Take Me Back for Christmas
Reviewed by L. Sue
The first Christmas write up of 2023- are we ready for
another season? Is one ever really ready for the holiday season, honestly?
Technically Take Me Back for Christmas came out in July, as part of Hallmark’s Christmas
in July campaign. But what with the writers and actors strike limiting content,
a topsy turvy world driving me crazy, I could use the comfort and figured why
not watch one. You know, ease my way into the Christmas Movie season, that starts
in just a few weeks anyways. Pause as it sinks in, another year almost over. I
have it on good authority that time and tide wait for no man.
So let’s break it down people- the set up. Renee, played by Vanessa
Lengies who we loved in the short lived Turner and Hooch tv show and her
husband Aaron (the much in demand Cory Sevier who also directed this, he’s an
old pro at these things) live in some suburb, living their safe, boring, if
sometimes a struggle-bus life working dead end jobs that bring them no joy.
Renee appears to work in a Christmas store, not sure if it is open year-round
and/or adjusts for the different holidays throughout the year, but she puts up
with a boss who won’t retire because she is promised the manager job if/when
the old man retires. Renee’s bestie is Tasha, who works with her at this store,
but is more ok with her situation because she likes living in the suburbs in a
menial job, because work doesn’t define her. She’s also pregnant, so maybe
enough life changes going on to really question her career choices. During a lull
in the Santa pictures line, the Elf asks Renee and Tasha to come and let Santa
know their Christmas wish. Tasha wants a healthy birth, can’t argue with that. Renee
declines, she isn’t a believer. But never underestimate the power of Christmas
Magic! The Magic Elf gives Renee a bell, tells her to make her wish when she’s
ready. That time apparently is at the end of her work shift, as she’s alone to
close up the store, and her beat up clunker car won’t start. It is at this
point that doubting Renee, in an act of desperation rings the magic bell and
wishes…for a different life.
Because this movie is 84 mins, we are limited to snapshots of
what Renee and Aaron’s life was before they moved back to her hometown. We
learn that they had lived in the city for 3 months, but Renee gave up the
excitement of the city to take care of her sick mom before she passed. They
still live in her childhood home, something about Renee’s mom not wanting to
sell the house. An asset which could
help pay off the mountain of medical bills mom left behind. Renee wakes up
after making her wish in a swanky NYC office, a million miles away from the
Christmas Store. Apparently she runs a frozen meal company, comfort food with a
twist. She’s totally confused about what’s going on, someone at the swanky
office called Jerry (of Swallows and Chase fame from Pretty Hard Cases…yeah I watch
way too much tv) is pushing her to get the numbers turned around…or the Europe
expansion won’t happen and the threat of layoffs. A rather well dressed, if overwhelmed
and confused Renee asks for more time (reasonable request under these
circumstances) and goes to what appears to be an upscale place in the city,
which looking at it questions what job did she have in past life, and wow those
medical bills really took a financial toll man…Turns out NOT her place, it is
however Aaron’s place. In this magic world, they broke up several years ago,
only further adding to Renee’s awkwardness. But she’s nothing if not
resourceful, she leans into Aaron’s assumption that she’s there for an old
DVD…which she takes and she leaves. But wait…Magic Elf isn’t done messing with
Renee just yet. While rewinding the craziness she’s seen (I like how the basis
that she’s in a different city than she started seems to be overlooked, or
maybe I just missed that basic issue but that’s not what this movie is here
for) who should stop by the office but her mother. Yes, that mother who had
passed away leaving pile of medical bills.
Renee tries to ask the Magic Elf questions, like why did she
and Aaron break up? But apparently this magic doesn’t work that way, she’s
gotta ask the questions of the people in question. Renee attempts to circumvent
this by asking her Mom why Aaron and her broke up, learning that it was her
decision to go on a break, because so much was happening with the then start up
frozen food company and she needed to focus her attention on that. I think she
also wants to ask her mom how and why she’s here, but that was deemed too strange
…and this version of mom isn’t even sick. With the encouragement of her bestie
Tasha, who in this universe is working at a diner making some mean hot
chocolate and her Mom, Renee concocts a plan to win Aaron back. Turns out Renne
hadn’t ever really considered a life without Aaron despite whatever hardships existed in Earth
Prime. How hard could it be to get back with Aaron?
Mind you, at no point is Aaron asked about his thoughts on
this, but we know enough to know his opinion is meaningless. Turns out there is
no third party, there is no new man for Renee to get rid of or girlfriend to
break up with Aaron, just them getting over their past. Step one of Renee’s
plan is spending time with Aaron, as he’s agreed to be the chef to help come up
with a Christmas dinner menu that will be delivered fresh, not frozen. And for
every box sold, another will be donated to a family in need, which is the
company pitch that will get Renee the European Expansion. I’m no business major,
and while I appreciate the sentiment and the ethics behind what the company is
doing…it doesn’t make money sense as it will be costing the company more…but
again, not the point. There is montage of them skating and playing hockey,
something that this world Aaron has given up spending more time as co-owner and
chef of his own restaurant.
To my and Renee’s amazement, her plan seems to be working.
They are spending time together, the business plan despite my lack of
understanding seems to please Jerry and the rest of the higher ups in the
frozen food company. Renee even gets to help out Aaron who turns out had to
temporarily close his restaurant because of a lost supplier. What’s ruining the
economy? Say it with me people- supply chain issues. Aaron is told working with Renee is just a
temporary arrangement, it’s only for the Christmas box and only until Christmas
Eve. When all the Christmas boxes shipped, his part is done. Which gets him
thinking about his future, and his decision is to sell his shares in his restaurant,
go back to his home in Pennsylvania, and reset. Apparently being chef and co-owner
wasn’t exactly the dream he thought it was, and aside from cooking the
Christmas box dinner for Renee, cooking hasn’t been very fun for him lately. To
which, in what seems a spur of the moment addendum to Renee’s plan she offers
him a permanent job as Chef at the food company. Which now that the European
Expansion is on, surely, they have the budget to hire a new chef?
But that is where the soft break occurs, this universe Aaron
waited for Renee before when she was building up the business, and she didn’t
come back then and he doesn’t want to be the same fool waiting for her now. At which
point, Renee has learned her It’s a
Wonderful Life/ A Christmas Carol lesson and what really matters. The Magic
Elf tells her it’s time, this temporary glimpse of the fabulous life she
dreamed of is over, she’s going home. That means back to Aaron, but that also
means no Mom. But Mom does have some last parting words, that home isn’t a
place but the people. Turns out Mom if Mom lived, she was going to sell the
house and travel the world. This gives Renee the blessing she needs, to sell Mom’s
house and pay off the medical bills and send Aaron to cooking school. Renee is
done hiding, and letting life pass her by. Sure some things will be hard, her
and Aaron may stumble in their future endeavors, but she’s done being scared.
She quits the job at the Christmas store…and lives happily ever after with
Aaron, because that is really what the Christmas movie season is all about-
love. Family. Togetherness.
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