Movie: In Merry Measure
Starring: Patti Murin, Brendan Perry, Jennifer Robertson
Network: Hallmark Channel
Rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐⭐⭐3/4
Synopsis: It follows Darcy as she returns home to spend Christmas with her sister and niece and unexpectedly finds herself coaching the high school choir with her onetime rival, Adam.
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain movie spoilers
Review:
Well this one was a surprise. I actually didn't see any write ups or previews so I had no clue what this was about with the exception that Brendan Penny was in it. Well this was a pretty nice surprise. It was a Glee/Pitch Perfect Hallmark movie. I thought this one had some humour, good chemistry, and a million different renditions of "Joy to the World."
Plot
Primary - Darcy (Murin) is a former pop singer who is struggling to make a name for herself again. She comes home to spend Christmas with her sister and niece. While there she gets involved in a high school choir competition with her rival Adam (Penny). A little friendly competition turns into a little flirting and romance for Darcy. Darcy gets her man and a new record deal. What more could she want.
Secondary - Darcy's sister Gretchen (Jennifer Robertson) is recently widowed while her niece struggles with confidence in her abilities to sing. Darcy helps her sister try and cope with her new reality and also helps her niece find her voice.
The good
Darcy/Gretchen relationship - For me the highlight of this movie was the sister relationship. They had such a phenomenal dynamic. They were quirky and to be honest just absolutely hilarious. The way they played off each other and the quick back and forth one liners and banter in addition to the physical comedy was so great. The writing for these two were so good.
Darcy/Adam relationship - I actually liked the pairing of Brendan Penny's nerdy "Mr. Schuester" type character with the overly confident rival Darcy. I thought they had great banter and an ease with each other. I felt it was natural chemistry and liked the little nervousness that Penny had when he tried to move the relationship from friends to dating. I found their date cute, complete with awkward flirting and the end of the date non-kiss. Although I have to say if Darcy knew she was going back to New York and didn't want to get her heart broken, then why did she even agree to go on a date with Adam in the first place? Way to give the guy some hope and then shatter his heart as he leans in for the kiss. And could Adam be any nicer when he tells her that if she gets lonely when she's travelling around the world that he's just a phone call away. Geez.
Singing - There were some great renditions of "Joy to the World" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain" in this movie. OK I admit we didn't need to hear the one song a billion times but it was still good. The stage performance where they popped in and out of trees was a bit much for me but I still enjoyed the music. Boy oh boy can Patti Murin sing.
Rick - So Football coach Rick played by Garfield Wilson was a favourite of mine in this movie. I felt he stood out in every scene that he was in. I would have appreciated seeing more of him. There's more to Rick's story and I need to watch it. After all he did have aspirations to be able to sing like Celine Dion but instead was blessed with the body of a line man and excellent foot work.
Memorable quotes - This movie had a lot of memorable comments and/or one liners.
"Rivalry implies competition."
"Anastasia - terrific ex-girlfriend name."
And the best line of the movie
"I love your...everything."
The not so good
Montage - What was the purpose of the last 2 minutes of the movie and that montage? For me the movie could have ended with the kids winning the competition and Darcy and Adam kissing. The end. But to then have that silly montage at the end recapping the whole movie was weird. I didn't understand the purpose of that to be honest.
Glasses - I'm trying to figure out the purpose behind Adam's glasses. Was it to make him more teacher like or nerdy? For me they didn't work. I like Brendan Penny but those glasses didn't do it for me. I like glasses don't get me wrong...they can be sexy but if that's the "in" style right now then yeah...I'm not that fashion forward.
Can I ask a question?
Did the parents sign a parental form allowing Darcy to take them to a restaurant? Wait...is Darcy employed by the school or is she just someone not employed by the school, teaching kids in the school that she doesn't work for and taking them out for dinner without their parents permission? Things that make you go hmm.....
Final Thoughts
So this movie surprised me. We had a great plot, great performances, good chemistry, great humour and some good singing. This one is definitely worth watching at least once.
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