Candy Cane Candidate

Watching Lifetime Holiday movies is like watching stereotyped interviews of beauty pageants contestants. After the tenth one running on the "World Peace" platform, you realize they all are empty-headed morons.

What happened to real wit, humor, and feelings? And, by the way, what happened to Christmas values and spirit?

Am not terribly familiar with either of the two leads, but it is always good once in a while to not have Lifetime regulars/favourites. Lifetime have done many films over the years that have been worth watching, the best of them surprisingly very well done, though they have also done a number of duds. Was a bit ehh overall on their 2021 output, it could have been worse considering the circumstances but few films stood out if this viewer was to be honest.

'Candy Cane Candidate' was another film to not stand out that much. It has its moments and actually did have an intriguing concept, not everyday we have Christmas and politics mixed together on screen, it just could and should have executed it more consistently. It is not one of their worst films from 2021 and Lifetime have certainly done far worse overall, but also not one of the best on both counts. It is certainly tolerable and has good things, but 'Candy Cane Candidate' also struck me as rather average with some real debits.

There are good things here. Jacky Lai has a good deal of charm and perkiness once she settles into her role and the role becomes better written. Better is Jake Epstein, whose character writing is a lot more consistent and likeable and it was easy to endear to his subtle charisma and easy going-ness. They had some nice witty chemistry later on. The supporting cast do a more than competent job with what they are given to work with, which isn't great.

It's a nice looking film. Loved the scenery especially, regardless of any authenticity being called into question there is a festive look to it and it looks picturesque. Personally thought the photography, while never extraordinary, complemented it nicely, not overblown while not basic either. The music is a nice enough fit and is pleasant music on its own, it doesn't make as much of a mistake as other Christmas films of being used too constantly or being too loud.

However, 'Candy Cane Candidate' is not perfect by any stretch. It was not easy to get into at first, with a slow start to the plot and some very awkward dialogue. Also found Lai's character too overly arrogant and confrontational and often not deserved, and it took a while for the hostility in the banter to tone down and the chemistry to generate much spark. Pretty much throughout, the story is very predictable and could have been a lot tighter.

More flawed is the writing, with the banter to begin with being more overly hostile than playful, the schmaltz becoming too sugary sweet and the politics being at times intriguing but also at other times rather heavy handed which creates a bit too much of a disjoint in tone. The ending is too pat and somewhat rushed too.

Overall, watchable but very average. 5/10.

Whenever I'm watching these types of movies, I willingly accept a suspension of disbelief, because it's a movie, not a documentary. At the same time, I expect some level of plausibility. Julia has just lost an election for Boston City Council (appears to have been a special election) and returns to her hometown on the other side of the state to think about her future (run again or work for the green company, both worthy choices). Nevertheless, I have no idea how Julia can consider a run for mayor of her hometown, considering that she's a non-resident who may or may not have filed any papers in an off-camera moment. I'm also thinking that there's no way an outgoing mayor can arbitrarily change an election date to suit her personal schedule - don't they have a city charter that covers things like special elections and what happens if the mayor dies or resigns? Election irregularities like this could put them all in jail. These problems could have been resolved by some handwaving on part of the writers. For example, having the city solicitor say that he/she has checked the charter and that special elections have some flexibility around residency and election requirements would preserve that suspension of disbelief.

I really enjoy some of the hall mark Christmas movies

And after watching a couple of these life Christmas things it made me realize one of the things i like about hall mark stuff is they don't go over the top pushing a political agenda

This script to this movie is so blah that it doesn't even begin to disguise the political over tones

Considering that Asians have started being brutally physically attacked in this country in some areas by the very platform this movie is scaffolding, it makes it doubly disgusting.

I was excited to see Jacky Lai (A Sugar & Spice Holiday) and Jake Epstein (Eight Gifts of Hanukkah) in another Christmas movie. I really enjoyed their work and their kind spirits.

It is sad to see the bias in some of the petty reviews, usually posted by people who are intolerant of minority stories, (LGBTQ stories), and minorities in lead roles.

The character of Julia does not have fond memories of Parker who used to be her debate rival in high school and teased her constantly, and who was also her first crush whom she felt rejected by. That clearly explains her animosity and skepticism towards Jake in the beginning of the story.

For those complaining about the plot, Hallmark has also made an effort to embrace diversity and inclusion in their new movies. This has nothing to do with political agendas, and everything to do with human decency, respect, kindness, and love toward everyone regardless of our differences.

Businesses have to adapt to the times, and after all the gains we've done in our society to be more accepting and inclusive of others, networks couldn't possibly continue to operate with old views and "prejudiced" practices that many "people" (not parties) have worked so hard to overcome and change.

Also, after Covid, many businesses have had to rethink their focus to survive and thrive, and maybe that's why we see GAC Family and Lifetime positioning themselves as contenders in the Christmas movie market that was previously dominated by Hallmark. That doesn't mean they'll still do projects exclusively for women as a target audience, but they have to diversify to thrive.

Hallmark has made a living off of repeating story lines, usually putting actors in rolls with similar themes way too often at this point, and you've been supporting them for years!

Why can't Lifetime do a familiar story line with a twist? They're called universal themes for a reason, many can relate as it happens to almost everyone in different ways.

Why not applaud them for being original when they do produce a unique story like this one, instead of looking for a hidden agenda? The movie was about politics and an election, but it was not about political ideologies. It was about working for the common good, and a reignited romance between high school friends. All the romantic scenes were done in a very tasteful way as well.

The ethnicity or sexual orientation of the main and supporting characters should not matter. What matters is that they represent real people, real stories, and reality regardless of how much some would like to deny it. Also, regardless of the biases and prejudices of some, which have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with their humanity or lack thereof.

I invite open minded people, who see everyone as "human beings" first and foremost, to give themselves the opportunity to watch this and other lifetime movies (especially those with minority leads and cast), and rate them in a fair, objective, and unbiased way, as it should be.

I'm very pleased with this beautiful movie, and others done this 2021 -22 holiday season, which have shown classy, and culturally diverse stories that celebrate family and love in all its forms.

Bravo to Lifetime for making a commitment to be a network that employs diverse casts and champions inclusion! Please continue to do so always, and continue making beautiful movies! Lord knows our nation needs to see our stories, our children need to see themselves represented in people who look like them, and our actors need the platform and the opportunities.

I celebrate and support them all! Bravo!

🙌💝🙌