Sabrina Carpenter has had a fantastic year, bursting into mainstream pop culture with her Coachella 2024 hit “Espresso.” Before then, she had already released five studio albums and every Gen Z adult with a television knew her from the 2013 Disney show Girl Meets World—The point being, she’s always had star quality; it was only a matter of time before she had her breakthrough. This Christmas season, Carpenter pairs up with Netflix to release a holiday special full of renditions of winter classics and singles from her 2023 EP Fruitcake. A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter is nowhere near a Christmas classic but is enjoyable enough to glance at while watching TikTok on your phone.
Carpenter jokes in her opening monologue that “You’re here, half-watching a big screen, while scrolling social media on a smaller screen,” which isn’t so far from the truth. Netflix will probably never reach the Christmas notability that Hallmark has, but they do pump out films this time of the year as well in a quantity over quality fashion. That is to say, as humorous as Carpenter’s jokes are, there’s more than an ounce of truth in them. The special is also directed by Sam Wrench (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour), who’s well known for directing concert films, so this is a diversion from his usual music ventures. His direction is fine, certainly not on the caliber of the Swift film.
The problem with the special is that it has less charisma than an SNL skit. The performances are serviceable to fans, featuring big names such as Chappell Roan and Tyla, but they certainly don’t reach the virality Netflix intended. The sets are decorously put together, made to look like a sitcom, but their artificiality has the opposite intended effect. It’s more likely one will be watching A Nonsense Christmas alone in their room rather than with a room full of family.
It seems the show would have benefited from further embracing the 1950s visual vibe that elsewhere is so successful for Carpenter. Executive producers Michael D. Ratner and Simone Spira drew from the style of classic variety shows such as “The Dean Martin Christmas Show” and “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” However, it’s clear that Netflix wasn’t the best outlet to deliver this vision as it’s impossible to fool the audience who know very well that they’re watching something from 2024 on a streaming service.
Carpenter’s performance of “Cindy Lou Who” is definitely a standout, but apart from this, it really is a special that plays more to what it thinks the fanbase desires rather than forging a new type of holiday classic. Though her natural wit and musical ability sometimes shine through, the special cannot quite capture that magical quality held by timeless holiday treats.
2/5 Stars