Pure Window Dressing
Sloan Van Doren (Chyler Leigh - The 19th Wife) has her eye on becoming the head window dresser at McGuire's department store as she loves the McGuire tradition of the holiday displays. But whilst the position has become available she finds herself with a rival in Jake Dooley (Paul Campbell - Once Upon a Holiday), a less than serious display designer whose laid back manner is the complete opposite of Sloan's. In order to chose, their boss decides they should compete in creating two new seasonal window displays every week in the lead up to Christmas and who ever attracts the most positive attention will get the position permanently. Forced to spend time together Sloan and Jake start to get on but then there is Sloan's pompous boyfriend, Kenneth (Cameron Mathison - A Christmas to Remember), who can't understand why Sloan wants the window dressers job so badly and would rather just use his family contacts to get her the position without her having to prove herself.
Within seconds of "Window Wonderland" starting two movies struck me; the first was "Mannequin" with Andrew McCarthy playing a window dresser and the second was "Lover Come Back" which features Doris Day and Rock Hudson as advertising rivals who compete for the same account but end up falling for each other. In fairness "Window Wonderland" reminded me of a whole lot of other movies and as such for the most it is a generic, typical Hallmark romantic comedy where you know how it is going to end up before the movie has even got going.
But whilst 90% of "Window Wonderland" is purely typical it is entertaining in an easy to watch manner. And then there is the other 10% which includes the fact that both are lead characters are defined character types, one driven the other laid back, but once they get to know each other learn they both have hidden depths and secrets. Plus there is an added layer of cuteness with the stores old janitor being sweet on the cleaning lady but neither has dared to say anything to each other.
What this all boils down to is that "Window Wonderland" is a pleasant, little seasonal distraction of a movie which doesn't deliver anything new when it comes to romantic comedies which are made for TV but if you enjoy seasonal TV movies it will most likely make you smile.
Tags: TV Christmas Movies, Christmas Movies
