A CINDERELLA STORY: CHRISTMAS WISH: Fun Performances Lost In A Formulaic Christmas Musical

Michelle Johnston‘s A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish follows the well-known story with a Christmas focus. Kat Decker (Laura Marano) is a young woman with dreams of being a well-known singer-songwriter. She is surrounded by negativity in the form of her stepmother Deirdre (Johannah Newmarch), and her stepsisters, Joy (Lillian Doucet-Roche)and Grace (Chanelle Peloso). After an embarrassing first meeting with Dominic ‘Nick’ Wintergarden (Gregg Sulkin), the pair grow closer while working together as a singing elf and Santa, where Kat is joined by her best friend Isla (Isabella Gomez). This budding romance happens without the pair recognizing each other from their first meeting. Everything leads up to a Christmas Gala, thrown by Nick’s family.

Throughout the film, Nick and Kat grow closer, while her stepmother and stepsisters try to push her further away from the gala and from her dreams.

Trying to Add Originality to Its Inspiration

Christmas Wish is the fifth installment in the A Cinderella Story series, and adds a little bit of new flavor by using a Christmas setting, but the film still feels too close to its Cinderella inspiration, even when interesting differences are made. A few moments in the film felt like they might succeed in updating the classic fairy tale to the Christmas season and to a modern time, but more often than not, the film feels too similar.

I did enjoy that the gala of the film is the ending, rather than what sparks the attraction between the two. Having the attraction sparked during a moment where Kat feels her most embarrassed is an interesting take, and this lead to more moments of the characters interacting and actually getting to know each other, even though they are wearing Christmas costumes, and unsure who is underneath the wigs and beards.

With the evil stepmother and stepsisters’ characters, I get tired of seeing the same tropes and depictions in every adaptation of Cinderella. Yes, these characters are supposed to make her life miserable, but I wish they felt more like real people. There would be more tension in their interactions with the Cinderella character and her story if they felt of the same universe. There’s a fairy tale and cartoon sensibility to these characters in every adaption, which does show how bad they are, but could be explored in a slightly more realistic manner. Kat’s stepsister Joy having a blog where she films the misfortune of others and paints it like she’s helping is an interesting way to update the story to a more modern time, while also making the stepsister characters feel a little closer to reality.

The Christmas setting is enjoyable, but it doesn’t add enough to the over-told story to make it unique and interesting. Out of all the Christmas elements, setting a majority of Kat’s story at her work at Santaland is the best use of the season. The performances and costumes in these moments of the film expressed the season in a sweet and cute way. Laura Marano and Isabella Gomez shine in their moments spent showing the friendship between Kat and Isla.

One moment I felt was a little more unique is how Kat was invited to the central gala of the film. I felt the story surrounding her father and Terence Wintergarden (Barclay Hope) is sweet in a way that doesn’t rely completely on what came before it in other Cinderella adaptations. This wrapping up near the ending of the film gave Kat her own happy ending that wasn’t completely focused on her getting kissed by a boy.

Musical Aspects of Christmas Wish

Christmas Wish has a few engaging musical performances, but ultimately, I felt the film didn’t know if it wanted to be a musical or not. When a film has characters performing songs for other characters within the film, I wonder if every song we hear is being actually sung by the characters. Christmas Wish made me unsure if Kat’s songs that felt more internal were being performed, especially when other characters would notice her or react during one of these moments.

I enjoyed the songs that felt more like the songs you would see in a musical than the on-stage performances, but I understand why those exist in this film, which largely deals with the cheerful Christmas job of a singing elf. This might not pull anyone else out of the film, but wondering if Kat and Nick really had a duet outside of work drew my attention away from the actual sweet moment of their song together. Laura Marano and Gregg Sulkin’s performances sparkle in their duet, yet my mind was still wandering, thinking about the very fabric of a musical. If the film had more musical numbers that were not secluded to the stage, I might have more easily fallen into the magic that is a musical, but as it is, Christmas Wish feels like a film with a few songs in it, and not a full Christmas musical.

Even though the songs are entertaining, the musical aspects of the film fell short for me. This film could have been even sweeter if it leaned more into its musical heart. The story is cute and sweet, and I enjoyed watching the romance unfold, but a romantic duet instead of a finale song performed on a stage could have pushed this film into a more memorable class of Christmas romance.

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish Conclusion

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish follows the classic Cinderella motif with a few changes, some of which work, while others feel too close to countless other adaptations of the fairy tale. Laura Marano and Isabella Gomez stand out in their musical performances and their scenes depicting the close and warm friendship between their characters.

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish is now available on VOD. It will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD October 29th.