mark.waltz
Dolly takes on all three of Julie Andrews' nanny roles as a dead country and western singer who must reunite a family to get her angel wings. After St. Peter (Roddy McDowall) sends her crashing back down to earth in Maria Von Trapp Alps courtier, Dolly takes on the role of nanny for widower Brian Kerwin's two unruly children. Kerwin knows from the start that this nanny is totally different, much like Charles Shaugnessy did with Fran Drescher on the TV series "The Nanny". Like Mr. Sheffield and Miss Fine, there are romantic innuendos, which threatens Parton's Ruby Diamond risking losing her wings. It's all overly sentimental, but with Dolly in the lead, it's not boring. She gets to sing, too, which would make the most maudlin TV movie entertaining. There's some fun moments that engage the viewer in laughter, which makes the film most watchable in spite of the fact that the story has been told many time over before.Kerwin and the actors playing the kids do admirable jobs, but it's Dolly's show all the way. She doesn't overkill the niceness. Roddy McDowall is amusing in a dual role. Some of the how to get to heaven theories might upset some people of set beliefs, but like "Heaven Can Wait", "Defending Your Life" and "What Dreams May Come", it's simply a message of hope.
TxMike
This was on network TV last night. Dolly Parton produced it and wrote two songs for it, which she sings. I like Dolly Parton, she is incurably cute with her distinctive grin and that double-wide across her chest. She is really the whole show here and if you don't like Dolly Parton, I don't think you will enjoy this movie that takes place partly in Heaven with St Peter.Dolly Parton is Ruby Diamond, guitar-playing country singer who seems to pick the wrong guys. She finds hers with a woman in his truck outside the honky-tonk one night and, distracted she almost hits a deer in the road as she drives home. Instead she crashes into a tree and the next thing we know she is confronted by St Peter (Roddy McDowall) and walking on clouds. But she hasn't lived the kind of life that would get her wings and into Heaven right away, so she is given a second chance, to go back and accomplish a task within a certain deadline. Can anyone guess whether she meets the goal?? SPOILERS FOLLOW. She is unceremoniously dropped from the sky into someone's yard, dressed as a resident of the Alps. She is there because they need a nanny, which she also happens to have references for, she gets the job. But her task is to unite the family, father, daughter, and son, all unhappy after the death of mom. Thaings are complicated by Ruby's attraction to the dad, after all she still feels young and wants her chance at a good man. But that isn't an option, she is already dead, she finally manages to unite the dad with his assistant, the two children are happy, Ruby meets her deadline by maybe a minute or two. See, I told you she would! (NB - It was fun seeing Allison Mack of recent Smallville fame as the daughter Sarah, here only 13 or 14 during filming.)
k.mckay2
I had never seen dolly in a movie,until seeing 9 to 5 and that was very good,but this movie,I'm not a great lover of this type of film and was apprehensive about,but after a couple of minutes and hearing dolly's fantastic voice I was completely sold. The film is the usual type,but dolly make it come to life. I go to nearly everyone of dolly's shows when she come to england.I would recommend this to any dolly fan,it's the best. The songs and the acting ability show by dolly is very good,she is a born actress of the highest quality. Long may she adorn the silvery screen and keep her fans happy we could be better it we had dolly over in england Peter Mckay
Damien V.
Dolly Parton's performance in this laughable Christmas fairytale is more wooden than the log ride at Dollywood. It's bad enough that Dolly has very limited acting ability, but did she did think it was appropriate to play an angel from heaven whose wings are stuffed under the front of her blouse? Her holiday-festive tops were a bit revealing. They could have fit three wise men and a donkey on that rack. If Dolly had been the ghost of Christmas Present, Tiny Tim would have gotten more than a Christmas goose out of Mr. Scrooge.The angst-ridden teen daughter is more than atrocious in her part. The heartbroken, jaded dad is prone to saying things like, "My schedule is too busy to go get a Christmas tree dammit." Oh, that Dad -- he is such a jerk -- and he can't act.Listen, Hollywood, they already made It's A Wonderful Life 50 years ago -- let it go, let it go.Damien
AD
