Broadway Baby

I really really liked this classic Broadway/old 1930s-ish story. There was lots of entertainment to be had including well-chosen Christmas carols and singing that was off the charts thanks mainly to the two leads. They had a very romantic vibe together throughout. Ginna Claire Mason, who has been in two previous Hallmarks, one of which was also set on Broadway,  was very talented and appealing in this one. Jordan Litz, a legit Broadway and theatre star was also a real standout in this, his first film role. He doesn’t even have a picture yet on his IMDb profile as of this writing.

Violette’s talent has made her a big frog in a little pond in her small Idaho town and, supported by her now cancer-free father and the rest of the town, including chipping in some cash, has decided to try her luck on the Great White Way, fully expecting a smooth road ahead. If you think this sounds like one of those old Busby Berkeley musicals, you would be right. Literally right off the plane, train, or bus, she finds out that the show she was going to be in has lost all of its investors and the plug has been pulled. Luckily, she has a safety net. Her late Aunt Carol was once a big name in the theatre world and her best friend owns a kind of restaurant/talent show mash-up where she supports and promotes the budding careers of young aspiring Broadway hopefuls. Hazel takes Violette in and immediately gives her a spot singing and waitressing. The other staff aren’t pleased with this bit of nepotism as they all had to pay their dues before being given a chance to display their talents. But it isn’t long before her talent and Midwestern Nice win them all over. Particularly impressed is Alex, the most multitalented of them all.  We get to know him and his leech of a cousin and roommate, Brad, who falls for Violette at first sight. He has to be her boyfriend and gets Alex to help him impress her kind of like Cyrano de Bergerac. Meanwhile, Alex and Violette are picked to perform at Fiore’s on Christmas Eve where a big Broadway bigwig will attend and give them their big break. As they rehearse, Alex and Violette, who have everything in common, grow closer, while he is feeding Brad, who has absolutely nothing in common with her, intel to keep her interested.

 The big mystery is why she continues to tolerate Brad with handsome Alex right there bonding with her, singing with her, and tinkling the ivories for her. Also why doesn’t Alex put a stop to all the deceit? Thanks to him, Violette thinks Brad is sweet and thoughtful, and Alex, who ought to know better, thinks Brad is a “good guy” at heart. Which he is not. At all. I hated him, the little worm. He was the major strike against this generally wonderful and entertaining movie. I am not kidding. I think he was supposed to be funny but every time he came on the screen, I just wanted to slap him into next week. Unfortunately, I also wanted to slap Alex for putting up with his mess. Another strike was Violette’s relationship with her super super loving and super supportive father. He kept bugging her on the phone for tickets to her big show and she kept lying to him because of the old “I don’t want to let him and all the townspeople down” thing. They seemed too needy and dependent on each other and it gave me the creepy crawlies. It’s probably a “me thing” but father and daughter matching pajamas? Really? The last strike against this one was when Violette found out the truth about Alex and Brad a minute before they had to go on stage for their big break. Instead of sucking it up and acting like the professional “the show must go on” she aspires to be, she completely collapses in front of the Broadway impresario and the audience filled with influencers (and her father! surprise!).  This also ruins long-suffering Alex’s big chance as well. Theoretically. Luckily, they get another chance and this time they sing Alex’s own original song. It was all right for that kind of thing. The last scene is one of those old cliche (but lovable) scenes with the two in a clinch floating in front of the lights of Broadway with all of the rapturous headlines about their future triumphs whizzing by. It sounds like I didn’t like this since my last paragraph is all about what I didn’t like. But thanks to the New York vibe, the nostalgic plot, and the chemistry between the two leads, the bijous outweighed the blights.