Cha-two in the Chateau
Halloween 2020 is just days away, but Hallmark is already knocking things out of the park with their Christmas lineup. Today we're watching Hallmark's latest release, "Chateau Christmas," an all-too-familar tale of a successful woman leaving the big city, travelling back home, finding a lost love, saving a winter festival, or a Christmas tree farm, or a concert or whatever. You've seen it before, I've seen it before. Let's see where the journey takes us.Margo can play a piano - we know this because she's preoccupied with her latest review from her arch-nemesis Evelyn March (yes, THE Evelyn March), wherein Evelyn dropped a load of bricks on Margo. "Lacks musicality!" Margo is also in trouble because her theater is leaking through the roof, and there's a good possibility of electrical fires breaking out, but forget that for minute - for one, Evelyn's review is most important now. And for two, because none of this has any bearing on what will happen in the future. Margo just needs to bounce.
Introducing Jackson - we know he's available because he mentions it twice in the span of three sentences. We get it Jackson, stop being so obvious. Jackson gets voluntold to handle the Christmas concert at his buddy's hotel, which he graciously accepts, but seems a little below the soon-to-be Chair of the music department at the nearby college. On the other hand, Emily Dawson is coming ("Voice of an angel!" "Broadway pedigree!") so it should be a smash.
Psych! Forget everything about Emily Dawson - we never meet her, and she has laryngitis anyway. Voice like a garbage disposal, am I right? Evelyn March sends her worst.
So who's going to fill in for this newly open spot? Enter Margo. Margo needs about six seconds of prompting before she accepts and... wait, what is this?! A piano? Right here in the restaurant? Margo breaks out a completely unrehearsed "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" so moving the entire restaurant puts down their warmed-over Carando ham and quiche and gives her standing ovation. Can we start the concert right now?
No, we can't. Jackson needs to convince his old flame Margo to headline his concert, and for that he needs to break out all the stops. "All the stops" in this case meaning, "here's some chocolate." Look: these two have a history stretching back to the beginning of time - the chocolate is just a metaphor.
We only have nine days to prepare though, and Emily Dawson has left a huge hole in the program. Margo and Jackson work tirelessly, night and day, to put on the finest hotel restaurant Christmas concert ever performed. Margo waffles back and forth on what piece to play as the curtain closer - should I play "Deck the Halls?" Where's Evelyn March? I'll show you my musicality!
"O Holy Night" graces our presence, and Margo takes this one for a *walk*. It's unending. You hear that Evelyn?!? Eat it! Here's my musicality! Also, all of your programs can now be folded up and placed under your uneven table legs, as Margo has rendered them all out-of-date trash. Margo gets a standing ovation once again, but oddly not as big as the ovation she received during brunch. Her sister also oddly remains seated. Jealously? Close friend of Emily Dawson? I smell sequel - "Chateau 2: Electric Boogaloo"
And what of Margo and Jackson? Where will this rekindled love bring us? Who's to say? But in the end, "Chateau Christmas" reminds us all that the true meaning of the chateau is in our hearts.
Editors Note: Do NOT confuse "Chateau Christmas" with the far inferior older sibling "Christmas at the Chateau." There are only so many hours this Christmas season - use them wisely.
Score Card:
Girl going back home - 1x
Dead parent - 1x
Lost love - 2x
Christmas tree lighting - 2x
Family members uncomfortably prodding about relationships - unending
Total: 7/10
score 7/10
youandmeandhallmarkmakesthree 29 October 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6214873/34862
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