I think people need to be honest with themselves on this one. If Christmas Under Wraps is one of your favorite Hallmark holiday movies, you don't even need to bother to give this one a shot, you've very likely already decided it's not good and are starting off assuming you won't like it and just nitpicking, finding problems with it that you'd barely pose an objection to if it was another movie.
If you like Hallmark movies and enjoyed Christmas Under Wraps, but it's not one of your faves and you don't mind someone other than Candace as the lead actress, then most likely you'll like this just fine.
This is basically a well done Hallmark movie, not spectacular, but better than average. I'd give it a 7/10 most times, but because they do such a good job of tying this into the original, I'm bumping it to a 8.
You've got some returning characters in addition to Andy, the town still has it's quirks, you see them here and they are almost all familiar in a nice way. You have Andy's storyline from the original getting some added depth of what we learned before, but it all ties in. We knew about his life in Seattle before, his previous relationship with Erika makes perfect sense and actually, their history and the way it's woven in also ties in well to the original and makes their relationship seem on much steadier ground. David and Jodie have a nice feel to them, the chemistry isn't sparkling, but I wouldn't say that was the case in the original either with David and Candace, just that it worked. I think the original was a bit funnier than this one is, but all in all, this is very well done. It's more of a follow up than a sequel.
The only thing this doesn't have is Candace and I truly think people would do well to skip it if that's a hang up for them. Because again, if people want to be honest, they'd admit that it isn't the stretch they are making it out to be that Lauren and Andy didn't work out. She was a doctor set on a prestigious hospital fellowship in a big city that got overconfident with where she applied and had to go with not just a backup plan, but her only option in a remote small town that she got duped into going to. That's the actual stated storyline that you get in the first 15 minutes of Christmas Under Wraps. She fell in love with Andy and the town and decided to stay, but nothing about the situation resembled what she had imagined for herself. It makes sense that it didn't work out for her to remain in Garland. It's not a hard jump to make so If your mind can't get there, you're never gonna like this follow up.
And I get it, I can think of others that I like where I wouldn't be a fan of a this switch up, but I'd also say, that again, the Christmas Under Wraps setup was so wildly off from what Lauren was looking for originally, and I think that's key here in giving this follow up a chance. Most other Hallmark movies aren't asking the woman to torch everything she worked for to stay with the guy, and that is what Lauren was doing by staying in Garland. Her dream was not to be a small town doctor, it wasn't even her dream to be a GP, she was set on being a surgeon. I think the original is enjoyable, but I never thought it was believable in a modern context. Other than Erika's boss even knowing about this far away inn with barely a customer and wanting to buy it, this setup seems more solid and believable than the original. It's a second chance romance, no more, no less.
If you like Hallmark movies and enjoyed Christmas Under Wraps, but it's not one of your faves and you don't mind someone other than Candace as the lead actress, then most likely you'll like this just fine.
This is basically a well done Hallmark movie, not spectacular, but better than average. I'd give it a 7/10 most times, but because they do such a good job of tying this into the original, I'm bumping it to a 8.
You've got some returning characters in addition to Andy, the town still has it's quirks, you see them here and they are almost all familiar in a nice way. You have Andy's storyline from the original getting some added depth of what we learned before, but it all ties in. We knew about his life in Seattle before, his previous relationship with Erika makes perfect sense and actually, their history and the way it's woven in also ties in well to the original and makes their relationship seem on much steadier ground. David and Jodie have a nice feel to them, the chemistry isn't sparkling, but I wouldn't say that was the case in the original either with David and Candace, just that it worked. I think the original was a bit funnier than this one is, but all in all, this is very well done. It's more of a follow up than a sequel.
The only thing this doesn't have is Candace and I truly think people would do well to skip it if that's a hang up for them. Because again, if people want to be honest, they'd admit that it isn't the stretch they are making it out to be that Lauren and Andy didn't work out. She was a doctor set on a prestigious hospital fellowship in a big city that got overconfident with where she applied and had to go with not just a backup plan, but her only option in a remote small town that she got duped into going to. That's the actual stated storyline that you get in the first 15 minutes of Christmas Under Wraps. She fell in love with Andy and the town and decided to stay, but nothing about the situation resembled what she had imagined for herself. It makes sense that it didn't work out for her to remain in Garland. It's not a hard jump to make so If your mind can't get there, you're never gonna like this follow up.
And I get it, I can think of others that I like where I wouldn't be a fan of a this switch up, but I'd also say, that again, the Christmas Under Wraps setup was so wildly off from what Lauren was looking for originally, and I think that's key here in giving this follow up a chance. Most other Hallmark movies aren't asking the woman to torch everything she worked for to stay with the guy, and that is what Lauren was doing by staying in Garland. Her dream was not to be a small town doctor, it wasn't even her dream to be a GP, she was set on being a surgeon. I think the original is enjoyable, but I never thought it was believable in a modern context. Other than Erika's boss even knowing about this far away inn with barely a customer and wanting to buy it, this setup seems more solid and believable than the original. It's a second chance romance, no more, no less.