A Christmas Serenade (2023) – Movie Review/Summary

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Film Summary

Willow, Bishop Terry’s daughter, is the worship leader and sings lead in the choir, but increasingly that isn’t enough. She isn’t necessarily trying to transition to secular music, go on the road, or try to be the next Yolanda Adams. However, she would like a change and to be able to experiment and explore her craft in ways her father doesn’t let her.

Her ex, Jeremiah, feels the same. He is working with an R&B star whose sound is losing his luster, to the point of the label losing faith. However, since he still has screaming fans, he doesn’t care if Jeremiah doesn’t feel stimulated.

So when Jeremiah’s boss finds themselves doing a multi-day stint in Adventura, what begins as Jeremiah checking out how his parents are doing leads to him reconnecting with Willow, who isn’t happy about how their relationship ended almost three years ago. But, with her needing help to get the Christmas Jubilee in better shape, she begrudgingly helps him and finds herself reminded why she loved him at one time.

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member.

Willow

Willow is the worship leader who focuses on the choir and aspires to sing places beyond her father’s church, like her departed mother. Something that he makes difficult to do.

• The actor is also known for their role in “A Back Lady Sketch Show: Season 4,” “Christmas Party Crashers,” and “Pretty Stoned.”

Bishop Terry

Bishop Terry, the head of Trinity Church, with becoming a widow, has leaned more on his superstitions and fears, as he believes if Willow follows her mother’s path, it could mean her undoing.

Jeremiah

A producer with a notable ear, Jeremiah hasn’t been home in over three years due to his commitment to being on the road, building a reputation, and working on his sound and that of the artist he works with. But, as he gets frustrated with his employer and gets lonely, a trip back to Adventura seems like just what he needed.

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Devil You Know.”

Stan

Stan is Jeremiah’s dad, who has taken offense that his son doesn’t visit or communicate much since he left town. Especially since they were rather close before.

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Kings of Napa: Season 1/ Episode 5.”

Dolores

Unlike her husband, Dolores never abandoned Bishop Terry’s church, and she remains an active member and gives Jeremiah grace as he learns to balance family with work.

Review

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

Highlights

It Truly Feels PG And Made To Appeal To The Faithful

As anyone who has watched Tyler Perry’s rise through Madea can attest, sometimes movies and shows like to mix in religious characters, entice that audience, and then throw in many jokes and characters from a different walk of life. “A Christmas Serenade” doesn’t do that.

Is the R&B singer Jeremiah works for secular and has songs that imply he wants to make love to a woman? Yes. But it isn’t something that will make grandma clutch her pearls.

Heck, even in terms of what goes on with Jeremiah and Willow, there isn’t anything done or said between them of note. Do they begin to rekindle that old flame? Yes. But there is no pre-marital sex or anything of note that happens. This is truly a wholesome Christian, Christmas movie.

Parents Who Love Their Adult Children

While Dolores doesn’t hide her love for her baby, Stan and Bishop Terry you can see are challenged with having adult children. For Bishop Terry, while he still works closely with his daughter, you can see their relationship hasn’t fully evolved with age. Then with Stan, he is the type who thinks, while Jeremiah is busy, that doesn’t mean he can’t call or visit.

So, on one hand, we have Bishop Terry who, with holding Willow to a promise she made at 9 to work for him, is dealing with a stifling relationship, and in terms of Stan and Jeremiah, we got one where both sides have been too stubborn to reach out, and both can see the rift only growing deeper. Which, unfortunately, Dolores can’t be the bridge to.

Watching this helps give you some light drama, outside of Willow being upset with Jeremiah about how things ended before, that keeps you engaged in the story.

On The Fence

The Drama Between Bishop Terry and Stan

Unrelated to the issues their children have, Bishop Terry and Stan have beef. Why? Because of Bishop Terry’s garden gnomes. This spat between the two is so silly, and add in Stan not being religious, and it just makes your eyes roll.

Now, mind you, it does lead to a reveal of why the gnomes are important to Bishop Terry, which is sweet, but the nonsense that comes before the reveal isn’t even worth soliciting a chuckle.

Who Is This For?

Those who want holiday movies that don’t have innuendo, drama dealing with who is with who, when, and what are they doing when they think no one is looking, but something that is wholesome and enjoyable.

General Information

Director(s)	Roger M. Bobb
Screenplay By	Lenore Adediran
Based On Work By	N/A
Date Released	Lenore Adediran
How To Watch	OWN
Genre(s)	Comedy Romance Holiday Religious
Film Length	1 Hour 40 Minutes
Content Rating	Rated TV-PG
Noted Characters and Cast
Willow	Skye Townsend
Bishop Terry	Roy Lewis
Jeremiah	B.J. Britt
Stan	Glen Michael Grant
Dolores	Darlene Cooke

Content Rating Explanation

• Dialog: Nothing notable
• Violence: Nothing notable
• Sexual Content: Nothing notable
• Miscellaneous: Nothing notable

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

1. The Sound of Christmas (2022): Slightly more risque but still very much rooted in faith

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

Discussion Items

Let us know your thoughts in the comments:

1. Do you prefer your holiday movies focusing on faith and family, or do you prefer them a bit more diverse in their appeal?

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