We now have Hallmark’s second movie about a singer. All Saints Christmas aired on November 6 and In Merry Measure aired on November 11. You would think that, when making their annual schedule, the network would try to put a bit more time between movies with a similar premise.

Darcy (Patti Murin) is an aging pop star. Dropped by her label, she is trying her best to get signed by a new label. She decides to come home to Dayton, OH to spend Christmas with her sister, Gretchen (Jennifer Robertson), and her niece, Megan (Cassidy Reichman). Megan dreams of singing with her high school glee club, The Herald Angels. When she doesn’t make the cut, Darcy steps in to help boost Megan’s confidence and maybe make the Angels a bit better as well.

I was surprised when I found myself actually enjoying In Merry Measure. Instead of focusing on the romance between Darcy and music teacher Adam (Brendan Penny), the movie actually focused a bit more on the kids and their singing. Granted, I was a little disappointed that the only black girl in the choir, Sasha played by Pendo Muema, was relegated to only beat boxing. The other characters of color were all male. It would have been nice to see a few more non-white ladies in the choir. Though, to be honest, we didn’t spend a lot of time with the rest of the choir. The movie only focused on five or six kids. The rest were only panned by while they sang. There could have been more people of color in the choir and I didn’t notice due to the lack of time spent on them.

In addition to focusing on the kids, the movie also prioritized the relationship between Darcy and Gretchen more than Darcy and Adam. There are a couple of references that Gretchen’s husband passed away about six months prior to the movie but we never really see Gretchen crying over it. She is sad when they are hanging stockings and she notes that she hasn’t been crying every day since Darcy arrived but I think the movie may have been a little stronger if there was just one scene of Gretchen breaking down a little. She doesn’t need to be completely unable to live or anything. Just maybe slightly more emotional with Darcy there to really support her.

In Merry Measure is definitely a movie you should watch. Jennifer Robertson is always a joy to watch and Patti Murin is delightful alongside her. You might even walk away humming a few of the songs. Especially Sugar Rush.