A Holiday Spectacular Movie Review

In A Holiday Spectacular, a Grandmother reminisces with her granddaughter about how she followed her dream and became a Radio City Rockette. With lots of high kicks and old-fashioned charm, this Hallmark Christmas movie is something different.

A Holiday Spectacular Synopsis

Grandma Margaret (Ann-Margaret) comforts her Granddaughter as she stresses about a dance audition that she thinks isn't going her way. She thinks that she got the audition just because of her Grandmother and not because of her own talent. So the Grandmother sits her down and tells her the story of how she followed her dream to become a Rockette.

The movie is a flashback to Margaret's younger self and how she auditioned for the Rockettes in Philadelphia. When she made the cut, she secretly moved to New York to spend one holiday season as a Rockette. Young Maggie (Ginna Claire Mason) comes from a wealthy family in Philadelphia and she is engaged to young Maxwell, who also comes from a prominent family. It is an engagement of convenience and not one of love.

Maggie uses her wedding plans as an excuse to head to New York to stay with a friend and have a wedding dress designed for her. In reality, she is living in a boarding room for the dancers. It is a far cry from the life and style that she is used to, but she loves it.

While in New York, Maggie meets John (Derek Klena). Like Maggie, he is faced with the challenge of doing what his parents want him to do verses following his passion. He wants to attend NYU and become a photojournalist. Maggie helps push him to take the leap and apply. John is the one who helps Maggie understand that true love does exist and that she deserves to follow her dream and build the life that she wants.

A Holiday Spectacular Review

The Verdict: A Dance Lover's Dream. A Holiday Spectacular is for all those people who love the Rockettes and dance. Whether you've been to one of their shows, or dreamed of going to one, this movie gives you an inside look at the show. It's like a sneak peek into the life of a dancer. And, we get the added bonus of watching them perform. We are treated to a behind the scenes look at what goes into becoming a Rockette, and the secrets to how the dances work.

A Holiday Spectacular is also for people who love vintage and nostalgia films. The movie takes us back to 1958, and we get to soak in the beauty and style of New York City during that time period. The costumes and styling for the movie is gorgeous, especially when they show-off Maggie's wealth and the fancy outfits she wears.

It's wonderful to see Ann-Margaret in the movie, but I'll warn you that she is not in it much. So watch it for the rest of the cast, the dancing, and the charm of it all. I really liked Ginna and Derek in the roles of Maggie and John. They worked well together and really made the perfect pair. They fit so beautifully in that time period, and it was sweet watching their friendship grow into a romance.

The nice thing about A Holiday Spectacular is that it follows Maggie through the holiday season, so it's over a full month of spending time with John. It's a more realistic timeline for getting to know someone and falling in love, unlike a typical Christmas movie where the people fall in love in a matter of days. This movie is much more realistic.

A Holiday Spectacular Recap

A Holiday Spectacular is a sweet and charming Christmas movie. It was nice to watch something different and as a dance enthusiast I loved seeing the Rockettes in action. I mean where else can we get a front row seat to one of the best holiday shows in the country. It's a real treat to see their high kicks in action, and even nicer to watch Maggie blaze ahead to pursue her dreams.

ps- I watched this on PeacockTV, which is my favorite way to watch Hallmark movies these days. No commercials!

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