[Review]—"It's Christmas Again" is a Charming Holiday Musical

The holiday musical movie It's Christmas Again will open in theaters for just one night on November 29th. Tickets can be purchased at itschristmasagainmovie.com. 

Sandra Martin produced, wrote, and directed the film, which features songs written by Quinten Coblentz and Wes Writer and music composed by Tyler Michael Smith. The cast includes Lawson Touliatos, Leela Owen, Trisha Owen, Darby Cappillino, Reina Özbay, and Jason Burkey.

The film centers on Jake Young (Lawson Touliatos), a teenager who wants only one thing for Christmas—to spend time with his girlfriend, Abbey Walker (Leela Owen). Therefore, when Abbey volunteers to help with her church's Christmas performance, Jake is prepared to forego Christmas this year—that is, until a surprising change of circumstances leaves him in a field outside of Bethlehem on the night that Jesus was born. Jake learns the true meaning of Christmas while traveling with the shepherds in search of the anticipated Messiah. It's Christmas Again is a modern-day musical the whole family will love!

Most Christmas-themed movies bypass the cinemas and instead air on Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel, and in my view, these films are usually poorly written and have cringeworthy acting. It's Christmas Again avoids many of the flaws that I loathe about most contemporary "holiday" movies, which relieved me of some of my concerns that it would. 

The plot closely references the classic It's a Wonderful Life, but there's a catch: it's a musical. Jake, the main character, suffers a head injury while skating and wakes up in Bethlehem on the eve of Jesus' birth. He encounters shepherds and enjoys a few musical pieces before waking up in the present, but with a few differences: no one celebrates Christmas anymore. More musical pieces are performed, and Jake learns a few meaningful life lessons.

It's Christmas Again is an endearing, delightful Christmas movie for the whole family. Although there are undoubtedly some predictable and formulaic parts in the screenplay, none of them detract from the enjoyment of the film. ╌★★★★✩

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Disclosure: Many thanks to Mapelle Films for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.