Candace Cameron Bure is back in an all-new Christmas movie. As one of the main Hallmark Christmas Queens, Bure stars in If I Only Had Christmas, advertised as a Christmas spin on a classic favorite, The Wizard of Oz. The movie follows Darcy Gale (Bure), a publicist, who finds herself working for the Emerald Education Trust, a charity that provides kids with the educational tools they need to succeed. It is there that Darcy meets Glen, played by Warren Christie (The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, anyone!?), the VP of Communications for Emerald. As the two work together to bring the charity up to its full potential, they realize they may have more in common than they thought. The only problem is that Glenn is not who he says he is and it’s not long before Darcey realizes that everything she needs is right at home.
When I heard that this was going to be a story with The Wizard of Oz playing prominently throughout the movie, I was really excited. As some of you may know, I’m somewhat of a fan of the Judy Garland movie (scratch that, a HUGE fan), so I was ready to be happily entertained with this one. Unfortunately, it took a while — at least halfway through the film — before we’re given any hints as to how Oz was incorporated within the story. The characters themselves were plays on the original favorites. With Glenn, a man who is not who he says he is, as the Wizard, and the employees at Emerald Education Trust, Jackie Crow (the Scarecrow), Bridget Tinsley (Tin Man), and Riley Lions (the Lion), we get some "subtle" hints there. There’s also Darcy GALE herself who is given a pair of ruby “slippers,” a.k.a. heels, as a gift for a Charity Gala, plus her finally coming to terms that “there’s no place like home," that makes it all hit home. However, aside from all the fun easter eggs (which hit you on the head, they're so obvious), why The Wizard of Oz was used as a theme for this movie is a mystery to me.
The story itself was somewhat dull. At some points, I wasn’t sure if Darcy was volunteering her time at Emerald Education Trust or vying for a job there. On top of that, there’s was Glen’s whole “secret identity,” thing going on that really didn’t make any sense. Maybe if he just bumped into Darcy casually, I could see him not wanting to outright say who he was or what he did, but when it comes to the employees of your own company, why are you hiding your identity? In fact, with the amount of scrutiny Glen, a.k.a. William Austin, was under for how he handled taking over his father’s legacy, his identity would definitely be known, at least by his own employees.
If I Only Had Christmas had its cute moments and while it’s not my favorite Bure movie, it still manages to hold its own. Bure and Christie are great on screen together and watching them fall in love is at least one reason to tune into this whimsical Christmas movie. While I’m pretty positive we’ll see Bure again next year, I sincerely hope Christie comes back as well. I absolutely loved him in The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and would love to see him in the Hallmark Christmas line-up again next year.
What did you all think of the movie? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
***I do not own this photo.
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