Wednesday, July 4, 2018

'A Cinderella Christmas' DVD: Prince Charming v. Wicked Cousin


This special Christmas in July review shares thoughts on the Monarch Home Entertainment November 2017 DVD release of the 2016 comedy "A Cinderella Christmas." The Hallmark Channel style goodness this time relates to a pretty and sweet orphan being the servant of her wicked cousin, who is out to snare Prince Charming.

30-ish Angie Wells goes to live with her kindly uncle Otto and not-so-nice cousin Candice after the parents of Angie pass away during her childhood. Entrepreneur Otto employs the girls at his event-planning business and is on the verge of divesting himself of that asset at the beginning of the film.

The bargain that hard-working Angie and comically lazy Candice, who has the guts to claim the glory that her cousin earns, strike is that the women will purchase the business as partners. The rest of this pact with the Prada-clad devil is that Angie will continue doing all the work for the business and become the essential slave of Candice until that party girl snags a rich husband. The payoff of the not-so-blessed event is that Candice then will allow Angie to buy her out of the business.

Prince Charming enters the picture in the form of handsome millionaire trust fund baby Nikolaus Karmichael, This Saint Nick hires the girls to plan and cater a Christmas-querade Ball in early December.

The twist on the ball element of  "Cinderella" this time is that Angie wears the dress and the mask intended for Candice and falls in love with Nick; rather than leaving behind footwear made of any material, Angie departs sans a special Christmas stocking.

Nick utilizes the 21st-century technology of the Internet to post a wedding proposal to the mystery woman who got away. This leads to Candice asserting to be that bachelorette and coercing Angie both to go along with the ruse and to plan and cater the marriage made south of Heaven.

The role of Nick goes beyond the highly predictable attraction to Angie during the wedding preparations. Candice increasingly showing her crazy and also not acting like the dream girl from the ball provides Nick a strong sense that he is being played for a sap. His not-so-subtle efforts to prove that Candice is not the woman she claims to be provides some of the best humor in the film.

Things predictably come down to the 11th hour in an unpredictable manner. The lesson this time is that you should always assume that Big Brother is watching.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Cinderella" is welcome either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.


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