I really enjoyed CHRISTMAS CUPCAKES. The actor playing the uncle has some very funny lines. I think at one point he said something like "A bird in the bush is worth two in the hand", or something like that. The actress who plays the old lady steals the whole film in my opinion. She was brilliant.
20 Reviews
Perfect if you like a minimal amount of Christmas in your Christmas movies!
howie1410 December 2019
A cute, low budget Canadian film led by the always pleasing Cindy Busby and Erin Karpluk trying to keep their father's struggling bakery open. Diana-Marie Stolz, who I had never seen before, has a nice turn as an old lady who regularly buys Remo Bakery's egg bread. I also never recognized Heartland's Social Services officer Clint (Greg Lawson) as the pompous Chef Paolo until I looked him up here.
One word of warning, if you are looking for Christmas feels, this isn't the film. Except for a couple of minor references, this film could have been set at Labour Day for all it mattered.
One word of warning, if you are looking for Christmas feels, this isn't the film. Except for a couple of minor references, this film could have been set at Labour Day for all it mattered.
Cute movie
dragonmistress22 December 2020
I like it !
Kirpianuscus21 December 2019
I am not fan of Christmas films. For many reasons, from cliches to the cheesy romance. But this film represents an exception. First - for the performances of Diana - Mary Stolz and Greg Lawson. For Italian veil , from the curse to the bread. For the seductive irony about cooking contests and for the cpooking ideas. Short, just a beautiful film. About family and cupcakes and about the small joys defining us. So, a "I like it! " with nuances to "I love it !".
Winter escapism
donnaguinivan14 December 2021
Very undercooked cupcakes
TheLittleSongbird27 July 2023
Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of primarily Lifetime, UPTV and Hallmark amongst those other companies. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. To be honest, expectations were low for 'Christmas Cupcakes'.
Films about cooking and food have been done very entertainingly and charmingly before and since 'Christmas Cupcakes', but am less keen on film centered around any form of competitions. Due to most of them doing nothing new with one of the oldest settings and formulas for films from Hallmark, Lifetime, UPTV or similar and prone to cheesy, overwritten writing. Also because of being a non-fan of Cindy Busby, for me she has a tendency to overact and has played many annoying, unrootable characters that are not too dissimiliar to each other in most of her work.
2018's 'Christmas Cupcakes' does nothing to change my mind on either count, it's actually one of those films that epitomises and reinforces why they don't work. There are plus points, do agree that the uncle is a fun character who has some very amusing lines. He is also the best acted character, the enthusiasm being obvious throughout without being overdone.
It looks quite nice too, particularly the scenery. It starts off quite promisingly.
Busby however does not look comfortable and also tries too hard, once again her character irritates. Erin Karpluk also doesn't look comfortable but has the opposite problem of Busby in that she underacts to phoning in effect. The rest of the cast, in stock roles that give them practically nothing to do, look as if they didn't know what they were doing or like they didn't want to be there. Found it really difficult to care for any of the characters, with them being so underdeveloped and with few redeeming merits. Also didn't detect much chemistry with Busby and Karpluk, they don't come over as sisters with the same goals and instead come over as rivals.
The film does go overboard on the bickering and hostility that is so cartoonish and mean spirited that it was mean spirited. There is a lot of awkwardness in the dialogue and there is a lot of cheese and little effort to develop the characters or any of the relationships. The story starts off with promise, but too early becomes very thin and formulaic with no surprises and very little going on. Once there is more focus on the competition, which is emphasised too much, the film's plotting is practically non existent and lacking in variety. There is no charm or heart and it all feels so bland.
Summing up, very weak and under-cooked. 3/10.
Films about cooking and food have been done very entertainingly and charmingly before and since 'Christmas Cupcakes', but am less keen on film centered around any form of competitions. Due to most of them doing nothing new with one of the oldest settings and formulas for films from Hallmark, Lifetime, UPTV or similar and prone to cheesy, overwritten writing. Also because of being a non-fan of Cindy Busby, for me she has a tendency to overact and has played many annoying, unrootable characters that are not too dissimiliar to each other in most of her work.
2018's 'Christmas Cupcakes' does nothing to change my mind on either count, it's actually one of those films that epitomises and reinforces why they don't work. There are plus points, do agree that the uncle is a fun character who has some very amusing lines. He is also the best acted character, the enthusiasm being obvious throughout without being overdone.
It looks quite nice too, particularly the scenery. It starts off quite promisingly.
Busby however does not look comfortable and also tries too hard, once again her character irritates. Erin Karpluk also doesn't look comfortable but has the opposite problem of Busby in that she underacts to phoning in effect. The rest of the cast, in stock roles that give them practically nothing to do, look as if they didn't know what they were doing or like they didn't want to be there. Found it really difficult to care for any of the characters, with them being so underdeveloped and with few redeeming merits. Also didn't detect much chemistry with Busby and Karpluk, they don't come over as sisters with the same goals and instead come over as rivals.
The film does go overboard on the bickering and hostility that is so cartoonish and mean spirited that it was mean spirited. There is a lot of awkwardness in the dialogue and there is a lot of cheese and little effort to develop the characters or any of the relationships. The story starts off with promise, but too early becomes very thin and formulaic with no surprises and very little going on. Once there is more focus on the competition, which is emphasised too much, the film's plotting is practically non existent and lacking in variety. There is no charm or heart and it all feels so bland.
Summing up, very weak and under-cooked. 3/10.
They don't know math!
mkk-038133 December 2020
In the second round, Remo Bakery got 10-8-8 and they showed 29, when it is really 26. When the announcer was wrapping up the competition round, he said Bake It Til You Make It got all 9s, which would be 27, but they showed 29. This time they got Remo Bakery correct with 26. Bad editing job!
Less romance, more satire.
reedme101822 November 2019
This started out as this sweet little movie about two sisters trying to save their family bakery and their moms house after their father's death. And then they entered a baking contest led by someone like "the most interesting man in the world", except as the judge of a baking show. It was absolutely ridiculous and I loved it.
Not my cup of tea
Jackbv1236 January 2020
Or to use a metaphor more appropriate to this movie - not my flavor of cupcake.
This movie hit all my negative buttons, so take my review with a grain of salt. I hate cooking contest shows. I hate the premise where where the protagonists have to win a contest to save the bakery. (It's a little like counting on the lottery.) I don't care for this style of humor which heavily uses vicious sniping and melodrama. It's a matter of personal preference.
Is this a Christmas romance movie? It barely touches on Christmas. And if you measure by screen time, the main romance is with the bakery rather than between Gina and Nick. Even the sisters' relationship takes up more than Nick and Gina.
I anticipated the ending to the contest, if only by a bit. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
This movie hit all my negative buttons, so take my review with a grain of salt. I hate cooking contest shows. I hate the premise where where the protagonists have to win a contest to save the bakery. (It's a little like counting on the lottery.) I don't care for this style of humor which heavily uses vicious sniping and melodrama. It's a matter of personal preference.
Is this a Christmas romance movie? It barely touches on Christmas. And if you measure by screen time, the main romance is with the bakery rather than between Gina and Nick. Even the sisters' relationship takes up more than Nick and Gina.
I anticipated the ending to the contest, if only by a bit. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Loved It!
dalesimmons0413 November 2019
Could have been something, ended up nothing
Tiny T28 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Normally I'm a sucker for christmas movies so you really doing something bad if you managed to turn my back on a movie in the first 15 minutes. This year is no different then the last 2 years when I started to pick up on this special segment of movies. Up to 20 movies in different variaties so not bad at all. And then I ran into this one. On top it seems promising. Center of attention is a cupcake bakery, surprisingly the best in America, in transition to the next family generation by the early demise of the last remaining parent, the father. Ofcourse the siblings first has to get in line by overcoming there differences of which the job of one of them is the major. Her company apparently gave her the afternoon of for the funeral, which was allready a wake up call I missed. A couple of scenes later we see her on her job in conversation with her cocky boss about finishing up for the holidays. And out of the blue in the conversation the boss adds that this should be the last time she lets her personal live interfere with her work. After her surprice responce if she means the untimely death of here father the boss stone could answers yes, the company is her family so they can't be bothered by these personal issues. Completely unnecessary for the movie and therefor plain lazy from the director to creat a break in the working relationship. And that does it for me, I expect a minimum respect to do a half bad effort of making a believable sequence of events. Not here so I pass.
laughably bad
tfgyhmv19 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I knew this movie would be bad before it started; it reeks of the Hallmark Channel. First off, what the hell is egg bread? That was quite obviously challah, and the woman who suggested it also seemed to be a polish jew; it doesn't quite sit right with me how they refused to acknowledge that and she only celebrates christmas. Secondly and more importantly, the plot is awkward and characters appear/disappear out of nowhere. Where is the mom for half of the movie? Why did we only learn about Gina's ex and daughter after they randomly walk into the bakery? And for being a romantic interest, that one guy is extremely forgettable (hence me not remembering his name). On a sidenote, the characters' motives are fuzzy. Why would the other bakers enter the baking competition if they had already won before? what would they get out of that? on the topic of the baking show, it's extremely unrealistic despite being the only enjoyable part of the movie. i liked how the competition was almost satirical; however, the humor got more and more awkward as the movie went on. Lastly, the characters seem to be extremely sensitive. i couldn't tell what half of the minor conflicts in the movie were started by because characters get mad over nothing. Also there's absolutely nothing that warrants the main character being the main character; she's so lackluster and boring. what exactly is special about her? yet again, i don't remember her name.
if you made it all the way down here, thanks for reading. i love being overly cynical and analyzing movies.
Wow ... just really stupid
toncincin25 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This movie started out OK - but then became a cooking competition show. It completely lost its story about a third of the way in. A cute story about two sisters deciding to run their recently deceased father's bakery ... one of them meets a cute guy ... and then takes an immediate right turn into something totally different. I felt like I was watching one of the bad baking challenges on that food station (won't say the name - but we all know which one). The unnecessary comments by the judges - just cringeworthy. I'm not a huge fan of Cindy Busby - but she deserves better than this. Erin Karpluk (from Being Erica) does too. Just a bad movie ...
Great!!!
kenishaliyanage21 March 2020
Cartoonishly Bad and the Good Actors Can't Save It
jazznu16 December 2019
First, let's address the rating here on because I hate when this happens. There's no way it is legit, it has to be from people who were part of the making of it or who have friends that were. I've watched a ton of TV movies of this variety on Hallmark, Lifetime, ABC Family/Freeform, ION, etc. I never judge these movies like I do a Hollywood film, I give them a lot of room to be corny but entertaining. This one is just bad. It aired on UPtv in the US and their movies are not as watched as the others, but they do okay. And somehow, this movie that premiered on that channel in mid-November 2019 has about 3 times the number of ratings as two actually good movies and one so so one that premiered on their channel in 2018. And those other movies have familiar actors in the cast as well, actually ones that are more famous, so that can't be the difference. So, just take this rating with a serious grain of salt.
So the movie - it's just cartoonishly bad too much of the time. The uncle who is a good actor who has been in plenty of primetime shows over the years as a guest star and a few of these TV movies is forced to use an accent that is just terribly fake and completely unfortunate. It's a chore to get through his scenes and yet the overall character is one that could easily be lovable. And his is not the only bad accent here. There's overacting or flat out bad acting from almost every supporting actor here, but especially after the cooking competition begins, and is about 2/3 of the movie. They've just made entirely too many characters into caricatures for reasons unknown. I mean, I know they think they've made the competitions portion into a comedy, it just isn't being pulled off well by everyone involved. Not to mention, the attempt to go comedic came out of left field.
The only reason I didn't give it one star is because of the cast. While I'm not the biggest Cindy Busby fan (Hallmark movie regular), she's really not the problem here, the material and direction are. I am a big fan of Erin Karpluk from her Being Erica days, and she deserves better. And so does Kristian Bruun from Orphan Black. There are some decent parts to the movie because of them, but not enough to make this decent.
Things that didn't affect my rating, but are good to know. This isn't a actual Christmas movie, just a convenient title for the time of year. And if you're looking for romance, opt for something else, as one barely exists here, I'd put it somewhere around the 4th storyline of the movie. That's not a knock, I don't think they ever claimed it would be a romance. This is a dramedy about two sisters trying to save their family bakery and entering a competition to get the funds to keep it open. Everything else is secondary.
If you try it and like it? Great, to each his own. But do not stick with it if you don't and keep thinking there has to be something here to have such a good rating. It's based on smoke and mirrors.
So the movie - it's just cartoonishly bad too much of the time. The uncle who is a good actor who has been in plenty of primetime shows over the years as a guest star and a few of these TV movies is forced to use an accent that is just terribly fake and completely unfortunate. It's a chore to get through his scenes and yet the overall character is one that could easily be lovable. And his is not the only bad accent here. There's overacting or flat out bad acting from almost every supporting actor here, but especially after the cooking competition begins, and is about 2/3 of the movie. They've just made entirely too many characters into caricatures for reasons unknown. I mean, I know they think they've made the competitions portion into a comedy, it just isn't being pulled off well by everyone involved. Not to mention, the attempt to go comedic came out of left field.
The only reason I didn't give it one star is because of the cast. While I'm not the biggest Cindy Busby fan (Hallmark movie regular), she's really not the problem here, the material and direction are. I am a big fan of Erin Karpluk from her Being Erica days, and she deserves better. And so does Kristian Bruun from Orphan Black. There are some decent parts to the movie because of them, but not enough to make this decent.
Things that didn't affect my rating, but are good to know. This isn't a actual Christmas movie, just a convenient title for the time of year. And if you're looking for romance, opt for something else, as one barely exists here, I'd put it somewhere around the 4th storyline of the movie. That's not a knock, I don't think they ever claimed it would be a romance. This is a dramedy about two sisters trying to save their family bakery and entering a competition to get the funds to keep it open. Everything else is secondary.
If you try it and like it? Great, to each his own. But do not stick with it if you don't and keep thinking there has to be something here to have such a good rating. It's based on smoke and mirrors.
An offensive movie that isn't even about Christmas.
doctorsmoothlove15 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Perhaps I will one day watch a passable made-for-tv Christmas picture from UpTv. Today, I didn't when I decided to watch Christmas Cupcakes. As with many others of this channel, this one lacks a story and actors who are coherent. It isn't all bad. The picture indulges us with some intention camp in the final segment in which the main characters participate in a Christmas Cupcake competition. "I swam across rivers with crocodiles fleeing rebels in my country, but even that pales in comparison to the adversity you have overcome" is a real line of dialogue in this picture!
Two sisters whose names are irrelevant inherit a bakery from their late father. We assume he is an Italian immigrant. His brother is named Mario and speaks like the most stereotypical sitcom Italian man ever. This film has a real problem with vocal stereotypes. An elderly woman comes in with a vaguely Eastern Europe accent and crocodile man speaks with one too.
The bakery is in trouble. Dad had more enthusiasm as a baker than business acumen. He is in a lot of debt. The sisters decide to enter a reality TV bakeoff in order to raise $100,000 and pay off his corporate debts.
Does any of this sound Christmasy to you? It doesn't as I wrote it and that's because this is this picture has the least to do with Christmas of any picture with Christmas in its title.
The sisters have very little backstory. The viewer has the impression that the two actresses were chosen due to their different hair colors. Since one is blonde and the other brunette, you can remember who each one is. Cindy Busby and Erin Karpluk may be good actors in other films. Here they are entirely stiff and joyless. Erin's impersonation of a "Russian Spy" to check out a competitor is the most racist caricature you'll see on TV this season.
The picture is perversely enjoyable in the sense a car accident is. Sometimes you keep watching just to see what else could happen. Definitely not worth going out of your way to record like I did.
Two sisters whose names are irrelevant inherit a bakery from their late father. We assume he is an Italian immigrant. His brother is named Mario and speaks like the most stereotypical sitcom Italian man ever. This film has a real problem with vocal stereotypes. An elderly woman comes in with a vaguely Eastern Europe accent and crocodile man speaks with one too.
The bakery is in trouble. Dad had more enthusiasm as a baker than business acumen. He is in a lot of debt. The sisters decide to enter a reality TV bakeoff in order to raise $100,000 and pay off his corporate debts.
Does any of this sound Christmasy to you? It doesn't as I wrote it and that's because this is this picture has the least to do with Christmas of any picture with Christmas in its title.
The sisters have very little backstory. The viewer has the impression that the two actresses were chosen due to their different hair colors. Since one is blonde and the other brunette, you can remember who each one is. Cindy Busby and Erin Karpluk may be good actors in other films. Here they are entirely stiff and joyless. Erin's impersonation of a "Russian Spy" to check out a competitor is the most racist caricature you'll see on TV this season.
The picture is perversely enjoyable in the sense a car accident is. Sometimes you keep watching just to see what else could happen. Definitely not worth going out of your way to record like I did.
There's nothing sweet about this TV Christmas movies
taniaboyt31 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Seriously, this film has to be the worst Christmas film. Ever. The acting by the main actresses wasn't too bad but the Uncle's Italian accent was just awful. Were there no real Italian actors available in Canada?? The film was padded out by the contest judge's verdicts and the film could have easily been 30 minutes shorter. I tried so hard to like this movie but it was simply awful.
The Worst!!!
esmudn9 December 2020
Casting was terrible! Not a believable Italian family at all! Do your homework next time! These main characters didn't look Italian at all and Uncle Mario's accent is horrible! Such an insult to those of us that are Italian
cupcakes
sandcrab27722 November 2020
This really bad film smacks of a female romantic comedy filmed in canada ... in what world do cupcake bakers get a hundred g's to partially pay off their debts ... the producer, writers and director have zero experience in making films yet alone baking bread or cupcakes ... this very far fetched film fails from the first scene ... corey loranger meets his love of his life and all he can do is fall on his face ... blah
Overall A Bad Movie
greylikegrass11 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Everything about this movie was horrible from the accents to knowledge of how a cooking competition works. The two worst things about this movie were the uncle's Italian accent, and the fact that they made bread with a glaze for a CUPCAKE competition and the judge told them the problem was that they made a glaze and not a frosting. The problem should have been that they made BREAD and not a cupcake. I finished it, but it was Not A Good Movie.
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