Nov 3

Nov 3 Merry & Bright

Cate has inherited a candy cane kingdom, but all is not well. Enter her knight in shining suite and tie, hired by Cate’s board of directors to drive this red-and-white-striped company into the black. Will they clash like peppermint and orange juice, or create a sweet future for the company…and themselves?

Merry%2BAnd%2BBright.jpg — Christmas clichés:

Christmas-Named Lead
Mistaken Identities
Hate Becomes Love
Town Festival or Pageant
Playful Food Fight
Charity Work
Red Dress in Final Scene
Ends w/ Kiss or Ring

Our Thoughts

“Merry & Bright” ranked #5 on our 2019 premieres list because of its unique plot and hunky star power. Who could resist a movie based around a small-town candy cane company?

Alas, not even THE Andrew Walker could save this film from its lack of Christmas and lack of chemistry between our leads. Not quite how we imagined the 2019 movie season kick-off.

We meet Christmas-named Cate Merriweather (Jodie Sweetin, awkward in every scene) as the reluctant CEO of Merry & Bright, the candy cane company her grandmother started 50 years ago. The company’s in trouble—enter corporate consultant, Gabe (Andrew Walker, doing his darndest to make something of the script). We’re given the genre’s shortest Mistaken Identities and Hate Become Love scenes before the two join together to save the company.

The plot follows an expected path: big city Gabe finds charm in the small town, its Town Festival…and its single CEO. Add in some Playful Food Fight scenes and far too many candy canes, and the movie hits its expected conclusion.

What frustrated us throughout the film was its out-of-touch plot points. Cate’s assistant is obsessed with getting engaged, and since her hotel concierge boyfriend has no clue, both characters come across as caricatures of gender stereotypes. And then there’s the company-saving solution: year-round candy canes. Really?!? Is that realistic in 2019? We didn’t think so.

But the biggest problem? Our leads didn’t even seem to care that it was Christmas! Instead, their dialogue focused on the “busy season” of candy cane production and the need to expand to a year-round business model. No magic of Santa, reindeer, décor, or childhood memories of what the season means, sans a quick scene about a snowy painting.

Thank goodness Sharon Lawrence showed up as a periphery character. Her scenes with a scruffy rescue dog gave this middling plot a bit of energy and its most moving scene.

We expected the worst thing about a candy cane movie would be its sickening sweetness. Instead, we were left with a bland how-not-to-run-a-business film that will be forgotten by this time next year.

Rob's Final Take: Not Very Merry
Where was Sia’s “Candy Cane Lane”?! She could have pumped some much-needed energy (and Christmas synergy) into this forgettable flick.

Jess's Final Take: Not Very Merry
The movie was fine. But with the quantity of Xmas content out there, I need to differentiate between the noise and the nostalgic.