Nasser Group, Nasser Entertainment Group
Kristen Dalton, Robert Molooney, Garry Chalk, Tom Heaton, Donna White, Michael Kopsa, Jane Sowerby, Ellie Harvie, Rob Bruner, Mackenzie Gray, Gary Jones, Jay Brazeau
Lou Boyd (Robert Moloney) works for Crouch (Garry Chalk) the owner of “The Great American Store” which according to Crouch’s hype can be seen from outer space. Lou somehow double ordered Christmas lights and is about to be fired when he comes up with an idea to save his hide. The Great American Store is holding a Christmas Decorating Contest, and the winner will win an hour of free shopping where they can keep everything they can pile into a shopping cart. Crouch’s daughter, Dianne (Kristen Dalton), is planning on taking over the business when her dad retires. She’s overly aggressive and comes up with the idea that Lou will have the best decorations because she will handle the planning and designing, and then he will donate his “winnings” to charity. That way they can rig the contest so that they don’t lose a ton of free merchandise. Then there are the competitors, a Jewish family who want to enter, and a French guy who is overly competitive. Lou’s going to have to really pull it off to win the contest, but his parents are against him, as they usually use family heirlooms to decorate their house (where Lou lives with them), and they don’t like all the commotion. The night of the big contest finale arrives, and either Lou wins, or the store is in big, big trouble.
This is a really cute, and very funny movie in the vein of “Deck the Halls” and “Battle of the Bulbs“. These folks go way over the top in competing for a prize that sort of backfires on everybody, including Crouch’s store who is liable for much, much more than they sold to get rid of the extra bulbs. The actors are quite decent, though there aren’t any really big names, they certainly play the parts well. The battle of the lights is truly funny. The competition is hysterical as each one tries to outdo the other in their own style. Arguing like 5 year olds really brings it all back. Then in a very poignant ending, the show us the lesson of the film in a very stunning way.
This is not a Christmas classic, but it’s one really funny little Christmas movie and very worth the time you will spend watching it. As far as I know it’s not available yet on DVD, but it does pop up on Hallmark or Lifetime every year and is worth watching for. An enjoyable film all the way around.
