The Coat of Many Colors

  I wasn't sure what to think of Dolly Parton's NBC movie, The Coat of Many Colors. The song is not my favorite one (I love 9 to 5 and Islands in the Stream) I also sat through their recent production of The Wiz and was a lot more interested than I was in some of their other live musicals, so I kept an open mind. I was pleasant delighted by the tale of a strong Southern family who rely on each other  and their values to get through hard times (drought, infant mortality, a bully family).

Courtesy of NBC

    Little Dolly was played by the delightful Alyvia Alyn Lind, who sticks to her principles when people make fun of her coat of little rags. Country singing darling Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland was truly delightful and honest as Dolly's mother Avie Lee, vocalizing with her children and teaching them how to love their neighbor and themselves. Her counterpart is the NYPD's finest, Ricky Schroeder, whose Robert Lee Parton could not find the faith to join his family in church until he thought about the afterlife and the possibility of being alone after his family moved on. It's worth a watch on demand if you haven't seen it yet, and it's based on a true story.