2022, David I Strasser (Love is a Piece of Cake) -- Hallmark / Download
THEIRstory: At first, I thought this might follow the story of Romy (Kara Wang, Top Gun: Maverick), the young Chinese woman killing it in her presentation in the Big Company in the Big City, but almost immediately afterwards, that was waylaid as other trope laden Leads leapt to the forefront. We have Veronica (Sara Canning, The Vampire Diaries) the hardworking CFO whose father recently passed, regularly ordering take-out, while also dealing with failed IVF attempts. And her mom Jane (Barbara Niven, Christmas in Evergreen), still not sure how to do Xmas without her husband. And Nate (Antonio Cupo, Peacemaker), the recently divorced dad, failing at entertaining (and feeding) his daughters. And Miguel (Jason Fernandes, Cruel Summer), the high school kid who works delivery for the Golden Dragon, but also seems to have a connection with everyone he delivers to. And Rick (Osric Chau, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), the son of the owners of the Golden Dragon, and Romy's brother, trying to reconnect with the girl he jilted for prom, while also finding something in his life other than working his family's resto. And and and... its an ensemble cast of people in the PST of Wichita, KS, (no, I do not really consider a PST, but this movie does) who find Christmas connections in and around the Golden Dragon.
Given that the movie is an ensemble of characters, it spends much of the time getting to know these people, but with an intent of connecting them to the restaurant. For example, Miguel the delivery boy has been accepted to a bunch of colleges, but hesitates to tell his Dad (Zak Santiago, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), as he knows they cannot afford university. So, he is depending a scholarship from a local firm whose CFO is Veronica. On his way to the interview, he stops at Veronica's mom's place (delivering food Veronica arranged for), fixes a porch light, rips his jacket and is late. He flunks the interview, because he's a kid who works too much, and is not "part of the community". There are a bunch of scenes like this, which diminish the amount of trope-laden Xmas Hallmarkie material, but make for a cut above the rest of the trope-laden standards. For example, I assumed that it was going to be about Romy dumping her Dick BF (Markian Tarasiuk, Christmas Jars) and his Vermont family XMas. But, no (not)Dick BF is actually a Very Good Guy, and the Vermont story is just about how Romy seeks a story book (or maybe, a Hallmark Movie) style Xmas but finds they are more fiction than truth. In the end, she is drawn back to Wichita to experience the Xmas she always experienced.
And that experience is working the resto during the holiday. Romy, Rick, and the Chens have always worked through Xmas, serving the community and the orphans and the non-celebrators their non standard Xmas dinners. But this year Mr and Mrs Chen break the news, that they have sold the resto, and will close on Xmas day, to allow their family & staff to enjoy the holidays for once. And no, not a "save the resto" moment, as its already sold, and parents have already bought their retirement home in Arizona. Its more about Romy coming home with a plan, to re-open the resto for Xmas day and have one last hoo-rah, using the regulars (all the main characters of the movie) as staff, giving them one last Xmas moment in the restaurant.
The Formulae: Surprisingly few. There is a Dead Dad, in that Veronica's father has passed recently. Romy is the PST girl working in the Big City, who does have to return home to her PST, albeit in a roundabout way. There is a workaholic main character in Veronica, a Dad trying to give his kids a perfect Xmas, even with the absence of their mom (divorced, not dead). There is hot chocolate, and decorating, and a Christmas Pageant and even a Christmas Dance, as Rick arranges to dance with Sadie, the girl he left waiting outside her prom.
Unformulae: Pretty much the entire structure. While they pepper the story(s) with the familiar tropes, in their desire to make a movie about a restaurant and the families connected through it, they abandon the Hallmarkie structure. And the most standout non-trope of the entire movie is that (not)Dick BF was not a dick at all. Even when Romy professes she is not getting the fairy tale Xmas she wanted, he works to give her something even more homey, even going so far to take her with his family to a local Vermont Chinese resto AND when she just has to return home, after learning about the closure of the Golden Dragon, he accompanies her to Wichita. He was the polar opposite of Dick BF despite having the look down to a tee.
True Calling? Uh, yeah, it does. Any closer to the mark and it would have been, "Lots of People Who Eat Or Work At the Same Restaurant Mingle Their Family & Romantic Drama".
The Rewind: I am rather annoyed with myself, but I really wanted to relate that there was a comedy moment in the movie, that actually had me guffaw out loud. But I have forgotten what it was, entirely. So, all I am left with is that snowman. That snowman which is supposed to represent the beautiful family built snowman, but is so obviously fabricated, so very very VERY obviously fake.
The Regulars: Surprisingly, Sara Canning has only recently started doing these movies, though she is one of those Canadian Faces I see everywhere. Barbara Niven is a staple, even in all the Evergreen ones! Antonio Cupo has done a couple, and by this time in the listing of the ensemble cast, I am suspecting if they are in a movie shot in Vancouver, as this was, then they have been in at least one other Hallmarkie. So, does that mean if I am going to get my extra role in a Hallmarkie, I need to move to Vancouver? Or Winnipeg?
How does it Hallmark? Not... well ? Well, OK, it abandons most of the standard tropes and structure, but still, from the point of view of an easily digested movie about romance and family and traditional Xmas values, it still fits the Hallmarkie mark rather well. I guess I need to go find some dissection of the Hallmarkie film industry that discusses them beyond the tropes, but also for the quickly done, low-ish budget, rather straight forward manner in which they are all done, whether they follow the bevy of tropes or not.
How does it movie? Still not... well, but despite all this, I rather enjoyed it.
How Does It Snow? Not well. Cotton batting and spray on .... that styrofoam snowman !!
You need to come to Vancouver then, specifically Steveston where these things are filmed non-stop; I swear there's one block that's perpetually under fake snow. Zak is a local guy with some connections to friends of mine.
ReplyDeleteThe funny scene is the only scene I've seen of this (just happened to catch by chance) and it was amazing...the Christmas Carol montage of people slamming doors in faces or making fun of them but culminating with the arguing couple with the garage door had me on the floor... it's probably one of the best comedic set pieces of the year, and not just in Hallmarkies.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reviewers I listened to pointed out the potency of the retired owners of the Chinese restaurant sitting down for one last meal there, and probably for the first time ever not working while doing so. It sounded like a pretty powerful moment.
THAT ! That was the laugh-out-loud scene! The slow closing of the garage door! The overwhelmed mother with child in arm ("Nope!") !! Thanks for pulling it out for me!!
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