Dolphin Entertainment, Island Heat Productions
Charlotte Ross, Colin Ferguson, Devon Werkheiser, Aria Wallace, Kenton Duty, Marta Martin, Josie Loren
Two families head out on a cruise to Puerto Rico to spend the holidays in San Juan. Dan Casey (Colin Ferguson) is a divorced dad with two daughters and Dana Marino (Charlotte Ross) is a single widowed mom with two sons. While there, the two meet and become very close. Everything is going well, and it looks like a Brady Bunch holiday until Dan’s ex-wife shows up and wants to make up. She works on the daughters and offering very expensive gifts, tries to win them over. The younger girl is especially won over with the idea of Mom coming home. But the older daughter is able to realize that Mom is just trying to bribe them into accepting her, and is not sincere. She hasn’t changed. This is very sad for Dana, as she watches their new relationship flounder and it looks like Christmas alone.
This was a really decent story. The ex-wife is a perfect villain. The scenery is beautiful. It’s naturally low budget and they’re doing the best they can with the script, but the contrast between the two Christmases and between a loving Dad and the kids as opposed to a spoiled witch of a mom who gives pictures of expensive gifts that she’s going to give them is touching. The ex is so desperate. If you’re in mood for a holiday in a tropical paradise, this will do nicely.
** Christmas in Paradise (2007),
