IMDb RATING
6.1/10
7.9K
YOUR RATING
A struggling artist working as a waitress kidnaps one of her customers to take home to meet her parents at Christmastime.A struggling artist working as a waitress kidnaps one of her customers to take home to meet her parents at Christmastime.A struggling artist working as a waitress kidnaps one of her customers to take home to meet her parents at Christmastime.
Timothy Bottoms
- Dad Chandler
- (as Tim Bottoms)
Benjamin Ayres
- Nick
- (as Ben Ayres)
Stafford Lawrence
- Old Man
- (as Stafford Lawerence)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured review
The plot to this Christmas television movie is pretty flimsy. It relies upon characters to act completely illogically. For those of you don't know it already, I'll give a rundown. Basically, Melissa Joan Hart is a screw-up whose parents nag her about her life. She somehow manages to snag a rich, good-looking boyfriend. He dumps her right before they are supposed to meet her parents at a cabin for Christmas. So she has what I would call a psychotic break and kidnaps Mario Lopez. How she does this is the beginning of many far-fetched happenings in the movie. Basically she plans on using Lopez as a stand-in for her boyfriend at Christmas with her family.
The movie is surprisingly funny and the characters likable. However, prepare yourself for lots of convenient lapses of logic in order for the plot to work. Lopez allowing himself to be taken prisoner. Lopez not trying very hard to escape. Hart's family believing her ridiculous excuse for why Lopez is claiming to be kidnapped. Lopez getting a phone and not calling 911. After alerting his girlfriend about what happened, he decides to go along with Hart's plan. His reasoning made no sense really but it's needed to allow his hostility towards her to cool for the inevitable happy ending. Still, it works more than it should, in large part due to the likability of the cast.
Give it a shot if you see it on TV. It's better than most TV movies these days. But if you have ever been in a relationship with someone as unstable as Hart is here, you might feel less generous about the film and its premise.
The movie is surprisingly funny and the characters likable. However, prepare yourself for lots of convenient lapses of logic in order for the plot to work. Lopez allowing himself to be taken prisoner. Lopez not trying very hard to escape. Hart's family believing her ridiculous excuse for why Lopez is claiming to be kidnapped. Lopez getting a phone and not calling 911. After alerting his girlfriend about what happened, he decides to go along with Hart's plan. His reasoning made no sense really but it's needed to allow his hostility towards her to cool for the inevitable happy ending. Still, it works more than it should, in large part due to the likability of the cast.
Give it a shot if you see it on TV. It's better than most TV movies these days. But if you have ever been in a relationship with someone as unstable as Hart is here, you might feel less generous about the film and its premise.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie became the highest viewed broadcast in the history of ABC Family with 6.7 million viewers and adults 18 to 49 (a 2.4 rating).
- GoofsIf Trudie wanted to get rid of her curls, all she had to do was wash her hair. Perms can't be washed for 2 days otherwise the curls don't keep.
- Quotes
David Martin: I hope you aren't expecting a lot from Santa. A federal offense probably puts you on the naughty list this year.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Obscurus Lupa Presents: Holiday in Handcuffs (2017)
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- Also known as
- Holiday in Handcuffs
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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