What you need to know about Hallmark’s Scotty McCreery-inspired Christmas movie

It’s been 10 years since Garner native Scotty McCreery sang his way to the top of “American Idol” and gained fame in North Carolina and beyond.

Since then, he’s released five studio albums, toured the world, topped the charts and even released a book.

Now, McCreery can add another line to his resume.

His 2017 hit song, “Five More Minutes,” serves as the inspiration for a movie of the same name, which is set to premiere on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel this weekend. McCreery served as an executive producer for the film.

Here’s everything you need to know about the song and the new movie, including how to watch.

The song: ‘Five More Minutes’

“Five More Minutes” was the first single released from McCreery’s 2018 album, “Seasons Change.” Here are some quick stats:

▪ The song debuted on May 5, 2017.

▪ The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart — his first song to ever do so.

▪ After being dropped from his original label, Mercury Nashville, in early 2016, McCreery self-released “Five More Minutes” without the backing of a record label. The song became the first independently released song to chart on the Mediabase Top 50 country chart. McCreery later signed with Triple Tigers Records, due in part to the song’s success.

▪ Billboard ranked the song as the third-best country song of 2018.

▪ “Five More Minutes” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in late May 2018. It was certified double platinum in mid-January 2020.

What’s the song about? “Five More Minutes” is a tribute to McCreery’s late grandfather, Bill McCreery, who died in 2015. Throughout the song, McCreery sings about various stages of life, from childhood to teenage dating to playing high school football, wanting just a little more time — five more minutes — in each moment. At the end, he sings of the last days of his grandfather’s life, again wanting five more minutes to spend with him before he died.

McCreery, who is listed as co-writer on the single, debuted the song to fans at the Grand Ole Opry in 2016.

McCreery told The News & Observer in 2018 that he got choked up the first few times he sang “Five More Minutes,” including during the Opry performance.

“I think certain times it will still get to me when I think about life like that,” he told The N&O then. “But nowadays, when I sing it, I kind of look at the spotlights when they’re shining, and to me, it might be a little weird, but I kind of look at it as Granddaddy looking down on me when I’m singing. It kind of gives me a little comfort.”

What’s the ‘Five More Minutes’ movie about?

Similar to the song, the “Five More Minutes” movie centers around the loss of a grandparent: Jerry, the owner of Candy Cane Confectionery, a store in the movie that has been bringing joy and delicacies to the community for over 50 years.

According to Hallmark, after Jerry suddenly passes away, his granddaughter Clara and her mother, Bonnie, are faced with their first Christmas without him. Clara wishes for five more minutes with Jerry, the grandfather who always helped her through tough times. Her wish is answered in unexpected ways when a journal from her grandfather’s past turns up in the store and a young man named Jay answers a help wanted post.

As she faces her feelings about her own first love in the present day with Logan, Clara discovers Jerry’s first great love from the past through his journal. Plus, mom Bonnie may have the chance to love again.

The ‘Five More Minutes’ cast

▪ Nikki DeLoach stars as Clara. DeLoach is perhaps best known for her role as mom Lacey Hamilton on MTV’s “Awkward” and for her time on “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” from 1993 to 1994, alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera. Hallmark Channel viewers might recognize DeLoach from her roles in “The Perfect Catch,” “Christmas Land,” “A Dream of Christmas,” “Truly, Madly, Sweetly” and “Love Takes Flight.”

▪ David Haydn-Jones stars as Logan. Haydn-Jones played a British assassin on seasons 12 through 15 of The CW’s “Supernatural,” and has guest starred on other popular shows, including “Modern Family,” “Criminal Minds” and “NCIS.” Hallmark Channel viewers might recognize Haydn-Jones from his roles in “Bridal Wave, “A Cookie Cutter Christmas” and “A Bramble House Christmas.”

▪ Sherry Miller plays Clara’s mother, Bonnie. Miller had a recurring role in Showtime’s “Queer as Folk” from 2000 to 2005, and she played Bev Taylor, an old, wealthy friend of Johnny and Moira Rose, on “Schitt’s Creek.”

▪ Eric Keenleyside plays Grandpa Jerry. Keenleyside had a recurring role on ABC’s “Once Upon A Time” in 2012.

▪ Other actors in the film include Alexander Jones, Leanne Lapp, Serge Houde and Jason McKinnon.

Does Scotty McCreery appear in ‘Five More Minutes’?

Although McCreery is listed as an executive producer for the film, he is not credited with an on-screen role.

But you can catch McCreery on his “Same Truck” tour next year, which kicks off at The Ritz in Raleigh on Jan. 20.

Tickets are on sale now at scottymccreery.com/tour-dates.

How to watch ‘Five More Minutes’

“Five More Minutes” premieres at 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, on Hallmark’s Movies & Mysteries channel.

The movie will also play on the channel at the following times over the next few weeks:

▪ Sunday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.

▪ Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m.

▪ Sunday, Nov. 28, at 12 a.m.

▪ Friday, Dec. 3, at 2 a.m.

▪ Thursday, Dec. 9, at 12 a.m.

Additional showtimes can be found at hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/schedule.

You can find Movies & Mysteries on channel 78 on Spectrum (Time Warner), channel 565 on DirecTV and AT&T TV, channel 292 on Google Fiber TV and channel 187 on DISH.