While “Middleton Christmas” takes place during the holidays, it’s not a “Christmassy feel good” type of a film. But it does feature the hope and people coming together and for that I say the film is worth watching.
Click here to watch “Middleton Christmas” on Amazon
TITLE: Middleton Christmas
FILM YEAR: 2020
DURATION: 91 Minutes
COMPANY: Suzanne DeLaurentiis Productions
Directed by Dale Fabrigar
Story by Suzanne DeLaurentiis
Written by Tricia Aurand
Produced by Leilani Turner, Suzanne De Laurentiis, Peter Nelson
Associate Producer: Craig Campobasso, Regina Rene Lines, John Lazear, Matthew Payne, Ronnie Watson
Executive Producer: Suzanne DeLaurentiis, Peter Nelson
Music by Christopher Cano, Oliver Goodwill
Cinematography by John Lazear
Edited by Brian Pratt
Casting by Craig Campobasso
Production Design by Peter Collie
Starring:
Michael Pare as Johnny
Eileen Davidson as Alana D’Angelo
Michael Varde as Max
Kennedy Tucker as Samantha
Cheyenne Haynes as Tasha
Nancy Valen as Dr. Knowles
Anzu Lawson as Iris
Tim Abell as Nick
Paul Fox as Mr. Phillips
Trevor Stines as Lucas
As the holiday season approaches, single parents Alana and Johnny struggle to save the high school where they work and their children, popular cheerleader Samantha, and quiet Max attend. But when a car accident nearly takes Samantha’s life, Max makes a desperate decision that will forever bond their families together.
For day 46, I am checking out “Middleton Christmas”, a holiday film which swas streamed on various streaming platforms.
Featuring a story originally written by producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis and directed by Dale Fabrigar (“D-Railed”, “Lonely Boy”, “Break: The Musical”) and written by Tricia Aurand.
The film stars Michael Pare (“The Greatest American Hero”, “Houston Knights”, “Starhunter”), Eileen Davidson (“The Young and the Restless”, “Days of Our Lives”), Kennedy Tucker (“A Daughter’s Deception”, “Sharp Objects”, “The Other Mother”), Michael Varde (“Days oof Our Lives”, “Hollow Creek”), Trevor Stines (“Riverdale”, “Purity Falls”, “Evan Wood”), Cheyenne Haynes (“Camping”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Just Add Magic”) and more.
The film begins with military veteran Johnny (portrayed by Michael Pare) and his teenage son Max (portrayed by Michael Varde) who has moved to a new location for work. Johnny has been hired by the head of Middleton Prep School Alana D’Angelo (portrayed by Eileen Davidson) as the school’s new maintenance man and Max, gets free tuition since his father will be working there.
Alan’s daughter is Samantha (portrayed by Kennedy Tucker), a popular influencer, cheerleader and dancer who attends Middleton and for Max, he sees Alan dancing and she catches his attention and her to Max, but she is dating popular athlete Lucas (portrayed by Trevor Stines).
And it happens that Samantha, her best friend Tasha (portrayed by Cheyenne Haynes), her boyfriend Lucas and also Max are in the same class, as they are doing a test to find out their blood type and Samantha, Lucas and Max share the same blood type.
Samantha is a teenager who is confused. For one, she loves dancing, but to be popular she stays with cheer. And while she is happy to be dating Lucas, since Max started attending school, she finds herself attracted to Max and finds herself more comfortable hanging out and being around him.
Sam’s mother notices and warns her that guys don’t like it when their girlfriend’s start hanging out with another guy, while Max’s father tells him that she’s too good for him. That he and Max are different. She will go to college, he will go to community college and there is no future between the two.
But life changes when a confused Samantha is kicked off the cheer squad, her boyfriend’s upset and when she goes out to see Max, she is struck by a car and is hospitalized.
For 2022, if there was a holiday film that made me shed a few tears, it would be “Middleton Christmas”.
While the film tries to incorporate many stories in a holiday film, I feel that there are a few issues. The film tries to show that both Johnny and Max are from a different side of the town versus the more educational and financially established Alana and her daughter Samantha but both can find love.
The film focuses on Samantha and Max, but I feel that because the film features popular soap opera actress Eileen Davidson and also popular ’80s actor Michael Pare, that they had to incorporate a similar attraction between both single parents. Personally, they shouldn’t have even gone there. In fact, the movie posters is so unusual as it features Samantha and her boyfriend Lucas (instead of Samantha and Max) and the Christmas photo of Johnny And Alana, with Johnny wearing a suit and is nicely dressed (when the character is far from being a suit wearing guy as he is the school’s maintenance worker. The poster image is definitely misrepresenting the actual film and it’s primary characters.
“Middleton Christmas” should have just focused on two characters with different backgrounds and keep things simple, no adults also finding an attraction towards each other. Two people who are different but yet finding comfort with each other.
Fortunately, for Max’s character, it doesn’t delve into the “Karate Kid” or “Rebel without a Cause” type of storyline of being the poor kid attending an expensive prep school and gets a free ride because his father is the school’s maintenance man and being picked on the popular guys on campus.
Needless to say, I enjoyed the film for showcasing Max as a goodhearted kid and wanting to do whatever for Johnny and also vice versa for Samantha towards Max.
As a Christmas film, while “Middleton Christmas” takes place during the holidays, it’s not a “Christmassy feel good” type of a film. But it does feature the hope and people coming together and for that I say the film is worth watching.
