‘A Nonsense Christmas’ REVIEW: Sabrina Carpenter and a Wild Sleigh Ride to the Holidays
‘A Nonsense Christmas’ REVIEW: Sabrina Carpenter and a Wild Sleigh Ride to the Holidays
Sabrina Carpenter promoting Netflix’s A Nonsense Christmas | Still taken from the YouTube trailer
In Sabrina Carpenter’s words, A Nonsense Christmas is a ‘musical comedy holiday special’ — a form apparently ‘a lot of people’ commit to. But what makes Sabrina’s special so… special? It’s that, in totality, it was so undeniably her.
During the opening, Sabrina looks like a cake-topper with an outfit ala Jessica Rabbit singing ‘buy me presents’, a hit from her Christmas EP last year called fruitcake. The song starts with the lines “If you were a wise man / Baby, you would drop every other ho, ho, ho / And put me on top,” giving us a glimpse into the fun sleigh ride we are about to go on. Here, we make an agreement with Sabrina; we expect a playful, sensual Christmas treat.
Like her Short ‘n Sweet tour, the budget budgeted as the costumes and sets continuously changed, coloring the world of the special. The costumes were flirtatious and whimsy while staying on theme, while the sets provided a cozy backdrop to both the performances and the sketches. The production also went big with the musical duets with guests Chappell Roan, Tyla, Kali Uchis, and Shania Twain. Even the songs dueted with these guests reflect the cheeky energy Sabrina effortlessly brings.
When Netflix announced this special though, while the fans were excited, many casual listeners doubted why Sabrina would release a Christmas special. It seemed a bit random. Sure, she had the fruitcake EP, and she likes Christmas, but so what?
However, watching this special will make you realize that it was a logical and on-brand decision. Her image of the flirtatious, playful, sensual, and cheeky popstar goes well with the holidays. For the special particularly, she has the writing to thank for it. The writing of her solo speaking segments and the group comedic sketches hark back to the way she writes her songs aka the sweet innuendos and spicy double entendres.
She would also reference specifics of songs such as having Santa as a romantic partner, and her many silly Nonsense outros which are modern classics at this point. Throughout the production, I realize that a huge Christmas genre, especially in the music space, is flirty songs enabled by the holidays. Think ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’, ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’, the many renditions of ‘Santa Baby’, and the iconic ‘All I Want for Christmas’. It fits the Sabrina Carpenter image to a T.
As a fan from the emails i can’t send era, it is almost cathartic to finally see her rise to the top, especially when she successfully used her infamy from the Olivia Rodrigo-Joshua Bassett controversy as a path to success. Her single, ‘because i liked a boy,’ put her on the map as it related to the love triangle which was followed by Nonsense — her original cheeky song — blowing up on Tiktok, becoming a sleeper hit.
Obviously, she took notes which made her fruitcake release (a naughty and sad Christmas EP) such a sweet but welcome surprise. This pivot to clearer branding is even more unmistakable with her album Short ‘n Sweet. Many songs from her newest record are already naughty in themselves, but it's tour plays into it even more, especially with performances of ‘Bed Chem’ and ‘Juno’.
This is not to say that she has not received any backlash from this fun, sexy rebranding. On the Short ‘n Sweet tour, during ‘Juno’, she simulates a sex position each time as she says, “Have you ever tried this one?”. Other women have complained about this, claiming that they are ‘afraid’ of Sabrina Carpenter for doing this onstage, some saying that she was a past Disney star, others also saying that she ‘sexualizes herself for men’.
But if we think about it, Sabrina is a 25-year-old woman, a popstar and performer at that; is she supposed to continue to cater to young girls who watch Disney? Are parents not responsible for the media that their children consume? Was this not the case that happened with Miley Cyrus as well? And was Ross Lynch not also a Disney star but now taking off his shirt during his performances? It is also important to reflect on Sabrina Carpenter’s audience; is she really doing it for men? Or is she performing for the girls, gays, and they’s? Surely, Sabrina’s not the first woman to sing about sex.
Despite the controversies as well as her (bad) luck with love triangles, Sabrina Carpenter shows up in A Nonsense Christmas not only as a good vocalist or a popstar, but also as a comedic host. She proves that she can be funny and cheeky outside of her songs. Her comedic timing and her acting were brilliant. It seems like she has finally come to be comfortable in her skin, unapologetic about the way she shows up on stage as an artist.
Overall, the special is a present that can put you in the holiday spirit while also making you giggle. It is a tight fifty-minute sleigh ride that packs a punch. Indeed, ‘tis the season to be jolly, naughty, nice, and ho-ho-ho-ey.
Personally, I am happy to watch a young female artist who has been crucified for expressing intimacy and sexuality rise to popstardom, cementing herself as a Christmas queen at that, possibly challenging Mariah Carrey (although that might be a bit too blasphemous to admit).
‘A Nonsense Christmas’ is streaming on Netflix.
