When it comes to Hallmark, some of my least favorite movies are about taking over a family empire. It’s always someone who doesn’t understand the job, doesn’t understand the company, or doesn’t want to be there. It always feels like square peg, round hole. And to be honest, I have just never understood it. Maybe it’s because a part of me is selfish and wouldn’t run home to rescue a family business.
I’d be like lets sell that.
But then again, my family business is farming. So…
A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe isn’t like all the other quintessential Hallmark movies about having to take over a family business. It’s actually quite different and made me realize that if I am ever a Grandma, I want to play pranks. Rachel Boston and Victor Webster team up in the movie about recipes, baking, and thieves.
Annie Cooper (Boston) has big shoes to fill when she takes over as CEO of her late grandmother’s small-town cookie company. She’s doing her best to help their struggling business get back on track, but is under sharp scrutiny by the board of directors. Annie’s task gets more daunting when her grandmother’s secret recipe is stolen during the Christmas party. As Annie tries to crack the case and uncover the culprit she works with Sam (Webster), the owner of a local bakery, to recreate the recipe in the hope of saving the company and her job. As Annie and Sam bake batch after batch in pursuit of the perfect one, they begin to learn that their lives go together like milk and cookies.
The board and the town aren’t fans of Annies. She’s cut a lot of funding for things in the community because she’s trying to save the company. People have been upset, thinking that she is way off base, because she doesn’t know they community. The board thinks that she’s unreasonable and the head of the board, Miriam is looking for anyway to force her out.
As a company shouldn’t do – they leave the top secret recipe out for all to stare at the envelope. Makes no sense to me, but it’s a movie, so I need to remember that. The recipe is stolen and rather than get the cops involved, Annie and her assistant try to find a way to solve the case without alerting the board. Annie is afraid if they know, they will get rid of her.
She doesn’t even know where to begin because the camera had been erased and the only clue was a card of a competitor left on the ground. So of course, they go to scout out the competitor to see if they were the ones that stole the recipe. Annie definitely makes herself look conspicuous and really stands out.
Yet, we don’t care because it leads her to meeting Sam. Sam’s a single Dad with a heart of gold. He loves baking because he does it for his little girl. He’s also barely scratching by. His oven broke and he’s not sure how he’s gonna fix it, but he’s fine with that.
Because he loves what he does.
Allison talks him into trying to help her figure out the recipe, in exchange for a new stove. Sam is willing to help and is going out of his way to do just that. As time continues on the two find themselves really learning from each other and growing from each other.
After Allison gets fired we learn that it was her Grandma’s driver that had stolen it, at her Grandma’s request. Her last prank. She wanted to know that everyone would be able to rise to the occasion and be able to fix things.
Rachel Boston and Victor Webster are so good together in this film, They both are definitely unique actors, because they are two actors that can make us believe that they are any character they play, even when their characters are similar. The two have a great chemistry on the screen and the little innocent glances that they give are just adorable.
But the way that they play in tune to each other is just something that I can appreciate. And I can always appreciate a story that makes me change my mind about a trope.
Now off to get a cookie.
