A Cozy Christmas Inn Plot Summary
A real estate executive travels to Alaska to acquire an inn for her boss, only to discover it's owned by her ex. Soon, she is falling in love with the town and quite possibly him.
Starring: Jodie Sweetin and David O'Donnell
Image: Hallmark Media
A Cozy Christmas Inn Dashes Fan Expectations
When Hallmark fans fall in love with a movie, they want to see the story continue. A perfect example is the All of My Heart trilogy which follows the budding relationship between Jenny (Lacey Chabert) and Brian (Brennan Elliott). The Wedding Veil trilogy and the Evergreen installments are also beloved sagas that include many of the original characters, even though each movie focuses on a different set of romantic couples.
Christmas Under Wraps is one of Candace Cameron Bure's best romcoms, and it's definitely a fan favorite. Hallmarkies have been wishing on snow globes since 2014 that Hallmark would release a sequel. CCB migrated to Great American Family network, ending all hope for a follow-up.
Whether Hallmark's decision to produce a sequel after Bure's departure was intended as retribution or simply a result of pure greed (Christmas Under Wraps is still one of their most watched movies), we may never know.
What's clear, however, is how sloppily A Cozy Christmas Inn is stitched together. Script writers and production teams continue to create poor quality movies to meet demand, assuming fans will digest whatever scraps they are thrown. Many new movies seem created by a Hallmark squad that is running on autopilot rather than creative inspiration.
The Plot Is Not Believable
In Christmas Under Wraps, Lauren makes the life-changing decision to remain in Garland, Alaska, and continue being the town's doctor. It isn't her original career plan, but she falls in love with Andy and the town, and her change of heart rearranges her priorities. For Hallmark to write Lauren off by saying she chooses a fellowship over Andy and Garland is an unrealistic misstep. It doesn't jive at all with the conclusion of the first movie.
Even worse, Andy admits he's never stopped thinking of Erika all the years since they had broken up. What? We all know Lauren had his heart, and he wasn't thinking of an ex-girlfriend!
Hallmark Ruins the Movie's Iconic Line
Fans love to quote the best line from Christmas Under Wraps--That's Garland for ya!
This treasured line is so grossly overused in A Cozy Christmas Inn that it becomes stale and noxious. If you played the drinking game for every time it's quoted, you would truly be "lit" for the season.
Has one of your children ever said something that made you laugh, only for him or her to repeat it over and over and over until your ears bleed, trying to evoke the same amused response from you? It's just like that.
Hallmark Turns Andy into a Loser
Stoddard's performance in A Cozy Christmas Inn is less engaging than in the first movie, but it could be due to Hallmark assigning him a wimpy character the second time around. Andy's inn is nearly always empty, and basic marketing skills escape him. The guy can't even pull a Christmas sweater over his head without assistance, much less cook for himself. He admits he's broke and acts insecure about the caliber of boyfriend he had been to Erika.
Hallmark literally gives him no alluring attributes that would entice Erika to sacrifice her career to move to Garland. No wonder Lauren left! Still, Erika quits her job and jokes that Andy can hire her for her marketing skills. Hello, Erika! He has no money!
Despite being nearly penniless, Andy manages to quickly build a swanky coffee bar inside the inn in the blink of an eye without anyone noticing, acquire elaborate Christmas decorations to spruce up the place, and hold a "mixer" with lots of food. Where did the money come from for all this? It's okay for romcoms to be a little cheesy, but the details should at least make sense.
You Can't Compare Sweetin to Bure
Fans find themselves automatically assessing Jodie against Candace and finding the first to pale in comparison, but it's like measuring apples against oranges.
Jodie isn't playing the role of Lauren--she's a completely different character who should be judged on her own merits.
With Candace gone, Hallmark could have made the sequel, but focused on a new couple finding each other in Garland, just as they did in the Evergreen series. Andy could appear in the movie and reference being with Lauren without her being seen. Handling it this way would have placated a lot of fans.
My Christmas Tree Rating
After so many years of waiting, Hallmark really botched this much-anticipated sequel. Even worse, they ruined Andy's character by making him less masculine and more directionless.
Under poor leadership these days, that's Hallmark for ya!
I'm giving A Cozy Christmas Inn two out of five Christmas trees, but you can share YOUR rating in the comment section!
I totally agree with your assessment. I don’t recall any other Hallmark movie in which a couple gets together and then later parts ways. Andy was weak. It was awful.
ReplyDeleteI liked it
ReplyDeleteLousy
ReplyDeleteA sequel is impossible without Candace.
ReplyDeleteDisappointing movie
ReplyDelete