Harlie’s Very Merry Movie List — All I want for Christmas is a fairy godmother.

No funny business this time around, folks. Here are the rules:

1. I can only watch Christmas movies.
2. I can only watch Christmas movies that have come out on the same day of viewing.
3. Only in the case when no films have been released on the day of viewing may I watch a Christmas movie filmed in years past. However, it must be a Christmas movie which I have previously not seen.
4. On Christmas Eve, I will watch Die Hard.

And away we go!

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(WARNING: I WILL DO ALL THAT I CAN TO AVOID SPOILERS THIS TIME BECAUSE YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD WATCH THIS MOVIE.)

Title of Film: Godmothered

Rating: PG

Release Date: December 4, 2020

Where to Watch: Disney+

Synopsis: A fairy godmother takes one last shot at happily ever after for a family who lost the spirit of Christmas.

I will try to keep this review as brief as I can so you can stop reading and start watching Disney’s newest addition to their holiday lineup, Godmothered. Though this movie was the longest watch of the Merry Movie List yet (110 minutes), it truly didn’t feel like a two(ish) hour film. In fact, I had good, honest fun all throughout and I think anyone else who watches this will too.

Godmothered flips the happily ever after trope on its head, giving the audience a fresh perspective on a tale as old as time. Yet, it doesn’t try to subvert everything about the fairy tale genre, instead choosing to pay homage to the stories we love, rather than make fun of the magic within them. This is a movie that knows what it wants to do and it achieves it in every way and more. I don’t know why I am getting emotional writing this, but I truly didn’t think I was going to find a movie I loved during this review journey. I suppose I was able to find a piece of happily ever after for myself today.

If you do have the opportunity to watch this film, here are some highlights you can look forward to.

1. The costume design. I promised to keep this short, but I could probably write an entire thesis about how pivotal the costume designs are in this movie. Every single number is detailed, purposeful, and downright stunning. The love sewed into each piece is palpable and I hope the costume department understands how important they are to this movie.
2. The characters. In a film filled with magic, it’s incredible how real the writers and actors made these characters feel. Sure, there are some outlandish moments, but this is a family movie and fun can and should be had. When the narrative calls for earnest emotion, however, everyone nails it and our hearts swing along with them.
3. The story. I think what makes Godmothered work so well is that it doesn’t try to be edgy and new. It engrains itself in the tradition of its fairy tale predecessors to show us all where magic can be found. Magic is in the stories we share. It’s in love, in life, and it’s in you and me. Even though we live in dark times, this is a movie where you can let yourself get lost for a little while and remember the things that matter most.

I’m honestly on such a high right now after finding a movie that definitely kicks the can out of Christmas Catch and Just Another Christmas that I won’t even touch the lows. Sure, they exist, but I am letting a good thing be good for me as long as I can.

Thus, I am here to present the Holly Berries offered by Christmas Movie Tolerator Dayne Ford, myself, Christmas Movie Expert Kris Ford, and a very special guest who goes by the name Lady Bean Bean. P.S. I have made the executive decision to replace “Twist” with “Ending” as not every movie twists, but every movie does finish eventually.

Dayne’s Holly Berries

1. Plot: 4/5
2. Ending: 4.5/5
3. Set Design: 5/5
4. Characters/Acting: 4.5/5
5. Christmas: 3/5

In personal record-breaking fashion, Dayne offers Godmothered 21 out of 25 Holly Berries and says, “It is a really good movie and I highly recommend others watch this. It doesn’t quite capture Christmas, but it is still a great story.”

Harlie’s Holly Berries

1. Plot: 4/5
2. Ending: 4.5/5
3. Set Design: 5/5
4. Characters/Acting: 4.5/5
5. Christmas: 3.5/5

Beating out Just Another Christmas with a resounding 21.5 out of 25 Holly Berries, I am proud to say that Godmothered takes the lead on my Very Merry Movie List, which really wasn’t so merry before this watch. I’m not a betting woman, but I have a pretty good feeling that Godmothered will continue to reign for many days to come.

Christmas Movie Expert Kris Ford’s Holly Berries

1. Plot: 4/5
2. Ending: 5/5
3. Set Design: 5/5
4. Characters/Acting: 5/5
5. Christmas: 3/5

With a definitive 22 out of 25 Holly Berries, our in-house Christmas Movie Expert congratulated me on such a great find and confessed she let loose a few tears while watching. Godmothered gets her approval and if you are an avid Christmas movie viewer, these are the berries you can trust.

Before I wrap this present of a movie up, I must include the most important critique of all. Coming straight from Lady Bean Bean herself, my treasured companion decided to rest her little head on my keyboard during our viewing to say this:

“++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++”

I couldn’t have said it better, Bean. Thank you Godmothered. Every plus sign is so well-deserved. If you’d like to hear more from Bean about her views on this movie, you can reach out here. I’ll be sure to get the message to her.