While most people fell in love with Tia and Tamera Mowry on their hit 90s sitcom Sister, Sister, I first became a fan after watching their popular reality show, Tia & Tamera. The series ventured inside the Mowry twins’ lives, as they balanced their acting careers, marriage, and obligations as mothers. So, when I learned that Tia Mowry-Hardict would be starring in a made-for-TV movie called The Mistle-Tones, I made sure I was right in front of my television the night it premiered in December 2012.
The movie/musical follows Holly (Tia Mowry-Hardrict), a talented singer who gets rejected from the Snow Bells, a Christmas-themed pop group formed by her late mother. This does not put a damper on Holly’s Christmas spirit however, and forms her own holiday music group, entitled the Mistle-Tones. The members of the Mistle-Tones are her co-workers, AJ (Andy Gala), Larry (Jason Rogel), and Bernie (Megan Kathleen Duffy). Together they turn the mall’s Christmas Eve celebration into a singing competition. They also have to deal with Snow Bells leader Marci (Tori Spelling), Holly’s grinch-like boss Nick (Johnathan Patrick Moore). The film is also a musical, which means there are feel-good Christmas classics mixed in with the humor, drama, and even scandalous romance of the plot!
Tia Mowry-Hardrict’s portrayal of Holly is relatable, believable, and still full of the Mowry magic that she and her sister have been bringing since the 90s. But the performances by her supporting cast members, especially Johnathan Patrick Moore, were right up there with hers, and deserve to be praised. Gala, Rogel, and Duffy did a hilarious job of portraying stressed out employees who love to sing. However, the breakout actor of this film was easily Johnathan Patrick Moore. Moore does a perfect job of portraying the “scrooge/Grinch” boss, who secretly just needs a little love this holiday season! His performance in those scenes especially are so moving/relatable that hopefully males watching this film will take some of Nick’s medicine!
The Mistle-Tones is also a musical, and that fact is not shy to the viewer. However, it does not overwhelm you with songs, meaning that it has a plot–and a creative one at that! The music in The Mistle-Tones is not original, but sung well,and won’t forever scar the ears of the audience listening to it. The singing is also only used when it is necessary to advance the plot, which allowed for the plot to develop even more strongly.
The film is also relatively clean, which makes it perfect for any family holiday movie night. Running at exactly 90 minutes, the film is also the perfect length for holiday family time, friend time, or date night. My only “complaint” about the film is that it is a tad cheesy at parts. Men may find themselves rolling their eyes at the romantic sections of the plot. However, this can easily be overlooked.
Personally, I am not Christmas’s #1 fan. For me, Christmas just means stress, finals, and being away from my boyfriend over break. This film is my pick me up during the holidays. Knowing I get to experience the magic of this film every holiday season always lifts my Christmas spirit. With an outstanding 97 percent like factor from Google users, I know that I am not the only one that was magically affected by this film.
Desiree Scale Rating- Five out of Five Mistletoe