Holiday Engagement (2011)

Afraid to tell her family she's been dumped, Hillary hires an actor to play her fiancé during a four-day Thanksgiving weekend at her parents' house.

Director:

Jim Fall

Writers:

Barbara Kymlicka (story), Charlotte Clark-Gamache (story) (as Charlotte Gamache)

Stars:

Bonnie Somerville, Shelley Long, Jordan Bridges

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bonnie Somerville	...	Hillary Burns
Shelley Long	...	Meredith Burns
Jordan Bridges	...	David
Sam McMurray	...	Roy Burns (as Sam Mcmurray)
Haylie Duff	...	Trish
Carrie Wiita	...	Joy Burns
Chris McKenna	...	Jason King (as Chris Mckenna)
Edi Patterson	...	Sophie
Christopher Goodman	...	Peter
Jennifer Elise Cox	...	Woman in Bridal Store
Sam Pancake	...	Julian
Susie Castillo	...	Lindsay
Michael Monks	...	Father Macy
Sam Horrigan	...	Surfer Dude
Roy Jenkins	...	Boring Man

Storyline

Thirty-something Hillary Burns has spent her life trying to get the approval of her parents (most specifically her judgmental mother, Meredith Burns) thus far without success. Part of that approval for Hillary is to marry the right man. That's why Hillary is so happy she is engaged to successful lawyer Jason King, whom she will bring home to meet the family for the first time at their Thanksgiving get-together weekend in a week's time; however, Hillary's life starts to fall apart when simultaneously she loses her part-time newspaper writing job (when the newspaper itself folds) and Jason dumps her to focus on his career (which is seemingly more important to him than Hillary). On the advice of her best friend Sophie, Hillary - who feels she can't go home without Jason (especially as her two sisters' lives seem to meet their mother's approval) - decides reluctantly to go to an online dating site to find someone to pose as Jason for the upcoming family weekend. She finds David, an actor ...

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Plot Keywords:

deception | actor | thanksgiving | wedding | lawyer | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Holiday Engagement

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Johnson Production Group,Tim Johnson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Trisha Burns (Haylie Duff) has a sister named Hillary (Bonnie Somerville). In real-life, Haylie Duff has a younger sister whose name is also Hilary.

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Goofs

In one scene, David says that they drove Hillary's Jetta instead of his (Jason's) Tesla to save mileage on the Tesla, but Hillary's car is a Passat, not a Jetta.

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Quotes

Hillary Burns: [seeing the family house filled with people] Oh, my god. I thought you said this was family only.
Meredith Burns: Well, I didn't want the whole town to think that you were going to be a spinster forever.

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Soundtracks

Gloria in Excelecis Deo (Angels We Have Heard on High)
Sung by Bonnie Somerville, Jordan Bridges
(Scene at Hillary's parents' home, while the family is trimming the tree)

User Reviews

Great Movie - Great Chemistry and Performances

Jim Fall has created a winner with Holiday Engagement. From the casting to the story to the chemistry of the leads and the cast, this is a great holiday movie. The cast does a great job and both Bonnie Sommerville and Jordan Bridges have a connection that is warm and comfortable. Jim Fall's nuanced use of music and creativity in some of the scenes and story line are really exceptional and the dialogue is interesting. Wish we could see more of his films. This movie quickly became a holiday favorite for us. Naturally, these movies aren't designed for in-depth analysis of plots so those reviewers who have commented on those aspects appear to have unrealistic expectations.

Watch Holiday Engagement for what it is. A sweet, charming, interesting little movie that will live up to its goal: to make you feel good.