'The Enchanted Christmas Cake' Review: Warm but half-baked Lifetime holiday treat
Lifetime has a knack for treating the viewers with a variety of projects, but the network is particularly known for its Christmas films. With the holiday season approaching, the network has come out all guns blazing with some of the most highly anticipated films of the year.
The network has already come out with several holiday movies like ‘Blending Christmas’, ‘Christmas Movie Magic’ and ‘A Fiance for Christmas’ which have already made the season of Christmas so much special. However, one movie that has nabbed all the attention in recent weeks is none other than ‘The Enchanted Christmas Cake’ and it’s surely going to make your Christmas a lot more delicious.
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The movie revolves around a woman named Gwen (Erica Durance) who has just lost her grandmother and is now struggling to keep their bakery operational. The bakery was known to make Christmas Enchanted Cake that was also named “Love Cake” by people and their bakery was named in the list of top 5 bakeries in the US. However, the bakery loses its steam when Gwen’s grandmother dies and she doesn’t know the recipe for the enchanted cake. So, when a high-end chef comes to town to film a Christmas special, Gwen reluctantly agrees to help the producer Gavin (Robin Dunne) prepare for the shoot to help support the bakery.
The premise of the movie is really interesting and the way the makers have mixed the spirit of Christmas with food is something that’s really adorable. However, when you feel that movie is going smooth and it’s only going to get better from here, it falters. The biggest problem with the movie is its writing. Some of the scenes have been written exceptionally, but in others, we feel that the movie is being dragged for no reason at all. Luckily, the performance by actors saves the movie from being completely unwatchable.
Erica Durance as Gwen is enchanting and she mesmerizes you with her impeccable acting skills. As Gwen, she is sweet, strong-headed, and perfectly suited for the character. She is the heart of the movie. Meanwhile, Robin Dunne as Gavin is amazing as well in his role. Initially, he looks worried when he approaches Gwen for the recipe of the Enchanted Cake. However, he is more confident as the movie moves forward and Dunne completely owns the screen till the end of the movie.
One actor who always puts a smile on your face is Kyana Teresa. She looks charming as Becky and impresses you with her brilliant acting. Paulino Nunes and Sarah Abbott have done extremely well in their respective roles and lend the movie some strength with their performances.
All in all, the movie could have been the biggest surprise of the year, but it falls a bit down due to its writing. However, there is enough juicy content for viewers to appreciate and the actors make you fall in love with the characters they play in the movie. It’s a worthy addition to Lifetime’s Christmas catalog, but it could have been much better if the writers wouldn’t have lost control over the script.