A Taste Of Christmas (2020 Lifetime)

A Taste Of Christmas (2020 Lifetime)

Cast: Anni Krueger, Gilles Marini, Nia Vardalos

Listen to the Lifetime Uncorked Podcast here!

Please buy me a coffee (or glass of 🍷 ) Support Lifetime Uncorked by leaving a $3 tip.

Synopsis (via Lifetime)

When Natalie learns her cousin Francesca must cancel the Christmas Eve opening of her new Italian restaurant, Natalie’s heart goes out to all of the guests planning to attend.

Thoughts

Olivia is stuck out of town during the holidays and will be missing the opening NYE grand opening of her Italian restaurant. She calls her cousin, Natalie, to tell her the bad news. Olivia won’t be home for the holidays because of the big chill.

Natalie goes to the restaurant with her dog (the star of the movie.) and Christmas decorations and finds a handsome intruder cooking in the kitchen named Stefano. He is the beautiful son of the man Olivia hired and planned on helping Natalie learn how to cook because she almost burns her cousin’s house down while reheating a lasagna.

The big chill storm stands many foreign travelers in town, and Natalie invites them for a Christmas dinner. Stefano is intimidated at the thought of planning a menu for so many people. He feels like he isn’t ready; also, he has no one to help him since Natalie can’t cook. Natalie recruits a teenage boy to help as a sous chef. She needs to hire a plumber because the pipes burst.

Natalie and Stefano spend more time together picking out Christmas trees and sexily make pasta together. The romance is cut short by Ariella.

I feel bad for these actors. Natalie is forced to say lines like,

“Bebe, you just BAKED my day.”

“The secret to a clean kitchen is not cooking.”

I’m spending most of this movie wondering if the script was this bad or are the actors improvising and making strange choices.

A horse ride carriage happens, and then carolers, of course. The carolers are the foreigners suck in town on a music scholarship. They feature some of the worst singing I’ve ever seen in a Lifetime movie.

Olivia surprises Natalie by coming home early and says, “Falling in love can be scary. Well, It’s been a long flight. Gotta get home.”

Oh boy, this is a bad one. The restaurant opens, and the tone-deaf carolers are served food while Stefano and Natalie watch from the kitchen as psychotic tinkering music plays. The food critic loves the food, and everyone applauds Chef Stefano. Natalie and Stefano almost kiss, and he forgets about his dessert and burns them.

Then a slow ending scene around a dinner table caps off this terrible movie. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Side Note

Anni Krueger was delightful and deserved better than this movie.

Nia Vardalos was hardly in this movie.

Minority Report: Mrs. Meyers,

Don’t forget to listen to the Lifetime Uncorked Podcast available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

💳 🍾 Your Support is appreciated. You can help by leaving a small $3 tip today! Thank you. 🍾 💳

Overall rating

🎄 (1 Christmas Tree)

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine required.)