Sugarplummed

Something different for a change, a very fun and spirited movie. They Christmas rules and magic and essentially making fun of so many Christmas movies. Gently but definitively poking fun at Hallmark movies such a refreshing blast of lighthearted fun and sorely needed this time of year.

This movie will truly make you laugh and the actress who plays Sugar Plummed plays her part so well I have a new actress to look forward to in the future.

I hope they come up with more movies like this that they continue to keep from getting to serious about themselves all the time. A true breath of fresh air this Christmas season.

Ok. So I didn't know what to expect from this movie. But what I definitely didn't expect was for Hallmark to be this self-aware. It was funny and charming. Maggie Lawson was her usual amazing self and I loved the acting choices made by Janel Parrish, she gave her character real life and I love the vocal choices.

She made her seem just cartoonish enough without becoming annoying. But gave her a few layers that made her likeable and real.

The meta was especially hilarious. Hallmark knew exactly what they were doing. So major kudos to them for this delightfully silly and heartwarming movie. Would definitely watch again.

I believe this to be the best Hallmark Christmas movie of 2024, maybe ever actually. The level of campiness and outrageousness while at the same time honoring the tropes of the holiday movie genre were impressively balanced. Sometimes, when Hallmark tries to be tongue in cheek, it can be cheesy but this one was hilarious, I was chuckling the whole time. I hope they make more movies like this, tons of interesting plot and emotional development for all the characters plus an ending that isn't rushed and scrambled in the last five minutes. And more Janel Parrish! She needs to be at Lacey Chabert level, I would love to see her lead more movies!

This Hallmark holiday film is very meta: a gently self-mocking send-up of the formulaic Hallmark romances that concern the Christmas season. Good for Hallmark!

Emily (Maggie Lawson) is determined to achieve a "perfect" Christmas, using the five rules her mother gave her. Her family, however, has other plans, due to their focus on other personal issues, like a pressure-filled job (with a Scrooge-like boss), a desire to create music, and coping with peer pressure. Just when Emily is about to give up, she finds a star with an inscription that promises to fulfill a wish, and her life is visited by Sugar Plum, an iconic character on the Harmony Home Channel, which is a Hallmark-like television network.

Sugar Plum (Janel Parrish) is an excessively cheerful character with a Pollyannish outlook on life. Being a fictitious character, she has only known success, mostly by following her "Book of Rules". Hallmark viewers will recognize most of the rules; it's a clever, funny contrivance. Not surprisingly, Emily learns some lessons about relationships, ideals, and happiness.

Janel Parrish is perfect as Sugar Plum, embodying a fairy tale personality. She's one can-do gal. As the story develops, Maggie Lawson settles into her role, and the duo is great fun together.

Hallmark hits a homerun with this comedic tale that tweaks its own memes and plot conventions.

As others mentioned, Sugarplummed parodies the general slate of Hallmark Christmas movies (and others, because many Hallmark romances throughout the year use the same tropes, just without the snow or decorations.

Here, the Christmas magic, which happens sometimes, is a hyper-competent and hyper-perky character coming out of a series of Christmas movies about a small town's Christmases. Janel Parrish's high-pitched voice is a BIT grating, but you'll get over that.

We've liked Maggie Lawson since Psych, so that gave us a bias toward the movie before it even started.

The gags used in the movie to accomplish Maggie's Christmas Wish List are fun, and follow along with the same sense of good-spirited send up of their movies over the years.

This one will be rewatchable. Recommended, and I didn't even have to finish the movie to give it the stars.