#Cherion Drakes

[clemsfilmdiary]

Fall Into Winter (2023, T.W. Peacocke)

1/7/24

[tvmoviechristmas]

Christmas Unwrapped (Lifetime, 2020)

Even Wall Street loves Christmas, how’s that for a twist?

Starring: Amber Stevens West, Marco Grazzini, Cheryl Ladd, Cherion Drakes

Plot Synopsis: Cynical reporter Charity (Amber Stevens West) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when her boss, Janet (Cheryl Ladd) assigns her to profile Erik Gallagher (Marco Grazzini), a handsome bachelor who organizes millions of dollars to help the less fortunate every Christmas. Erik claims his charity is all funded by Santa Claus, so Charity's assignment is to discover where the money really comes from-something other reporters have failed to find out. Knowing this assignment could make or break her career, Charity is initially frustrated that Erik and his associates reveal hardly any information about his mysterious source of funding. But as Charity spends more time with Erik, she begins to appreciate his unwavering conviction that anything is possible if you just believe. With her article's deadline approaching, Charity discovers the real source of Erik's funding and must decide whether or not exposing the truth is worth ruining her newfound belief in the magic of Christmas and love for Erik. (x)

In My Humble Opinion: Five years ago, I noted that made-for-TV Christmas movies were increasingly including a trope that I called “Schrodinger Santas”.  These movies were about cynical career women who fall in love with men who may or may not be Santa. The movie never confirms whether or not the men are Santa. It’s all up to them. He could be Santa. He could not be Santa. It all depends on how whimsical the viewer turns out to be.

Christmas Unwrapped is yet another example of this trope in action, though a little modified. See, the hardened career women isn’t dating a man who may or may not be Santa. Just working for him. So it’s like Schrodinger’s Santa’s Farm Team. Schrodinger Santa’s Outreach Program? Schrodinger Elf Who Doesn’t Make Toys? I’ll work on it.

While originally I was charmed by the concept of Schrodinger Santa, and thought it was a decent compromise, I have grown increasingly tired of it as the years gone on and these movies move farther and farther away from magic whatsoever. In the days when I started this blog, Santa matchmaking randoms or Santa needing to fall in love before Christmas or Santa just existing at all was a common, everyday trope in the genre. Now, it’s non-existent. And sure, this has made it so that there’s more uniformity in movies and maybe that is helpful for everyone’s brands. But have we considered how bored I am? I miss movies that swing for the fences! I miss movies that had the guts to be their stupidest, most whimsical selves. I miss movies that foregrounded the magic, and backgrounded the town wide Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. Because genuinely who goes to a Christmas tree lighting ceremony? Who??? I feel like it’s more believable that I can fall in love with a descendant of Santa (or a dude on his farm team) than it is that I can get all my close friends to be excited about going to my hometown’s tree lighting ceremony!

So, while I can appreciate Schrodinger’s Santa’s Unemployed Helper Man, I am just sick of the half measures. I want some goddamn commitment. Give me something I absolutely cannot believe in. I beg, I plead. Just one more time for nostalgia’s sake?

Watch If: You are hip because you have seen The Notebook more than once, if you’re only allowed to keep your Christmas decorations up for two weeks or if you’re journalistic inspiration is Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. 

Skip If: You take blogs seriously, if you would be thrilled to read a deep dive article on a person’s top five Scrooges, or if you don’t think it’s silly to believe that the New York Knicks are the best team in sports.

Final Rating: ★ ★ (★) ☆ ☆

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[clemsfilmdiary]

Under the Autumn Moon (2018, Gary Yates)

10/17/21