Catering Christmas Plot Summary
A young caterer who is just getting started in her career meets a handsome photographer when she is hired to work a Christmas gala.
Starring: Merritt Patterson and Daniel Lissing
My Movie Grade: A+
Image: Great American Media
Why Are Fans Loving Catering Christmas?
With so many romcoms saturating the market across multiple networks, it's becoming increasingly challenging for a movie to stand out from the rest of the competition. Fans have seen it all. Repeatedly.
To meet audience demand for festive and cozy romance movies, many networks are sacrificing quality in the pursuit of quantity, and it's becoming hit-or-miss whether a movie is well-received by fans or not.
Catering Christmas is well-done on every level. Even though the plot of a caterer trying to make a name for herself is not new, the attention to detail throughout the script is solid, and each character is well-developed. There are no tacked-on scenes that don't make sense, no mismatched pairings, and nothing far-fetched. From beginning to end, the story is cohesive and believable.
What a difference veteran, seasoned actors make! While networks have no choice but to test new talent to fill movie roles, the lack of experience from amateur actors nearly always shines through onscreen. Patterson and Lissing are familiar faces who have long earned the respect and love from an established fan base. They are both professional, natural, and obviously capable of generating the type of chemistry viewers want to see.
Great American Family (GAF) promises to deliver stories about American traditions and culture, and Catering Christmas does just that. GAF honors the military by including Thomas, a veteran whom Molly visits to purchase spices. The movie embodies the American Dream of working hard to achieve goals: Molly devotes herself to growing her business, Carson rises to the pinnacle of success in his photography career, and Mrs. Harrison and Robert work tirelessly to make the community better through the family's foundation. Achievement comes through grit, determination, and labor--not entitlement.
The Harrison Foundation operates the community center, which provides structured opportunities and experiences for all the youth who come there for childcare, and when Carson visits the center for the first time, it changes his mind about taking a more executive role in the family business. There's an underlying message in this: when you "love your neighbor as yourself," it generates deep satisfaction.
I also love that Molly is vindicated with her chief competitor, Bradford Bros Catering. While she's still struggling, Leo tries to rub Molly's nose in his company's success, but she doesn't retaliate. She keeps smiling and wishes him well. Later, when Molly's success at the foundation's gala causes her business to boom, Leo suggests they join forces, which she graciously declines. The lesson here is when you do the right thing, it boomerangs. There are rewards when we trust, have faith, and are kind to those who don't deserve it.
Food Is Attached to Memories
If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that everyone loves to eat! Christmas is the time of year where there is never a lack of specialty treats, and the delicacies featured in Catering Christmas are so beautiful and well-presented.
Mrs. Harrison can be a little difficult to please, but Molly never stops trying. Molly is doggedly determined to recreate the Christmas Walnut Fudge recipe Mrs. Harrison's grandfather used to make when she was a child--a treat that reminds her of a happy time. Molly bases the entire gala's menu on food being more than just food when it is attached to memories.
What foods unearth memories from your past? Share them in the comment section of this blog post!
Like Mrs. Harrison's grandfather who had an heirloom recipe that was never written down, my grandma also had a cookie recipe that was uniquely hers. As a child, I loved bouncing into her kitchen, drawn by the hint of nutmeg in the air from a batch of her specialty cookies baking in the oven. When they cooled, she placed them in a large, chipped crock where they would stay fresh and moist. As I grew older, I asked her to help me write down the recipe, but she grappled to pinpoint the exact measurements. Her senses were involved in making the cookies turn out so perfectly, which meant tweaking and adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that as necessary. Grandma has been gone for a long time now, but I haven't given up trying to perfect her recipe. I've never nailed it completely, but I now come close enough that when my mom and I bite into them, happy memories of grandma flood our hearts.
Great Advice
Robert is a fun character played by Michael Hanrahan, whom you may remember as "Willard" from
Royally Wrapped for Christmas. He's managed the Harrison estate for years and fallen in love with Mrs. Harrison along the way. Although Robert hopes Carson will take the reins of the foundation, he shares this very wise kernel of advice:
Everyone wants to know that what they do, matters. It gives our life meaning, but it's up to you to determine what that should be.
Image: Great American Media
What gives your life meaning? It's a thought-provoking question that adds another layer of substance to the movie.
Molly's brother also counsels her on the three "C's" of healthy relationships: 1) communication, 2) commitment, and 3) compromise.
It's wonderful to watch a movie that is not only delightfully entertaining but includes depth. Bravo, Great American Family!
I loved this movie too! -Maria
ReplyDeleteMy Dad's homemade spaghetti sauce. Nothing written down but my sister wrote down what she remembers and I tweaked it. I think of Saturday mornings growing up when its simmering on the stove.
ReplyDeleteAll my thoughts about this movie echoed wonderfully in this blog.
ReplyDelete