Holiday in Handcuffs (TV 2007)

A struggling artist working as waitress kidnaps one of her customers to bring home and meet her parents at Christmas.

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writer:

Sara Endsley

Stars:

Melissa Joan Hart, Mario Lopez, Timothy Bottoms

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melissa Joan Hart	...	Gertrude 'Trudie' Chandler
Mario Lopez	...	David Martin
Timothy Bottoms	...	Dad Chandler (as Tim Bottoms)
Markie Post	...	Mom Chandler
June Lockhart	...	Grandma
Kyle Howard	...	Jake Chandler
Vanessa Lee Evigan	...	Katie Chandler (as Vanessa Evigan)
Gabrielle Miller	...	Jessica
Layla Alizada	...	Lucy
Cedric De Souza	...	Taj
Marion Eisman	...	Mrs. Barber
Karen Hines	...	Maria
Maureen Jones	...	Barbara
Marty Hanenberg	...	Mr. Portnoy
Matt Embry	...	Slick Guy

Storyline

Would-be painter Gertrude 'Trudie' Chandler loses her waitress job and boyfriend Nick on Christmas Eve - her only shot not to feel like her family's black sheep. To replace the ideal son-in-law with even hunkier dream-prince, David Martin, she kidnaps him at gunpoint to attend the family holidays in a secluded luxurious log cabin. Crazy lies prevent David from convincing the Chandler family he's not Nick and from escaping. After finally passing a rescue call to his spoiled fiancée, David decides to play the perfect catch to make her undoing worse. Before the police rescue him, he and the family realize they adore each other, the others all prove imperfect, and David and Trudy reassess their relationship after getting to know each other.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | waitress | father daughter relationship | sister sister relationship | abduction | 

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Taglines:

She's bringing home the perfect boyfriend...even if it's a federal offense

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Family | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

ABC Family [us]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lebilincselő karácsony

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alberta Film Entertainment, Hand Cuff Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 120 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie became the highest viewed broadcast in the history of ABC Family with 6.7 million viewers and adults 18 to 49 (a 2.4 rating).

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Goofs

The movie is set in a cold, winter climate but the store where they stop to buy gas only has a screen door on the front.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Trudie: [narrating] I'm not crazy. I'm a long way from crazy. Doing one crazy thing does not make a person crazy, though I have to admit this isn't how I expected to be spending my Christmas... and I'm sure it's not how David Martin planned on spending his.
[to David who is walking down a snow-covered road in the middle of nowhere]
Trudie: So, you've been walking for what, about an hour? And you've gone exactly 1.8 miles and the nearest gas station is 20 miles away - you do the math. Look, why don't...
[...]

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Connections

References The Shining (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Sleigh Ride"
Produced by Martin Blasick
Performed by Rebecca Poole

User Reviews

Well worth a look

This movie actually has a well-made feel to it, like when everybody knows what they're doing and it's not just a studio spewing out TV fodder. MJH is always watchable, and there's a solid supporting cast.

The Christmas theme is not over-cooked and there isn't too much vomit-inducing schmulzt (is that a word?) apart from one scene involving some fairy lights and ice skates.

All the characters are solid and well-rounded, except perhaps David Martin who is a little too male-model for it to be believable. This doesn't really spoil it, however.

There are some genuinely funny scenes, notably the Christmas dinner, edging just on the right (moderate) side of farcical. The characters are likable, the story has a warmth to it, and there a zillion worse Christmas rom-coms with far bigger budgets. So, well worth watching.