Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special has Christmas music, seasonal cheer and beautiful decorations. Yet, the main reason it left me disappointed is, I’d been mistakenly expecting a party. A get up and dance because the beat is irresistible kind of party. 

It may well be that I simply wasn’t fully paying attention to the trailer. Or, maybe I can blame the presence of Snoop Dogg and Jermaine Dupri (two of hip/hop’s greatest), for my confusion about the special. I’m sure that seeing Dupri and Snoop simply took me back to a time when they ruled the charts with well-produced party music. I digress.

Visually speaking, the production quality of Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is beautiful. I enjoyed the costumes and Christmas-rich surroundings. I even appreciated the one or two moments when Carey’s lesser-known but anecdotally ‘great sense of humour’ surfaced, but for a second.

Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is supposed to be a universally heartwarming story designed to bring us all together in 2020. Only, the story element is the ‘barely there’ kind. Meaning, don’t go expecting anything too sophisticated, because what you’ll get feels more like a bunch of Christmas themed music videos, many of which you’ll enjoy if you’re into Christmas and or Carey.

As for what’s in between the music, you’re unlikely to miss it if it weren’t there. That is except Tiffany Haddish’s spirited narration and Heidi Klum’s perfectly delivered comedy line: ‘Gone out? Out of the house? I don’t understand.’ 

Upon a second viewing of the special, I gladly skipped to my favourite four/five Christmas songs, which of course includes Carey’s super famous classic All I want for Christmas is you.

A few other things I enjoyed include Carey’s super glamorous appearance in the gold sequin dress and the unexpected animation based on themes that speak to how many of us may approach the festive season in 2020. Then there’s the performance that included Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. It would have been great if they performed in more than one song. But, I’ve decided to stop fantasising about what Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special could have been and instead keep on skipping to my favourite moments within it. 

Give directors Roman Coppola and Hamish Hamilton’s special a chance if you’re curious. Also do so if you’re a Carey fan, enjoy Christmassy surroundings/classic Christmas songs you can sing along to. You may just love it even though I didn’t completely.

Happy Film Loving 

G