A Very Merry Mix-Up | |
---|---|
![]() Promotional photo | |
Genre | Romance |
Written by | Barbara Kymlicka |
Directed by | Jonathan Wright |
Starring |
|
Theme music composer | Stacey Hersh |
Country of origin | United States Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 1 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Lewis Chesler David Daniels David Perlmutter Dominique Telson Robert Vaughn Kevin Commins |
Producer | Marek Posival |
Cinematography | Russ Goozee |
Editor | Marvin Lawrence |
Running time | 87 minutes |
Production company | Chesler/Perlmutter Productions |
Original release | |
Network | Hallmark Channel |
Release | November 10, 2013 |
A Very Merry Mix-Up is a 2013 American/Canadian romance television film directed by Jonathan Wright and starring Alicia Witt, Mark Wiebe, and Scott Gibson. [1] The film premiered on the Hallmark Channel on November 10, 2013.
A beautiful antique store owner, Alice Chapman (Alicia Witt), travels to her fiancé's hometown alone to meet her future in-laws for the first time at their Christmas gathering. Her fiancé, successful realtor Will Mitchum (Scott Gibson), tells her he will join them after closing an important business deal. Upon her arrival at the airport, she discovers that her luggage is lost. While completing the necessary paperwork, she meets Matt Mitchum (Mark Wiebe), who is also filling out a missing baggage report. She is surprised to learn that Matt is the brother of her fiancé "Billy". On their way to the family home, they get into a car accident and both end up in the hospital, where Alice learns that Matt broke off his engagement to a woman who refused to "walk through the rain" for him.
Will's mother and father arrive at the hospital and are surprised to learn that their son "Billy" is engaged, yet they quickly make Alice feel like a loved new member of the family. Meanwhile, Will is told that Alice's store needs to be sold to his wealthy client in order to close an important deal. Will assures the client that he can get her to sell. Back at the house, Alice and Matt share their Christmas memories with each other and bake Christmas cookies. She learns that Matt shares her romantic interest in antiques, old family photos, and Charlie Brown Christmas trees, and soon they become attracted to each other. As Alice talks about Will, the family seems surprised at some of the details she shares about their "Billy".
When "Billy" Mitchum finally arrives, Alice is shocked to see that "Billy" is not her fiancée, Will, and realizes that she's been sharing Christmas with the wrong Mitchum family. Alice calls Will and soon Will shows up to pick her up to take her back to his family's Christmas gathering. Matt's family is saddened to see her go. Before leaving, Alice gives Matt, the man who "makes her laugh", a kiss goodbye. When she meets Will's family, she is left disillusioned by the air kisses of her future mother-in-law and Will's all-business father, a world away from Matt's family. That night, Matt comes to Will's family house and takes Alice to a nearby park where he shows her the benches he built bearing quotes from Shakespeare.
On Christmas Eve, Alice calls Matt's family to wish them a Merry Christmas, but Matt feels he is unable to talk with her. With the "new Mitchums", Alice tries to play the game taught to her by the "other Mitchums"— where everyone writes something nice about someone else and each tries to guess who said what, but Will's family is not nearly as interesting or loving as Matt's family. During the game, Will announces that he has "closed" a huge deal involving the sale of Alice's store for $3.5 million. Alice is revolted by Will's insensitivity, and tells him that she cannot marry him. Will realizes that something has changed in their relationship and accepts her decision.
Alice rushes to the park where she sees and embraces Matt, confessing that she is the "girl who loves family and romance" and that she is the girl who loves him. They kiss and walk off into the snowy Christmas night together. [2]
In her review for the Movie Fan Central website, Mrs. Data gave the film 6.5 out of 10 stars, calling it a "cute and sweet TV movie". [3] Data wrote that Witt was "really adorable and real as the female lead" and that she had good chemistry with Wiebe. [3] Data also noted that while Weibe's on-screen family felt like a "genuine group", most of the other characters come across "very perfect", that they "only exist in movies". [3]
In his review for the Movie Buff website, Matt Christopher gave the film a grade of C, calling it "predictable" with "cliche" characters. [4]
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Dorothy Kingsley, is based on the short story "The Sobbin' Women", by Stephen Vincent Benét, which was based in turn on the ancient Roman legend of the Rape of the Sabine Women. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which is set in Oregon in 1850, is particularly known for Kidd's unusual choreography, which makes dance numbers out of such mundane frontier pursuits as chopping wood and raising a barn. Film critic Stephanie Zacharek has called the barn-raising sequence in Seven Brides "one of the most rousing dance numbers ever put on screen." The film was photographed in Ansco Color in the CinemaScope format.
Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The Christmas holiday film features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous projects. An international co-production between the U.K., U.S., and France, it was mostly filmed on-location in London, England. The movie delves into different aspects of love as shown through 10 separate stories involving a variety of individuals, many of whom are interlinked as the plot progresses. The story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place in the New Year.
Alice is a 1990 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna, and William Hurt. The film is a loose reworking of Federico Fellini's 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits.
Alicia Roanne Witt is an American actress, singer and pianist. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in Dune (1984) and Twin Peaks (1990). Witt was a regular on Cybill Shepherd's sitcom Cybill (1995–1998) for four seasons, playing the title character's daughter, Zoe Woodbine. She had a critically acclaimed role as a disturbed teenager in Fun (1994), appeared as a music student in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and as a terrorized college student in the horror film Urban Legend (1998). She appeared in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (2001), Two Weeks Notice (2002), Last Holiday (2006) and the thriller 88 Minutes (2007). Witt has made television appearances in The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Nashville, Two and a Half Men, The Librarians, Friday Night Lights, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Mentalist, Justified, Twin Peaks: The Return, CSI: Miami, and Orange Is the New Black.
Two for the Seesaw is a 1962 American romantic-drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Mitchum and Shirley MacLaine. It was adapted from the 1958 Broadway play written by William Gibson with Henry Fonda and Anne Bancroft in the lead roles.
Surviving Christmas is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Mike Mitchell, written by Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, Jennifer Ventimilia, and Joshua Sternin, based on a story by Elfont and Kaplan. It stars Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, and Catherine O'Hara.
Fresh Horses is a 1988 American coming-of-age drama film directed by David Anspaugh, and starring Andrew McCarthy and Molly Ringwald.
A Very Brady Christmas is a 1988 American made-for-television Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Peter Baldwin and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis, Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland, and Jennifer Runyon. It reunited the original cast members of the 1969–1974 sitcom The Brady Bunch, with the exception of Susan Olsen. Ron Kuhlman and Jerry Houser both reprised their characters from the short-lived 1981 sitcom The Brady Brides.
Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh is a 2008 American Christmas comedy television film based on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh. Drake Bell, Josh Peck, Miranda Cosgrove, Nancy Sullivan, and Jonathan Goldstein reappear as their respective characters, with several recurring characters from the TV series also reappearing. The movie aired on Nickelodeon a year after the show's original end in 2007. The film premiered on December 5, 2008, as a Nickelodeon Original Movie. It was the third most viewed TV movie on cable behind High School Musical 2 and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, both owned by Disney Channel.
A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride is a 2008 television film directed by Leslie Hope and starring Joanna García and Luke Perry. The film originally aired in Canada on December 15, 2008, and in the United States on December 20, 2008 on Lifetime. The screenplay concerns wedding planner Roxanne (García), who tries to foil her mother's plans to marry a man she just met by sabotaging their Christmas wedding. But she soon finds herself falling in love just as quickly as her mother did.
The Vow is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Sucsy and written by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, and Jason Katims, inspired by the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. The film stars Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum as Paige and Leo Collins, with Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange and Jessica McNamee in supporting roles. As of 2013, The Vow was the eighth highest-grossing romantic drama film produced since 1980. This was Spyglass Entertainment's last film before the company's closure in 2012 and its revival in 2019.
Rich Girl is a 1991 American romantic drama film directed by Joel Bender and written from the screenplay of Robert Elliot. The film stars Jill Schoelen in the title role, along with Cherie Currie and Paul Gleason in the supporting cast. The film centers around a wealthy girl from Bel-Air, who is tired of living off her wealthy family's name and decides to prove her independence from her overbearing father and obnoxious ex-fiancé by making her way in life by becoming a waitress at a nightclub and ends up falling in love with one of the club's rock musicians.
Joey Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by David Witts. Introduced on 22 June 2012 by producer Bryan Kirkwood, Joey is the estranged son of established character Derek Branning and the brother of Alice Branning. Joey was featured in storylines such as a problematic relationship with his father due to his absence in his life, and a sexual relationship with his first cousin Lauren Branning. Joey and Lauren's relationship was one of the prominent storylines featured throughout 2012 and 2013. He also had relationships with Lucy Beale, Whitney Dean and Janine Butcher.
Alice Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jasmyn Banks. Alice is the daughter of Derek Branning. She made her first appearance on 10 May 2012. The character and casting was announced on 14 April 2012 with executive producer Lorraine Newman stating that Alice will allow the audience to see a softer side to Derek. Banks also stated that Alice will allow viewers to see a "lovely" side to Derek. The Daily Mirror praised the character for revealing herself as Derek's daughter on her first appearance, comparing her to Danielle Jones after she kept her identity to her mother Ronnie Mitchell a secret for months and then dying minutes after revealing herself. Another critic from the Daily Mirror said that Alice has had a "colossal impact" on Derek. In September 2013, it was announced that Banks would be leaving the show as part of Michael Moon's exit storyline. She departed on 24 December 2013, after being wrongly arrested for Michael's murder.
A Christmas Kiss is a 2011 American made-for-TV romance film directed by John Stimpson and starring Elisabeth Röhm, Laura Breckenridge and Brendan Fehr. Written by Joany Kane, the film is about an aspiring interior designer who has a chance encounter with a handsome stranger, with whom she shares an impulsive romantic kiss in an elevator. Later she discovers that he is the wealthy socialite boyfriend of her callous and dominating employer. While decorating and preparing his home for an upcoming holiday charity fundraiser, they get to know each other, and soon he must decide which woman holds the key to his future happiness. Filmed on location in Richmond, Virginia, A Christmas Kiss first aired on December 11, 2011 on the Ion Television network.
I Give It a Year is a 2013 romantic comedy film, written and directed by Dan Mazer in his directorial debut. It stars Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris and Simon Baker. Set and filmed in London, it was released on 8 February 2013.
I'm Not Ready for Christmas is a 2015 American Christmas-themed made-for-television romantic drama film directed by Sam Irvin and starring Alicia Witt, George Stults, Brigid Brannagh, and Dan Lauria. Written by Hanz Wasserburger. The film premiered on the Hallmark Channel on November 14, 2015.
Christmas at Cartwright's is a 2014 American-Canadian romance television film directed by Graeme Campbell and starring Alicia Witt, Gabriel Hogan and Wallace Shawn.
Resort to Love is a Netflix original movie, written by Tabi McCartney and Dana Schmalenberg. It follows Erica, an aspiring pop star in the midst of a career standstill, who ends up landing a gig as the entertainment lead at a luxurious island resort where, unbeknownst to her, her ex-fiancé is having his wedding.
Boxing Day is a 2021 British romantic-comedy Christmas film written, directed by and starring Aml Ameen in his directorial debut. The film also stars Aja Naomi King and is the acting debut of Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Notably, it is the first British Christmas romantic comedy with an almost entirely Black cast.