Undercover Christmas (TV 2003)

Workaholic FBI agent Jake Cunningham fears his case against investment fraudster Scott Shift may not stick without the testimony of cocktail waitress Brandi O'Neill, who naively believed to... See full summary »

Director:

Nadia Tass

Writer:

Darrah Cloud

Stars:

Jami Gertz, Shawn Christian, Tyne Daly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jami Gertz	...	Brandi O'Neill
Shawn Christian	...	Jake Cunningham
Tyne Daly	...	Anne Cunningham
Winston Rekert	...	Joe Cunningham
Tom Rooney	...	Jerry (as Thomas Rooney)
William S. Taylor	...	Bert Monroe (as William Taylor)
Cameron Bancroft	...	Scott Shift
Diana Chaplin	...	Zelda
Joe Norman Shaw	...	Vince Tiso
Darren Lucas	...	Barry
Brian Copping	...	Butch
Stephen Hair	...	Stan
Paul Dunphy	...	Reporter
Sandra Redmond	...	Brandi's Mom
Tim Koetting	...	Judge Koetting

Storyline

Workaholic FBI agent Jake Cunningham fears his case against investment fraudster Scott Shift may not stick without the testimony of cocktail waitress Brandi O'Neill, who naively believed to be more then Scott's latest throwaway flirt. Jake is tricked by his ma to spend Christmas with his 'badly ill' dad, judge Joe Cunningham. Jake never visited his family in years, so he passes off Brandi as his steady date. She insists to stay, and like ma enjoys the posh - working class seasonal culture clash. Things get grim again when dad discovers Jake is undercover and sympathizes rather with the corrupt Shift family's lawyer Stanley.

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Plot Keywords:

cocktail waitress | fbi agent | christmas | workaholic | judge | 

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Taglines:

Where is the perfect place to hide your star witness? Mom's house. So much for peace on Earth.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'amour en cadeau

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alberta Film Development Program of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The, Carlton America, Galloping Girl Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Jake Cunningham: Why do I even try?

User Reviews

A likeable piece of Christmas fluff

Although this movie strives very hard to promote peace and good will, it is spoilt by the unbelievable storyline. The cast does its best against the odds, but even the greatest optimist in the world knows that life is not really like this.

Still, it is an entertaining concept - and if you can accept first the unlikely premise and second the fact that the "happy ending" is achieved by making almost all of the characters go against type - then I recommend it just for the feelgood ending. I must admit that I only watched it because of Tyne Daly (who still has the ability to command the screen) - and have to also admit that it hooked me to the degree that I only started to question it all after it was over.

A good way to muster up the spirit of Christmas - what more can we ask?