In much the same way that Christmas comes at the same time every year, you can guarantee that there will be dozens of films based around the holiday released concurrently. There’s something about this season in particular that proves to be oddly fruitful for film production, and whether for television or theatrical release, it seems like a rite of passage for everyone to experience these films firsthand, even when they aren’t particularly noteworthy as anything other than mildly charming holiday entertainment. Unlikely Angel is one of the more interesting titles since while it is very much steeped within the general trends of these films, it clearly aspires to be slightly more than it seems to be on the surface, which is a tremendous surprise, albeit not one that is spoken about all that often. Director Michael Switzer was given the task of taking this lovely story and bringing it to life, and while it never aspired to be much more than a run-of-the-mill television film intended to offer some sense of joy during the busiest time of year, some elements make it much more effective than we may have imagined based on a glance of the premise. The story is hopelessly simple a – country singer dies a few days before Christmas, but due to her sometimes rebellious nature, she isn’t granted entry to Heaven, but rather is tasked with returning to Earth, where she has to help reunite a family and instill in them the festive spirit, after which she will have earned her wings. It’s a premise that we have seen many times before in various forms, but it never fails to be endearing, and immediately makes Unlikely Angel a very charming film that may not be particularly original, but has enough merit embedded within it to be far more concise and captivating than we may have initially imagined from such a simple and unfurnished premise.

From the start, it is obvious that Unlikely Angel is not a film defined by too much time and effort being put into its production. The writing is as conventional as can be and follows a very clear series of narrative trends that are reliable but predictable. The direction is also not particularly special, with Switzer being a journeyman director known mostly for his work on television, very rarely doing anything particularly ambitious. Yet, why is it that Unlikely Angel remains mostly well-regarded and has a solid following of viewers who revisit it on occasion? The answer has to do with the fact that audiences love Christmas films that offer some comfort and warmth, and while there are those that are considered timeless classics because of some combination of cinematic innovation and narrative originality, the majority of them are much more simple and tend to follow quite obvious patterns, under the usually accurate belief that audiences tend to enjoy films that offer some degree of joy, rather than trying to reinvent the genre as a whole. Unlikely Angel is the perfect example of this concept in practice – it’s a very funny and charming film that has a strong, positive message that can be applied to just about any context. We don’t seek out these films for thought-provoking content, nor do we expect them to be entirely inventive. All a film like this had to do was follow a specific path, delivering a solid story that may be entirely predictable, to the point where we can almost anticipate every line of dialogue, but which still creates a very distinct atmosphere of genuine comfort in the viewer, who will undoubtedly be thoroughly entertained and moved by all the delightful aspects of this otherwise very simple film.

Something that becomes very clear the more of these rapidly-made Christmas films is that some of them are built around a premise, while others are driven by a single concept that envelopes the entire production and serves as its primary reason for existing. In the case of Unlikely Angel, it seems as if someone had the very simple idea of casting Dolly Parton as a prospective angel that inserts herself into the daily life of a dysfunctional family, and through her good Christian values and upbeat demeanour manages to repair their lives. We know this is the primary motivation behind the film, because that’s exactly what it is, and it never seems to strive to be anything more than just a vehicle for arguably the most charismatic and universally beloved performer of her generation. You would struggle to find someone who is not entirely enamoured with Parton, since her public persona and general abundance of talents have made her a deeply engaging entertainer, an almost folkloric figure who seems to be both larger-than-life and profoundly down-to-earth, qualities she displays throughout this lovely film that serves to be a showcase for her gifts as both an actor and singer. She is such an engaging screen presence, that we don’t even realize how severely miscast she is in the leading role – the character she plays is supposed to be an immoral, hedonistic woman who has a good heart, but whose behaviour precludes her from being an immediate entry into Heaven. Considering Parton’s entire brand is based around her unquestionable congeniality and almost saintlike persona, having her play this role seems bizarre, and the script is even altered to make her biggest flaw the fact that she is “straight-talking”, barely the negative characteristic of the film seems to make itself out to be. Yet, Parton is just as wonderful as ever, and the main reason to watch this film is to see her performance, which is nothing revolutionary, but is still wildly entertaining. She rarely sheds this specific kind of persona in any of her acting endeavours, but she’s so deeply charismatic and endearing that, its impossible to not feel enamoured with her performance, something this film understands and uses as its fundamental quality.

While it is never pleasant (or even encouraged) to criticize a film that exists within a genre that is usually immune to criticism based on the nostalgia usually associated with this style of storytelling, some elements are slightly less-than-ideal when it comes to this film, which is by no means bad or anything less than a wonderfully endearing Christmastime romp, but still could have been more thoroughly produced to prevent it from being nearly anonymous in comparison to the bundle of similarly-themed films we receive every year. Putting aside the wonderful performance by Parton and the heartwarming message, we find that Unlikely Angel is a film that depends slightly too much on the emotional content. From almost the first moment, the film is filled to the brim with intensely sentimental emotions, and it doesn’t quite relent until the very end, often coming across as quite heavy-handed. Understandably, the premise lends itself more to this kind of overwrought emotional content, and the humour was always going to be very much surface-level (since there isn’t much room for deeper, more insightful comedy, even if there is a lot of effort put into making it genuinely very funny at certain points) – and ultimately, it was going to be the constant rush towards the moral at the end of the story that defined this film. The storyline is obvious to the point of being almost banal, and the lack of suspense, while intentional, does prevent us from actually becoming too invested in the story. Arguably, these films are not made to be watched with eagle-eyed precision, and a lot of the details throughout the film are inconsequential and just exist to pad the film. Yet, we still appreciate it for what it is, which is a solid, entertaining holiday film that offers a fresh perspective on common ideas, and proves to be so much more captivating than we would have initially expected, granted we can suspend disbelief.

This specific kind of Christmas film is perhaps the only genre that is designed to be watched while doing something else, whether it’s preparing Christmas lunch or decorating for the holidays, so expectations should be tempered, and those expecting some daring and original comedy will likely not find what they are looking for here. For everyone else, Unlikely Angel delivers the adorable message and endearing humour we would expect, and not much else. The target audience for this film will likely be devotees of its main star, especially those who find the sporadic Christmas films she makes to be endlessly warm and endearing (and it’s a terrific companion to Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, perhaps the crowning achievement of her Christmas-based projects), and defined by their tendency to contain a lovely message that will resonate with nearly every viewer. Not the timeless holiday classic it could have been, but also a film that is about more than just celebrating Christmas, but also the importance of family, Unlikely Angel is a very charming film that does exactly what we would expect, offering a solid and meaningful comedy with as much heart and soul as it has humour, which exists in an abundance. It’s undeniably quite slight and doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before, but still keeps us invested and intrigued, which is more than we needed from such a simple film. Its genuine fondness for the material and generally endearing tone, as well as Parton’s lovely performance, are more than sufficient in making this a perfect holiday distraction, and generally just a lovely film from beginning to end.