“Christmas Under Wraps” is delightful, enchanting and fun! A holiday romantic comedy that is definitely recommended!
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TITLE: Christmas Under Wraps
FILM YEAR: 2014
DURATION: 84 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition
COMPANY: Hallmark Channel
RATED: N/R
Directed by Peter Sullivan
Story by Jeffrey Schenck, Peter Sullivan, George Erschbamer, Jeffrey Barmash, Barbara Fixx
Screenplay by Jennifer Notas
Executive Producer: Barry Barnholtz, Candace Cameron Bure, Zelma Kiwi, Jeffrey Schenck
Associate Produced by Diane Healey
Line Producer: Kimberly A. Ray
Co-Producer: Peter Sullivan
Music by Matthew Janszen
Cinematography by Theo Angell
Edited by Sean Olson
Casting by Dean E. Fronk, Donald Paul Pemrick
Production Design by Carmi Gallo
Art Direction by Jason Stebbings
Set Decoration: Chanida Trueblood
Costume Design: Stefanie Lain
Starring:
Candace Cameron Bure as Dr. Lauren Brunell
David O’Donnell as Andy Holliday
Robert Pine as Henry Brunell
Kendra Mylnechuk as Billie
Brian Doyle-Murray as Frank Holliday
Joyce Cohen as Maggie Brunell
James Gaisford as Wyatt
Page Petrucka as Hattie
Anita Rice as Faith Holliday
When a driven doctor doesn’t get the prestigious job she planned for, she unexpectedly finds herself moving to a remote Alaskan town. She soon warms to the friendly town & it’s cast of characters but suspects it’s hiding one big holiday secret.
We have reached day 31 of my holiday film marathon and today’s film is the Hallmark Channel’s 2014 holiday telefilm “Christmas Under Wraps”.
Directed by Peter Sullivan and featuring a story by Jeffrey Schenck, Peter Sullivan, George Erschbamer, Jeffrey Barmash, Barbara Fixx and a screenplay by Jennifer Notas.
The film stars Candace Cameron Bure (“Full House”, “Fuller House”), David O’Donnell (“Thirteen Days”, “In Search of Fellini”), Robert Pine (“Jobs”, “Lakeview Terrace”, “CHiPs”), Kendra Mylnechuk (“2 Days in New York”, “The Blacklist”), Brian Doyle-Murray (“Caddyshack”, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, “JFK”), Joyce Cohen and Anita Rice.
We are introduced to Dr. Lauren Brunell (portrayed by Candace Cameron Bure), a resident doctor and while her counterparts have applied to numerous hospitals for their fellowships, Lauren has only applied to one and that is the hospital that her father Henry (portrayed by Robert Pine) worked.
For Lauren, she has only one goal and that was to work at that hospital.
When she goes back home, her boyfriend dumps her because she has focused on her career and nothing much towards the relationship. Meanwhile, when she gets home, she learns that she didn’t get the fellowship.
Dejected with no job, she goes to her college’s job fair and was told that despite her career, many hospitals have already hired many resident doctors who were more talented than her, because she didn’t apply to anything. But surprisingly, there is one job available. It’s not for a big hospital, but it would be great opportunity for her resume and that is to run a hospital, somewhere in Garland, Alaska.
While Lauren is not sure if she wants to do it, her mother Maggie (portrayed by Joyce Cohen), tells her she needs to step out of the box and try something different and new. So, Lauren decides to take the job and move to Garland.
When she arrives to Anchorage, she thinks that Garland is nearby but she is picked up by Andy Holliday (portrayed by David O’Donnell) and finds out that she is taking a single engine flight to Garland (note: this is a fictional town) which is hours away.
So, once they arrive, Garland is quite small and very cold, something which Lauren is not dressed and prepared for.
As Lauren gets used to her new home, visiting downtown for the local cafe (far different from the big cafe’s she’s been to), she also finds out that the hospital she will be heading is a small hospital with two nurses and two orderlies and a lot of patient.
Needless to say, the people of Garland warm up to Dr. Brunell, meanwhile she finds out that the jack of trades in town is Andy and he is the son of one of the biggest employers in town and his father Frank (portrayed by Brian Doyle-Murray) is in charge of the major Christmas holiday event in the city.
Meanwhile, Lauren’s father tries to call his colleagues to help get Lauren out of Garland to work a fellowship at a major hospital in Boston, but will she choose to work in a small town, find love and start her new life there? Or will she follow her childhood goal/dream of being a surgeon at a major hospital?
So far, this is my second Candace Cameron Bure holiday and similar to how I feel about “A Christmas Detour”, I feel that Candace does a magnificent job as the female lead to these Hallmark Channel holiday telefilms.
I can see why she is the Hallmark Holiday Queen as she has appeared in a holiday film since the 2008 film “Moonlight & Mistletoe” and has nearly appeared in a holiday film since then. Her latest is the 2021 Hallmark Channel holiday film, “The Christmas Contest”.
She brings a warmth to a holiday film and does it quite well!
With “Christmas Under Wraps”, she plays a resident doctor who is torn between pursuing her goal/career to work as a surgeon for a major hospital or staying in a small town in Garland, Alaska heading a small hospital but the big difference, she falls in love for a man and has something quite special in Garland, that is so different from what she has experienced before.
Needless to say, having watched two Candace Cameron Bure films, I’m convinced that you probably can’t go wrong because if these two holiday films are that great (and it happens that she also executive produced both films as well), then I am looking forward to watching more of her holiday films.
“Christmas Under Wraps” is delightful, enchanting and fun! A holiday romantic comedy that is definitely recommended!
PURCHASE THIS FILM ON AMAZON PRIME
