Steppin' Into the Holiday

Unless you rarely watch Christmas movies, my title is what you need to know. The story uses nothing but the usual stuff with the premise of a faded star returns home and helps put on a Christmas show. Of course, he falls in love with the local dance school instructor. Something from his career will threaten that relationship. Same old same old. Sure, Lopez and Kramer have some chemistry, so that part of the story works well enough.

The real hook in this movie is the performances. Some are informal which are spread through the movie. Some are in the rehearsals. Most are dance, but there are a few other kinds. There is some variety in the dance styles. The last sequence is the show itself. That part is really well edited because the sound from some acts are played over the dancing, or juggling, or whatever of the other acts. It's cute how they show some little kids, but the soundtrack has a more polished act going on. Other than the last set, the show itself is presented in these snippets. The show is 7-8 minutes of screen time. The very last set is nicely done.

I love Jana Kramer movies. I always look forward to her singing in them. Apparently ,she's a decent dancer too. So too bad, no singing in this one for her. (I really find that hard to believe.)

The acting is ok. The dialogue is OK. Enzo Rodriguez does several small dance numbers fit for social media, but oversells Junior's arrogance. In general, I noticed that there were a lot scenes which happen quickly and seem almost cut off before moving to the next. It isn't distracting, but for me it seems hurried.

BTW: does anyone watch the final product in the format the viewers see? My pet peeve is text messages on a phone that are impossible for most viewers to read. In this case the text is both small and washed out into the blue background. In addition, there is a point early in the movie, Lifetime's ornament logo covers part of a text message.

IN A NUTSHELL: The story follows former Broadway star, Billy Holiday, who meets Rae, the charismatic owner of a local dance studio, and after Billy volunteers to help Rae with a dance recital fundraiser, their collaboration clicks and romantic sparks start flying.

The rom-com was directed by David Kendall.

THINGS I LIKED: If you're a fan of Mario Lopez, this dimple-filled movie is for you. We get to see him dance and romance. At the beginning of the movie, he's the host of a fictional show called "Celebrity Dance-off." His character's last name is Holiday, which is one of the meanings of the movie's title.

He and his beautiful co-star, Jana Kramer were both executive producers of this project. They competed in the real-life "Dancing with the Stars" TV show, although they were in different seasons. It's fun to see them showcase some of their dancing skills they learned in that show.

Cheri Oteri always makes me laugh. It's clear she has had some plastic surgery, but she looks really great.

Carla Jimenez is a fun addition to the cast as Mario's sister.

If you enjoy the popular "Dancing with the Stars" TV show or dancing in general, you're going to get a kick out of this movie because there are a lot of dancing scenes.

We also get to see a lot of other kinds of talent displayed during the country show the two main characters put together for their town.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Super cliched, cheesy, and predictable.

Not all of the humor lands.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: It's family-friendly for all ages.

A young boy sees consequences when he doesn't study hard enough in school.

!

I love these Christmas movies,- sappy (predictable ir cheesy ( or not) not as long as the acting and script are believable. I have to be honest, I couldn't finish watching this as I thought both were pretty pitiful. I have seen Mario Lopez in other movies and he was okay in them.

Not in this one. Maybe its the fault of the script but I really don't think so. I just thought it was basically a waste of my time.

The script in unnatural as is especially Mario's performance.

I just watched, Dancing Through Christmas. No comparison as far as acting and script. It was a great movie.

I just couldn't finish watching a movie this badly acted (and scripted). And it wasn't just Mario who was not a good actor.

Mario Lopez - is he basically Lifetime's equivalent of Andrew Walker over on Hallmark? - stars as Billy Holiday (not to be confused with Billie Holliday, of course) who is a host of 'Celebrity Dance-Off', a show that seems very similar to 'Dancing With the Stars'. Until he isn't, fired, because the network doesn't like the chemistry with his now-ex girlfriend. So Billy gets the hook, and decides to return home for the holidays, because he won't be needed for the Christmas special.

Enter Ray (Jana Kramer, who is very good) the teacher at his hometown's dance studio, where Billy's nephew dances. She is fundraising via a dance recital to take her class to Broadway on New York City. And she has a backstory in professional dancing.

Kramer and Lopez were well-cast and have good chemistry and their dance scenes are very well choreographed. Says someone who knows absolutely nothing about dancing. I particularly liked the side plot centered on Billy's family, though a lot of his nephew's lines were over-acted. Same for Billy's manager in LA.

Nonetheless, a good story - the dance scenes sets it apart from any other movie in this genre where someone returns to their hometown after a career setback - with a nice ending. Jana Kramer gets better with each movie. Mario Lopez is good, definitely believable. This is a winner for Lifetime, though not quite as good as Kramer's 2021's outing 'The Holiday Fix-Up' .