neighbors are holiday royalty, but they are so competitive that they nearly ruin Christmas for everyone. Starring:   Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, Ellen Travolta, Melissa Peterman, Seth Morris, and Jennifer Aspen Image:  Hallmark Media Haul Out the Holly:  Lit Up Has a Moral When the residents of Evergreen Lane learn that their new neighbors are the Jolly Johnsons--famous holiday reality stars--they are thrilled to welcome them to the block.  Everyone assumes the Johnsons will fit right in since they share their same affinity for elf culture. Emily, Jared, and the rest of the holiday crew quickly realize that the Johnsons aren't interested in joining in on the fun--they plan to take over. Image:  Tw

Hallmark's "A Christmas Love Story" Has Deep Connections With Kristen Chenoweth

Starring:  Kristen Chenoweth and Scott Wolf

Released:  2019

Summary:  A youth choir director must come up with a hit song to write for the big Christmas Eve show, but she becomes distracted by a young boy with a gifted voice.

Image:  Crown Media, United States LLC

Kristen Chenoweth's Life Parallels the Movie

Kristen Chenoweth doesn't just PLAY a former Broadway star--she IS a Broadway star! She's even got a Tony award to prove it, along with an Emmy for her cancelled television series, Pushing Daisies.

Just goes to show, you can sound like one of the Chipettes and still be a roaring success.  Watch your wine glass during this movie though--it could break from Chenoweth's high-pitched voice.

Despite her nails-on-chalkboard speaking voice, I'm glad I stuck out watching the movie because her singing voice is dynamic!  She might only stand 4"11 high and be rail thin, but she has an enormous set of pipes.  

Did you know Chenoweth, along with pal, Chely Wright, actually wrote the song, When Angels Land, for the movie?  The anticipation kept building throughout the movie to hear what composition Katherine would manage to produce, and we aren't disappointed!  You can listen to Chenoweth sing it again here:


Pretty cool that her character, Katherine Clark, composes a song Chenoweth actually wrote herself!

Another tie-in Chenoweth has with the movie is that she was actually adopted when she was five days old.  Both of her adoptive parents were chemical engineers in Oklahoma. 

Although Chenoweth doesn't crack my top ten of favorite Hallmark actresses, I still enjoyed the perkiness and high energy she brought to the role.


Plot Stretches It a Bit

Katherine and Greg cross paths in a ride-share, and it leads to love.  The Christmas magic could have stopped there, but it doesn't.  

We learn Katherine had a baby years earlier she had given up for adoption. She says she'd been too young and incapable of taking care of a baby.  Considering Chenoweth is 51 years old and "Danny" ends up being her 17-year-old son in the movie, she would have given fictional birth to him at age 33--far past the age of immaturity when an adult should be able to handle responsibility.  A younger leading star would have made this scenario more believable.

When Katherine shares the confidence with Greg about having a baby, why doesn't he pipe up and say his son is adopted?  In real life, that's where such a revelation and subsequent conversation would lead.  He would find it interesting and worth noting they had something else in common.

But wait--there's more.  Danny's mom met an untimely death (as many characters do in order to make the story easily fit), his dad falls in love with Katherine, and she just happens to be his biological mother.  We are led to believe that Danny's musical inclination comes from his adoptive mom's love of music, but then we learn it's also in his genes.



Do You Know the Answer to This Trivia Question?

What tradition magically helps Danny and his dad find the perfect Christmas tree every year?  If you know the answer, type it in the comment section!

Image:  Crown Media, United States LLC

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