A Christmas Melody

A Christmas Melody
Screenplay by Jennifer Notas Shapiro
Directed by Mariah Carey
Starring Lacey Chabert
Mariah Carey
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Cinematography Jeff Barklage
Release
Original network Hallmark Channel
Original release
  • December 19, 2015 (2015-12-19)

A Christmas Melody, also known under its working title of Mistletoe & Melody, is a 2015 American Christmas television film and the feature film directorial debut of Mariah Carey, who co-stars with Lacey Chabert.[1][2] It was filmed in October 2015, and debuted on the Hallmark Channel on December 19, 2015. The film was watched by 3.94 million viewers upon its debut.

Synopsis

Single mother Kristen has recently moved back to her home town of Silver Falls, Ohio with her daughter Emily after her fashion business in Los Angeles folded. The process has been difficult for both of them, especially as the move brings Kristen face to face with Melissa, her former rival from high school and the current president of the local PTA. The two women are instantly at odds with one another, making it necessary for their loved ones to show them the Christmas spirit and help them to overcome their differences.

Cast

Credits adapted from Hallmark Channel's official website.[3]

Production

In September 2015, the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Film Commission stated that Carey would be filming in Cincinnati for an upcoming film, Mistletoe & Melody.[4] Carey was confirmed to be serving as the film's director and as one of the film's stars, and Stella Bulochnikov, Jonathan Axelrod, Alan Ett, Eric Jarboe and Kevin Connor were named as the movie's executive producers.[4][5] Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott were also later confirmed as actors for the film, which had been re-titled A Christmas Melody.[6][7] Child actress Fina Strazza was brought on to play Chabert's daughter and to sing "Oh Santa!", which Carey re-wrote for the film.[8] Filming began on October 6, 2015 in Hyde Park and was expected to wrap on the October 16, but did not finish until October 26.[7][9]

On November 17, 2015, the Hallmark Channel released a trailer for A Christmas Melody.[10] Entertainment Tonight poked fun at the trailer, writing "Only time will tell how much holiday cheer can be stuffed into one movie, but if this trailer is any indication, A Christmas Melody will be pushing the boundaries."[11]

Release and reception

A Christmas Melody first aired on the Hallmark Channel on December 19, 2015, as part of the "Countdown to Christmas" holiday programming.[12] It was seen by 3.94 million viewers upon release.[13] VH1 wrote a mixed review for the film, stating "Sure, the film has an abrupt, saccharine ending, but that doesn't make the journey to it any less fun to watch. In terms of Mariah Carey shade, A Christmas Melody is Oscar-worthy. It's just the so-bad-it's-good trainwreck slosh you need to liven up your It's a Wonderful Life coma."[14] The New York Times was also mixed in their opinion, writing "In telling the story of Kristen (Lacey Chabert), a widowed single mom whose Los Angeles fashion boutique goes bust, the movie is as blandly watchable as everything else in Hallmark's Christmas lineup, which includes titles like I'm Not Ready for Christmas, Merry Matrimony and 'Tis the Season for Love. But Ms. Carey's participation makes the generic badness of A Christmas Melody a touch better than its neighbors. She treats herself like a woman who's come to family entertainment from Venus."[15] NPR praised the film as a "delightfully bonkers addition to the firmament of holiday madness".[16]

References

  1. ↑ Parker, E. "Mariah Carey Directs 'A Christmas Melody' Movie In Time For The Holidays". Radio.com. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ Tietjen, Alexa. "Mariah Carey's Upcoming Hallmark Film A Christmas Melody Was Definitely Inevitable". VH1. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Cast of A Christmas Melody". Hallmark Channel. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Mains, Brian. "Mariah Carey to direct and star in 'Melody & Mistletoe' in Cincinnati". WCPO. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Mariah Carey continues filming 'A Christmas Melody' in Wyoming". WLWT. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Mariah Carey on the Helm of 'Christmas Melody' for the Hallmark Channel". Latino Post. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Kiesewetter, John. "Mariah Carey Starts Filming 'A Christmas Melody'". WVXU. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Kiesewetter, John. "Broadway's 'Matilda' Star Here For Mariah Carey Movie". WVXU. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Motsinger, Carol. "Mariah Carey movie transforms Wyoming". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  10. ↑ Strecker, Erin. "All I Want for Christmas Is Mariah Carey's Christmas TV Movie: Watch the Trailer". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ Seemayer, Zach. "Mariah Carey's Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie Looks as Cheesy as You Imagined". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  12. ↑ Hitt, Caitlyn (November 30, 2015). "Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies 2015: December Countdown To Christmas Premiere Dates and Trailers". International Business Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  13. ↑ Kissell, Rick (December 23, 2015). "Weekly Ratings: ABC Family, Hallmark Score With Holiday Fare; NBC Rules Again in Demos". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Mariah Carey as a Shady PTA Mom in Hallmark's A Christmas Melody Is Peak Mariah Carey". VH1. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  15. ↑ Morris, Wesley (December 22, 2015). "Mariah Carey's List Is Short: All She Wants Is Immortality". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  16. ↑ Holmes, Linda (December 21, 2015). "20 Things You Desperately Need To Know About Mariah's Hallmark Movie". NPR. Retrieved December 28, 2015.

External links

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