In Merry Measure

source: In Merry Measure

This one rates in the middle of the pack so far with the 2022 lineup. My favorite thing about this movie was the chemistry between the sisters I would love to see them in another movie together. It felt like they really were sisters. Their banter and expressions were great. I also liked the friendship between the coach and the music teacher. The romantic chemistry felt a little forced but by the end I was rooting for them. I think the ending left something to be desired The whole movie built up to the big performance but I felt like it fell short. Maybe I have just watched Pitch Perfect too many times!

Darcy is a former pop star whose popularity has faded and now sings in small intimate venues. When she loses her agent, she goes home to Dayton Ohio for Christmas and ends up coaching a high-school singing team with her high-school rival, Adam (Brendan Perry). How does all of this come about? Her widowed sister's daughter tries out for an opening on the championship choral team and totally blows it because of her lack of confidence. In fact, the coach didn't even let her finish the audition! Mean! This pisses Darcy off so much, that she gets all of the rejects together to form a competing team. They start out to be awful (and hilarious), but Darcy's coaching style gives them confidence, and they quickly are just as good as their rivals, if not better. The #1 team recognizes their talent and the kids propose to the two bickering antagonistic coaches that they join forces and form a new group to compete in the county(?) competition. Quite mature and nice of the kids. The two frenemies are now co-coaches. Brendan Penny' character is quite the arrogant, self pitying, whiny jerk at first. He is obviously very jealous and resentful of Darcy's past success. And then he has a dorky nerdy thing going on as well. Not exactly leading man material, but the banter and snarkiness between the two coaches is witty and funny even as Adam himself is detestable. Thankfully, he learns from Darcy's more positive and affirming approach with the kids. When he apologizes for his harsh and insensitive methods things warm up considerably between the two coaches. He admits he always admired her. They become friends, but it's not until he shows up at Darcy's doorstep without his nerdy glasses and a bit of a makeover, that Darcy starts to fall for him. It's a cliché, but I loved it. After a lot of work, and many disappointments, Darcy finally gets a chance at a contract with a big record label. Predictably, she has to choose between meeting the bigwigs and being with the team on their big night. I'm not sure what old Hallmark would have done, but with the new Hallmark, she goes to New York with the blessings of everyone to meet the VIPs without a second thought. She gets the contract, but instead of schmoozing the night away, which the powerbrokers want her to do, she risks offending them and tells them she has to go back to Dayton to be with her team. Good for her, and they respected her for it. Patty Murin was adorable in this. I didn't recognize her but she usually plays the Not-so-Glamourous Best Friend roles. The two leads have great rapport. They bounce off of each other naturally while acting the fast-paced script. Besides the excellent acting, funny dialogue, and good message, this movie featured a really great Christmas song selection and some equally great singing. There was actually an original song, written by our songwriter heroine that was actually really good! I'm glad Hallmark has moved away from trying to pretend Christmas is not a Christian Holiday and embraced a few Christmas Carols that are actually about the birth of Jesus. I don't mind non-secular, but last year, a movie "la-la-la-ed their way through Joy to the World to avoid singing the words. That was a bridge too far. This all ended with a series of flashback scenes from the movie we just watched. I guess they needed some filler, but it was creative and something different. I liked it.

This movie is definitely worth a watch, it just won't be on our rewatch list, for a couple of reasons. First, let me say that this is one of the few Hallmark Christmas movies that puts more than trees and Santa in the script. They have actual Christmas Carols which say the word "Jesus"! You hardly ever see that, and I thought it refreshing that if you're going to celebrate a holiday, you mention the core reason FOR the holiday. So bonus marks there. Unfortunately, the script is a cliche we see at least a couple of times a year. Famous person returns home, gets involved in a local event, and then their return to success requires they leave before the event. We saw it coming roughly from the time the female lead got involved in the glee club contest. The male lead's nerdiness was a bit overplayed, and the female lead's forced smiles wore thin on me. BUT, if there is an award for cheerful face scrunching, the two sisters get blue ribbons. So don't avoid this movie. Just don't set your hopes up for anything in the screenplay which smacks of an original idea.

Favorite scene with Darcy (Patti Murin) - Her Date with Adam and Stopping him from Kissing her because she's going back to New York after the Holidays and wants to Protect herself from getting Hurt. Patti Murin as Darcy was So Dang Adorable!!! And I Loved Brendan Penny as Adam! He was Hot with and without his Glasses! BTW #1, I Loved this Movie! It made me Laugh and Feel Good. And it made me Bawl Like A Baby at The End! BTW #2, I Loved that this Movie was set in Ohio! Although I Grew Up in California, my Roots are in Ohio (Columbus). BTW #3, I Hope to see a Sequel to this Movie (Christmas 2023)! Set in New York and Ohio.

Patti Murin stars as Darcy, former pop sensation who is a bit down and out. Brendan Penny is Adam, her high school rival that now heads the music department of the high school. He has also led the choir to six consecutive wins of the state choir competition. And he's a bit of a hard ass. We know where this is going. Darcy's niece Megan tried out for the choir but doesn't even get to finish her audition. When Darcy gets wind of this, she is rightly outraged for Megan and all the other kids not given respect and consideration during the audition process. She goes on to rally the other "outcast" kids and they form their own choir and challenge the resident champions to a sing off. Also in the mix is Darcy's sister Gretchen, the always wonderful Jennifer Robertson (Schitt's Creek). She lost her husband earlier in the year and is facing her first Christmas without him while still trying to make it special for her daughter. I honestly thought this movie would be cheesy and not worth my time. I stand corrected. It hooked me from the start. This movie is just filled with such talented people and the singing.....I just loved it. So heartwarming and such a great message of going for your dreams and being brave. An unexpectedly beautiful movie and I really hope you all check this one out.

Darcy returns to her hometown to spend Christmas with her sister and niece, after years of struggling as an irrelevant pop star. Her high school choir rival, Adam, is directing the choir for the upcoming Christmas Carol Competition and has cut her niece. Darcy starts her own choir with her niece and the others who were cut before combining the two choirs to create a powerhouse choir to perform at the big competition. Along the way, Darcy realizes that all her travelling and pursuing of her singing career has not made proper room for Christmas family memories and love in her life. Jennifer Robertson (from Schitt's Creek) is so funny and warm and cozy in her role as the sister! MeetCute: Darcy's niece did not even get to finish her audition because the director stopped her. Darcy storms in to talk to the director and discovers its none other than, Adam, Darcy's high school rival. Adam says he worked hard in his career to become the Head of the Music Department after Darcy always beat him for the top Solos and is going to continue his streak of winning the Herald Angels Christmas Carol Competition. Darcy then decides to start her own choir after this interaction. Christmas Carol Competition: Darcy and Adam's Choirs compete for who gets to compete for the High School at the County Christmas Carol Competition. The two groups decide to combine their talent and unite the team, which unites the two coaches: Darcy and Adam! At the Competition, The Herald Angels beautifully sing Christmas Carols: Hark the Herald Angels Sing, I heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and Go Tell it on the Mountain The Herald Angels win the Competition! Almost Kiss: Adam walks Darcy home from their date and the snow begins to fall. The setting is beautiful against the backdrop of the Christmas-decorated house and beautiful snow falling. He leans in to kiss her, but she says she does not want to get too attached as she is going back to New York after the holidays. Ending Kiss: Darcy gets a big break with a record label! The catch is, she has to flip to New York to meet the record label executive to sing for him on Christmas Eve, which is exactly the timing of the Herald Angels' Christmas Carol Competition. At the choir's Christmas dinner, Darcy tells everyone she can't make it to the competition. When she arrives at the Record Label's office in New York, Darcy finds that Adam has hidden a shirt in her luggage that reads, "Coach Darcy." At the competition, Adam tells the Herald Angels to "have fun!" which is completely opposite of his cut-throat, competitive nature in the beginning of the movie. Darcy surprises everyone at the Christmas Carol Competition, telling her sister that she is going to make Dayton her new home and not put her travelling career above her family anymore. The record label signed her and supported her decision. "I am never going to miss a Christmas with you and Megan again." -Darcy to her sister Darcy surprises Adam too and their choir wins the competition! On Christmas morning, Darcy, her sister and her mom open presents in matching pajamas before taking a family picture. The ending is a montage of all their Christmas memories.

...all ruined by a single actor. (Proof below) This movie had a lot going for it. Especially the young singers in the school choir. Some beautiful, natural voices -- all without any auto-tuning going on to make their voices sound better than they are. But all of that was ruined by the irritating, manic performance of Patty Murin. One of the reviewers stated "Patty Murin was adorable in this." Hmm. I'm curious if we watched the same movie. Ms. Murin mugs mercilessly in almost EVERY single scene she's in, save for maybe three or four where she actually reels it in. Makes one wonder how many dozen triple lattes she has before each scene. Her fake smile was SOO forced, like the late, great Doris Day's genuine smile on steroids. It destroys any chemistry she may have had with poor Brendan Penny, among others. Don't believe me? Just watch THE LAST MINUTE OF THE FILM, where she and her character's mother and daughter are taking selfies. Murin doesn't just smile. She contorts her face, stretches that forced GRIN, and hams it up for attention. And again, ruins the entire film in the process. Unfortunately...

Brendan Penny is an extraordinary actor. I looked forward to his new Hallmark film. Evidently the casting director just matches any male with any female and counts on the story line to compel a "romantic match." In this case, Patti Murin is a mess and a miss! She plays an aging pop star/song writer who had one hit song years ago. She has relocated from New York City to Dayton (Ohio) and is staying with her sister while she recharges her depleted creative batteries. Her character is arrogant and insensitive and jumps to conclusions, making her an obnoxious character. As an actress, Patti Murin has a huge mouth, in an uninteresting face, with gloppy hair and scrunched eyes (as if her contacts are really bothering her). Her scenes seem forced and fake. She should be playing a neighbor who sells Tupperware. That is the caliber of her "charm." Brendan Penny plays a long-suffering local music teacher, who is forced to work with this local "celebrity" interloper while she tries to organize and promote those music students who auditioned but did not make the cut for the high school's chorus singers (led by Penny), as they prepare for a competition. Murin's character "smart mouths" Penny at every turn. (He should have tossed her butt out, "old celebrity" or not. She is pushy, obnoxious, has no actual knowledge of music theory, or any sense of discipline, and appears to be worthless. Her only "contribution" is that of carping and nagging. Lastly, the "modern" twist on traditional Christmas music may be "edgy" to some, but I found the "modern" renditions to be to be loud, forgettable, and no improvement on traditional Christmas music. As if Iambic pentameter has no value in the new modern age of jazzy hip-hop, or whatever the "new noise" was supposed to be. As if changing the syllabic verse, or beat, could improve the old standards. The song arrangements are cheap and cheesy; merely "changed" for the sake of "change" with no significant improvement. I was VERY disappointed with "In Merry Measure!" It is the ONLY Brendan Penny film I will NOT rewatch. It's too painful. Patti Murin is simply too old and frumpy to play this kind of role. She is like an older aunt who is carrying too much weight and breathes through her mouth OR she is trying to draw attention to her new dentures. When Penny had to kiss Murin at the close, it was just embarrassing. He gave her a quick smack, since it was in the script. Murin never closes her mouth so he must have had to kiss her teeth. He deserves a cute young leading lady who is not so vulgar. Incidentally, Penny's retro glasses are exactly what a music teacher would wear. They are VERY au courant and not "old" at all. The glasses are truly "edgy," while the "progressive" (awkward) dancing is not.)

This movie was not made for people like me, but I enjoyed it anyway. There is a LOT of singing, especially Christmas themed singing (and singing practice and singing prep). I love the holidays, but a little Christmas caroling goes a long way for me. But that says more about me than the movie. In fact, there's a line about "Sandy and Danny" that the teenager didn't get but the adults did. Except me. I had to Google those names. But again, that just says more about what I like as opposed to the quality of the movie, which was quite good. Darcy is delightfully played by Broadway star Patti Murin who, though quite talented, doesn't sing my kind of music (I'm a Springsteen fan and just spent a small fortune on Taylor Swift tickets for my daughter and me). But there's some really good messaging in connection with Darcy encouraging a group of high schoolers to become better singers and, more importantly, to become more confident. Brendan Penny plays against type as Adam, a music teacher with nerdy glasses and, at least initially, an unattractive personality and immature envy that he didn't even try to hide. Most fans of Hallmark movies and romance novels like the "enemies to lovers" trope, which is why we see it over and over again. But the best ones, for me, are when you can understand both sides. Here, there really was no justification for Adam's attitude. He inevitably acts better and, as Darcy puts it, she sees him as "dorky in a weirdly attractive way". But if Adam needs to wear glasses, why does he show up one night without them? Cassidy Reichman as Darcy's niece Megan was excellent as was Jennifer Robertson as Gretchen. There were lots of fun lines by writer Russell Hainline: Darcy: "Don't do anything I would do" Adam: "So we both don't 'not like' each other. Does that mean we like each other? Darcy: "Ooh! Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Gretchen: "So, if you live in New York, shouldn't you have made, like, a teeny tiny gingerbread apartment with little gingerbread cockroaches?" Lawyer Mom's reaction to Megan's burgeoning social life is fun, as is the $5 bet I don't think I've ever heard anyone (who isn't a lawyer) react to a date proposal with "I would be amenable to that." But it worked. I love the scene with the two sisters as one gets ready for her date. Very sweet. But I wasn't thrilled with the very Hallmarky Career versus Small Town Love choice that Darcy had to make or how that was resolved.