Moonlight and Mistletoe
| Moonlight and Mistletoe | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Written by |
Tracy Rosen Duane Poole |
| Directed by | Karen Arthur |
| Starring |
Candace Cameron Bure Tom Arnold |
| Theme music composer | Lawrence Shragge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
David Giancola Karen Mayeda Vranek |
| Cinematography | Tom Neuwirth |
| Editor(s) | Bridget Durnford |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Hallmark Channel |
| Original release |
|
Moonlight and Mistletoe is a 2008 Christmas television film directed by Karen Arthur.
Plot
Holly Crosby is the daughter of Nick Crosby, the owner of Santaville, an amusement park focusing on Christmas, open 365 days a year. Fed up with being the second fiddle of her father, who is devoted to the amusement park with all of his heart and soul, she leaves him in her teenage years. Years later, she is a successful businesswoman in the big city. Although devoted to her work, she does not have a social life. One day, near Christmas, she receives a call from Peter, her father's employee, informing her he was injured in a sleighing accident. Although she is estranged from her father, she immediately packs her bags and heads back to Santaville.
There, she does not plan on staying a very long time. Her father, on the other hand, is delighted by her arrival and is enthusiastic about spending Christmas with her. This upsets Peter, who notices the coldness of Holly and her lack of interest in Christmas. Holly soon finds out Peter is a guy she met in her teenage years and that she inspired his interest in The Nutcracker. She is shocked to discover that her father is near bankruptcy and that he will lose Santaville. She tries to prevent this, and although she has trouble collecting the finance, she softens up in the process, grows closer to Peter, and remembers the true meaning of Christmas.
One day, she meets Ben Richards, a seemingly friendly financial adviser who decides to help her save Santaville. This makes Peter jealous, who has secretly fallen in love with Holly. She and Ben help Nick get a silent partner, but Nick is not interested, much to Holly's anger. Upset with him, she decides to confront him with being the second fiddle. He explains that he has trouble dealing with her mother's death and that he has thrown himself on his work so he would not be forced to deal with the grief. They reconcile and he finally allows her to help him.
Holly convinces Nick to sign a partnership with Ben, but she finds out that Ben was only interested in Nick's money and that he tried to set him up. When the Crosbys find out they will have to come up with $50,000 to save Santaville, they start a nationwide promotion for the amusement park. Although a lot of people travel to the amusement park, it proves not to be enough to save Santaville. In the end, Peter saves the day by selling his Nutcracker dolls he has made as a hobby for a large sum. Nick kisses Ginny, a devoted employee who always has had a crush on him. In a voice-over, Holly announces that she has married Peter and that she is expecting to have his baby.
Cast
- Candace Cameron Bure as Holly Crosby
- Tom Arnold as Nick Crosby
- Christopher Wiehl as Peter Lowdell
- Barbara Niven as Ginny
- Matt Walton as Ben Richards
- Richard Waterhouse as Mr. Jennings
- Heather Remick as Della Wallace
- Lillian Pritchard as Teenage Holly
- Ari Larson as Teenage Peter
- Kaily Smith as Brenda
- Norris Cashman as Train Conductor
- Scott Whitney as Train Engineer
Production
Candace Cameron Bure stated in an interview that she decided to do the film because of the simplicity of its story and that it, according to the actress, grabbed you by the heart.[1] Filming took place in Chester, Vermont, in June 2008.[2] A lot of fake snow had to be brought in to make it seem like it was winter.[1] Bure said that the cast and crew had fun filming a Christmas film in the summer.[1]
According to Bure, the film sparked Tom Arnold's departure from his sarcastic comedy roles.[3] In an interview, she told she enjoyed working with Arnold, calling him a 'comedic genius'.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 Candace Cameron in an interview for WOOD-TV, November 2008.
- 1 2 "Moonlight & Mistletoe: Candace Cameron Bure gets in the spirit with MOONLIGHT & MISTLETOE.". TV Guide. November 26, 2008. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
- ↑ Kinon, Cristina (November 28, 2008). "Candace Cameron Bure returns to family TV for Hallmark's 'Moonlight and Mistletoe'". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 2009-12-24.