Catch a Christmas Star

The film begins with pop star Nikki Crandon recording her Christmas album, 'Mistletoe Over Manhattan,' while in New Jersey, high school teacher and widower Chris Marshall struggles to manage his two children, Sophie and Jackson, during a chaotic Thanksgiving. When Nikki appears on television, Chris's brother Jason reveals that Nikki and Chris were high school sweethearts. Sophie, sensing her father's loneliness five years after her mother's death, launches 'Operation Date for Dad.' She and Jackson sneak away to Manhattan to meet Nikki at a record signing, where Sophie tells the star that Chris still 'carries a torch' for her. Touched, Nikki drives the children home and reunites with a stunned, awkward Chris, who can only manage to talk about Ikea furniture and milk and cookies. Despite the awkward start, Nikki and Chris begin dating. Their first date at a local burger joint, 'Bodies,' allows them to reconnect over shared memories and the tragedy of Chris's wife's death in a car accident. However, the romance becomes public when paparazzi capture a photo of them kissing. Nikki's record executive, JC, sees the 'widower' angle as a perfect PR opportunity to boost album sales, while Nikki's arrogant actor ex-boyfriend, Henry Williams, attempts to insert himself back into her life. The conflict peaks during a dinner at a five-star restaurant where JC tries to bribe Chris into playing along with a staged 'fairytale' romance, and Henry shows up to claim Nikki is just using Chris for publicity. Feeling like a pawn in a media circus and wanting to protect his children, Chris breaks up with Nikki, telling her that her 'teenage dream' reality doesn't fit his quiet life. Back home, Sophie calls her father an 'idiot' for running away from love, and Chris's father-in-law reveals that Chris's late wife, Kate, was actually a huge fan of Nikki's music and believed in 'listening to the song' of life. Realizing he is letting fear dictate his future, Chris rushes his family to Nikki's sold-out Christmas Eve concert. He manages to get backstage and eventually walks onto the stage during her performance. In front of the live audience, he apologizes for overthinking and declares that Nikki is his 'song.' The movie concludes with Nikki and Chris agreeing to 'go steady' and sharing a kiss on stage as the crowd cheers.