Sugarplummed

I loved the engaging positivity of Sugar Plum with her rules for the town of Perfection.

When stressed career woman, mother and wife Emily makes a wish to have one perfect Christmas that brings her family together...the fictional character and star of a series of Christmas movies named Sugar Plum shows up. Emily originally thinks she is loosing her mind until she discovers other people can see Sugar Plum, but they don't recognize her. Adopting the pseudonym Sue Garplum, she stays with Emily and her family trying to use the rules to help Emily complete her Christmas list in time for Christmas.

I loved the first 2/3 of this film. I thought the premise was fun and unique. It did devolve a bit at the end into a more traditional Hallmark holiday film, but then it was a quick trip to the happy ending. I think Hsllmark holiday film fans will appreciate the uniqueness and the infectious happiness of the sugar plum character.

I know people justifiably mock Hallmark Christmas movies but what about a Hallmark movie that mocks Hallmark movies? Sugarplummed is just that movie. It's funny and (unlike many of them) really smartly written.

Sugarplummed is about a mom that wishes for the perfect Christmas (which she always wishes for). But this time, Sugarplum, a character in a series of Christmas movies magically shows up to help the mom get her wish. She comes with a book of hard and fast rules like Flannel is a Natural Aphrodisiac and When a Big City Girl Meets a Small Town Bachelor, They're Guaranteed to Fall in Love and Get Married.

The kids are not perfect and they're not annoying. This time they're sarcastically funny. In what Hallmark movie does a kid walk in to the perfectly decorated room and say, "Why does it look like the North Pole threw up in here?"

I highly recommend this one!

I am pretty sure this movie is what you call a parody. It is a Hallmark movie making fun of Hallmark Christmas movies. And the first thing you need to know is that there are rules. Sugarplum keeps sounding them off a little like Gibb's rules in NCIS but much more fun. Janel Parrish is like a Christmas fairy on steroids. Way overacted. But it works because it is supposed to be way too much.

Maggie Lawson's Emily is kind of a Christmas fairy wannabe, that is a Sugarplum wannabe. She has Christmas lists and aspirations but her family just isn't into it. There are Christmas movies where Emily would be put into the TV movie world of Perfection, but this movie switches that and Sugarplum from the movies appears in Emily's world and brings lots of fun chaos with her. The Christmas movie cliches come through like a tidal wave. Even my favorite Christmas movie cliche - a snowball fight.

The acting is what it needs to be where, or who, it needs to be. The dialogue is sizzling.

Something interesting to me is Rule 39. I've noticed it in countless movies but didn't realize it reached the status of a Christmas rule. The endless wardrobes in too small a bag.

Lest you think that Sugarplum's assertions that her rules only have positive outcomes, that changes. The movie even starts to get into real life family issues.

One of the last scenes is a musical performance of an original song by Kyra Leroux as Nina.

This Hallmark holiday movie turned out to be one of its best, largely due to treating the audience to two watchable leading ladies, Maggie Lawson and Janel Parrish. Lawson is wonderful at playing busy, harried professional Emily, who longs to create the perfect Christmas for her family. Parrish is hilarious pure joy as Sugarplum, an over-the-top character who comes straight out of a Hallmark-type movie franchise and into Emily's life via a Christmas wish by Emily, of course. Sugarplum is there to help Emily achieve "the perfect Christmas," but will she be able to? It truly is most enjoyable to watch it for yourself to find out because it could go either way.

Lots to enjoy about this movie. I loved the basic premise of Hallmark poking fun at its holiday romcoms and all the usual tropes. There are unexpected, fun cameos by a few other fave Hallmark leads too, and I wish they had more. Rounding out the cast was Emily's family, all well cast and very capable. Nice to see the actor who portrayed her husband, Brendon Zub, in a more prominent role. The actress who portrayed her daughter has a terrific singing voice. This one is a must-see this holiday season.

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.