#55 "Family Plan"

Stats: 2005. Starring Tori Spelling, Jordan Bridges, Greg Germann, Abigail Breslin. PG.

Background: Family Plan is one of those movies I couldn’t help but watch every time I came across it on cable. It ran on the Hallmark Channel, and I’m always a sucker for those movies. (If I could purchase a subscription to watch Hallmark Channel movies online, I would totally do it. Why haven't any cable channels done that yet?) One night, I even stayed up until 2 a.m. watching it—even though I’d seen it before!

A few weeks ago, I needed $7 worth of stuff added to my Amazon cart in order to qualify for free shipping. This was $8. Easy sell. (I have this compulsion to always get free shipping when I shop on Amazon, which I wrote about on my other blog.)

Plot: When the company Charlie (Spelling) works for is bought out by family-oriented Walcott Cookies, she fears for her job. You see, Mr. Walcott (Germann) thinks that family and honesty are the two most important aspects in life, and he doesn’t quite trust someone who doesn’t have a family. In their first meeting, Charlie mistakenly gives Walcott the impression she is married, and she doesn’t do anything to correct his assumption. Suddenly, Charlie needs to “create” a family in order to keep her job. She hires Buck (Bridges), a struggling actor, and her friend’s daughter Nicole (Breslin) to act as her stand-in family. In the process, Charlie discovers that a family just might be the thing she wants most.

Reactions: Could this happen in the real world? Probably not, but it’s certainly fun to watch it play out on television. While I’ve never been much of a Tori Spelling fan, I certainly enjoy watching her in this movie. It’s not deep; it’s not thought provoking. What it is is fun, and that’s sometimes all you need!

Verdict: Keep

#54 "Christmas in Wonderland"

So I watched this movie months ago, wrote the review, and then forgot to post it. I am SO THANKFUL I wrote about it then because watching it again now would be torture. No lie.
Stats: 2007. Starring Patrick Swayze, Tim Curry, Chris Kattan. PG.

Background: I remember seeing commercials for Christmas in Wonderland a couple years ago—I’m pretty sure it ran on Hallmark, ABC Family, or Lifetime during the Christmas season—and I remember being completely uninterested. The only reason I have this movie is it was part of a Christmas 4-pack sold in Walmart’s $5 bin, and my mom gave it to me in my stocking because I absolutely love one of the other movies (Borrowed Hearts—see my review here).

Plot: Wayne Saunders (Swayze) moves his family from L.A. to Edmonton, Alberta, because of a new job. His wife (who stayed behind for some reason I can’t recall) is stranded at LAX, and it’s the day before Christmas, so Wayne decides to take his kids to the mall so he can go Christmas shopping. Wayne leaves his two younger kids with teen-age son Danny, who in turn leaves them in line to see Santa while he goes off moping about how horrible Canada is. When Mary and Brian discover a bag full of money, they decide to go on a spending spree—and find themselves being chased by bumbling counterfeiters (including Chris Kattan).

Reactions: Please don’t waste your time on this movie! The kid who played Brian was the only “natural” actor in the bunch—everyone else came across as either completely over the top or bored. Tim Curry as the Mountie in charge of the counterfeit money investigation was slightly humorous … he played the same over-the-top character he seems to always play—but I couldn’t get over his Scottish accent. What was up with that? At one point, the plot when all "Home Alone" … only it was probably more like Home Alone 4. Do you think it’s funny when a villain gets covered in ping pong balls? Didn’t think so. The most laughable part (and not in a good way) was a scene that’s supposedly taking place at the North Pole. Brian opens a door that leads to the North Pole, and instead of real elves, he sees CGI elves … circa 1995. It looked like an old-school video game. They obviously had to pay someone to create the scene … so why couldn’t they just pay two guys to dress up in elf outfits and pretend to put together some toys?

Verdict: Keep—only because throwing it out would mean throwing out Borrowed Hearts.

P.S.: The cover lies. Patrick Swayze, may he rest in peace, will not melt your heart in this film.