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Cup of Cheer
Canada 2020
produced by Daniel Everitt-Lock, Jake Horowitz, Andy Lewis, Adi Federgreen (executive), Thomas Brooks (executive), Daniel Horowitz (executive), Larry Horowitz (executive), Antonina Jordan (executive), Rob Madronich (executive), Chris Moncayo (executive) for Sideways Dog Productions, True Perspective
directed by Jake Horowitz
starring Storm Steenson, Alexander Oliver, Liam Marshall, Jacob Hogan, Helly Chester, Braden Barrie, Shawn Vincent, Steve Kasan, Adam Jenner, Michael Lake, Jessica Moniere, Joanna Francis, Zain Campbell, Andy Lewis, Mike Frustaci, Gabi Taylor, Marcia Armstrong, Michelle Veldboom
written by Jake Horowitz, Andy Lewis, music by Braden Barrie
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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It's only days before Christmas when big city girl Mary (Storm
Steenson) is sent to a stereotypical small town to write a sappy article
about Christmas in the country and such. Once there she almost immediately
runs into Chris (Alexander Oliver), who accidently pours cocoa all over
her. Of course they get into an argument right away, but it doesn't take a
rocket scientist to see they'll fall in love in no time. And when Chris's
brother Keith (Liam Marshall) finds out she hasn't got a place to stay
because she has lost her reservation at the local hotel, he's quick to
invite her to stay at his and his brother's. Oh, and somehow, they have
granted abode to a British knight from the Middle Ages as well. Anyways,
Chris and Keith run a cocoa shop they've inherited from their grandma, and
they've just learned that they have to pay their rent by Christmas Eve -
but of course are short in money. And the guy who wants to take over thier
cocoa shop is an evil corporate raider runs a cocoa shop franchise, and
just happens to be Mary's ex Mai Ex (Shawn Vincent). Now of course Chris
and Keith could probably save their shop by selling cookies at this annual
Christmas event that's every Christmas tradition rolled into one, but
Chris refuses to use his business to make money, and now not only Keith
and Mary try to persuade him otherwise, he's also visited by the Ghosts of
Christmas Past, Present and Future, while Mary has an idea that could save
everything, but somehow she has lost Chris. So can Christmas be saved? No
spoilers, but have you ever heard of an unsaved Christmas? Ok,
above synopsis might sound mighty sarcastic and make this sound like a
terribly formulaic movie - but the truth is, if you've ever been annoyed
by at least one Christmas movie, you'll probably love this one, a film
that intentionally buries everything under a truckload of clichés, with
many of them, again intentionally, not really thought through and all of
them played for laughs exclusively, and while the plot is 100% formulaic
still, the filmmakers leave no doubt what they think of same formula and
subvert it wherever possible. Now that said, it's true that not all of the
film's jokes are terribly funny, and especially when they go off-topic
(like quite a few fart jokes), they come across as flat, but there's still
plenty to love about this movie - to love for all the wrong reasons maybe,
but that's exactly the point in this film.
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