Merry & Bright (2019 Hallmark)
Cast: Jodie Sweetin & Andrew Walker
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Cate (Jodie Sweetin), CEO of the Merry & Bright Candy Cane Company, meets Gabe (Andrew Walker) during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when, in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry & Bright’s operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin working together, they find ways to elevate the business and discover they have more in common than just savvy business sense.
Thoughts
We start in Britewell, Ohio, in a candy cane factory. Stephanie Tanner/Cate is the new CEO of the town’s candy cane factory. Her Grandma left her the company, and she reluctantly took on the responsibility. She has recently been through a breakup. Her meddling mother has been arranging dates for her daughter.
Hunky hunk Andrew Walker/Gabe works for Empire Corporation in New York. He is on a two-week work trip to Britewell and doesn’t want to be. He is staying at the Britewell Inn and meets Cate. He recognizes her from her company website, and she thinks he is someone her mother dates. The mix-up doesn’t last long, and they realize that they will be working together to make the factory more profitable. (Cate doesn’t want to buy cheaper ingredients or lay off any employees.)
There is a random B plot with Cate’s mother and a dog? Poor Sharon Lawrence has to act with a dog the whole movie. (She is a four-time Emmy nominee!)
Cate and Gabe start over and promise to give the partnership a shot. He recommends expanding the product line.
Christmas tree lighting happens, and Cate invites Gabe to join her. He declines but shows up and ends up pressing the button. (What?! He isn’t the POC mayor!) Cate notices her mother walking around the ceremony carrying a gym bag; little does she know a dog is hiding in it.
Gabe invites Cate to dinner. They go to the fanciest restaurant in town, which also happens to be where her ex, Josh, proposed to her. She turned him down because she needed to focus on running the factory. Gabe also recently broke off an engagement. After dinner, Cate gives Gabe a small box of peppermint chocolates she made. He tastes one and has a light bulb idea! He knows an investor who would be interested in a chocolate line.
Candy-making montage happens with a flour fight! Afterward, they kick back by the fireplace and talk about how Cate wants a dog. She thanks Gabe for everything. He tells her, “For someone who didn’t want to be here. I’m happy to be here.” Then he mentions that they will be going to New York to pitch the idea in a few days.
In New York, Cate pitches to a no-nonsense investor. She gives him an attitude right back. The pitch makes her reinvest in the company. Later that night, Gabe takes Cate to his mother’s party. (She is also the CEO of Empire Corporation.) They dance to Christmas music while she tells him about her parents’ divorce. It is soooo romantic. He shows her a painting that his dad painted when he was a kid. It reminds them of Britewell, OH. They get caught up in the moment and kiss! (The movie isn’t even over!) Cate immediately lists the reasons why it won’t work, ruining the magic.
The investor wants to take on Merry and Bright Candy Canes and make it Merry and Bright Chocolates. Cate doesn’t want to give up on her Grandma’s vision. Cate decides to make candy canes in different flavors instead. (Sugar Plum, Egg Nog, Key Lime, and Gingerbread flavors.) Gabe brings the agreement for Cate to sign, but she refuses. Gabe doesn’t know her, and he doesn’t know what she wants.
At the Britewell Jubilee, Cate gets a call from the investor. He loves the flavored candy canes, decides to ditch the chocolate, and distributes the new candy canes. Cate’s mother also brings the dog she has been hiding. Cate immediately gives the dog back and dances with Gabe. They have such cute chemistry.
One year later, the flavored candy canes are a hit. They even have pumpkin spice! Gabe proposes to Cate at the end.
Side Note
Spangler Candy in Bryan, OH, is the real-life town most similar to Britewell.
Cate’s assistant looks exactly like her.
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Overall rating: Pour it up
🎄🎄🎄 (3 Christmas Trees)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Crown Media United States, LLC
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