"Christmas Under Wraps" has a very different plot from the usual cookie-cutter Christmas romance films. And, the story is just far-fetched enough to be a fairy tale. There are signs and implications of Santa Claus at work here, which Dr. Brunell can't help but notice. Something like an elf flashes by then disappears. Some of the names are obvious plays on words -- the Holliday company... in Garland, Alaska. And, this remote small town or village in the wilds of Alaska all of a sudden taking on a huge work force for the holidays -- that come from where?
That's the last fairy tale implication. There's no commercial air service, and no trains of major highways to deliver the materials and haul out the goods. It's clearly not a FedEx or Amazon hub. Yet when Lauren Brunell gets to see the huge plant there's no sign of workshops or manufacturing, but a typical shipping distribution center.
It could have been more fun if developed for the fairy tale angle, rather than the middle of the road the plot takes. Is it Santa's headquarters, aka, the North Pole? Or isn't it? Then again, it's a story of young Dr. Lauren Brunell flying off to a rural area in Alaska to practice medicine. Does she use the vast Internet and available resources to check out the hospital where she's going to work? No, she would rather be surprised, along with the film audience, at her destination. Everything about the plot seems forced. Even with the characters that give some humor and a little interest, this movie lacks oomph. And, nothing is more fairy tale than Andy Holliday, whose dad owns the big Holliday Shipping Co. After two years working as an architect in Seattle, he moved back to Garland, 300 miles north Anchorage, to work as the town handyman.
That Andy and Lauren would wind up with romance isn't as far-fetched as the overall plot is, and the implied never-spoken-secret of the town. The characters of Birdie, Dr. Brunell's head nurse (played by Kendra Mylenchuk) and Wyatt, the town delivery boy (played by Jams Gaisford), are the best part of the film. Their obvious romance provides the best humor.
And, wherever the scenery was shot for this Canadian-made TV movie that was supposed to take place in Alaska, it looks like what I have seen in Alaska. I do wonder about the scene of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The figure of the green light etched in the sky seems manufactured. It doesn't resemble the borealis I have seen a few times in my life. I can remember my first time quite vividly. It was a late fall night in 1960 with college friends from atop a hill in northeastern Nebraska. We watched in awe for the longest time as wafting waves of blue, green, and red lit up and filled the sky.
Here are a couple lines from this film.
Andy Holliday, "You sure? You look cold." Dr. Lauren Brunell, "It's Alaska. Are there any other options?"
Andy, "If it'll make you feel any better, everybody's glad you're here, doc."
That's the last fairy tale implication. There's no commercial air service, and no trains of major highways to deliver the materials and haul out the goods. It's clearly not a FedEx or Amazon hub. Yet when Lauren Brunell gets to see the huge plant there's no sign of workshops or manufacturing, but a typical shipping distribution center.
It could have been more fun if developed for the fairy tale angle, rather than the middle of the road the plot takes. Is it Santa's headquarters, aka, the North Pole? Or isn't it? Then again, it's a story of young Dr. Lauren Brunell flying off to a rural area in Alaska to practice medicine. Does she use the vast Internet and available resources to check out the hospital where she's going to work? No, she would rather be surprised, along with the film audience, at her destination. Everything about the plot seems forced. Even with the characters that give some humor and a little interest, this movie lacks oomph. And, nothing is more fairy tale than Andy Holliday, whose dad owns the big Holliday Shipping Co. After two years working as an architect in Seattle, he moved back to Garland, 300 miles north Anchorage, to work as the town handyman.
That Andy and Lauren would wind up with romance isn't as far-fetched as the overall plot is, and the implied never-spoken-secret of the town. The characters of Birdie, Dr. Brunell's head nurse (played by Kendra Mylenchuk) and Wyatt, the town delivery boy (played by Jams Gaisford), are the best part of the film. Their obvious romance provides the best humor.
And, wherever the scenery was shot for this Canadian-made TV movie that was supposed to take place in Alaska, it looks like what I have seen in Alaska. I do wonder about the scene of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The figure of the green light etched in the sky seems manufactured. It doesn't resemble the borealis I have seen a few times in my life. I can remember my first time quite vividly. It was a late fall night in 1960 with college friends from atop a hill in northeastern Nebraska. We watched in awe for the longest time as wafting waves of blue, green, and red lit up and filled the sky.
Here are a couple lines from this film.
Andy Holliday, "You sure? You look cold." Dr. Lauren Brunell, "It's Alaska. Are there any other options?"
Andy, "If it'll make you feel any better, everybody's glad you're here, doc."