Operation Cupcake - Hallmark Channel Movie

MOVIE REVIEW

Operation Cupcake

Network: Hallmark Channel

Original Air Date: June 16, 2012
Fathers Day Weekend!

CAST:

Dean Cain ... Griff Carson
Kristy Swanson ... Janet Carson
Donna Pescow ... Sheila
Galadriel Stineman ... Kim Carson
Alec Gray ... Ollie Carson

PLOT:

Griff Carson comes home on military leave only to discover he has real trouble acclimating to civilian life. To help anchor her husband and give his life new meaning and direction, Griff's wife asks him to help her run her bakery. His new role won't be a piece of cake, but Griff refuses to give up and is committed to thriving in reclaiming his long-absent role as husband and father, of his family.

More...

When Army Colonel Griff Carson (Dean Cain) returns home from Germany on a two-month leave, he considers retiring if he doesn't get promoted to General. Being away on deployment has been hard on Griff, separating him from his wife Janet (Kristy Swanson) and two teenagers, Kim (Galadriel Stineman) and Ollie (Alec Gray).

With his kids growing up and his wife busy opening a second bakeshop with a slimy business partner, Griff suddenly feels he no longer fits into his own family. Hoping to give him a sense of duty, Janet assigns him to help run her quaint cupcake shop. At first reluctant, Griff starts to take a military approach to his new job, never expecting it to backfire. Soon the bakery is a war zone, and one final screw-up almost sends the place up in smoke. Frustrated, Janet threatens to cut him out of their lives for good if he can't adjust to civilian family life. Refusing to give up, Griff is determined to prove to his family he's ready to be a full-time father, or else face the lonely life of a solitary military man.

Movie Review:

First of all, this movie had great casting with the leads being great actors, Dean Cain and Kristy Swanson- portraying husband & wife - Griff and Janet Carson. And, I typically like both of these actors, however this movie was somewhat disappointing, at times.

The father, Griff, has just returned home from serving our country in the Army and his family greeted him home and then set about their lives, practically ignoring him. The wife, Janet, continually threw herself into her work - which completely absorbed her time - and left day after day, with a handsome, younger man, who clearly was flirting with her.

Griff kept trying hard to fit into his family while they seemed to keep pushing him away. My only resolve - was perhaps, other service men would relate to his treatment and this would make them feel better about how hard it is to fit back into every day life after serving far away from home.

Griff offered to help his wife, Janet, who was over-loaded with work, and found himself working with another woman, Sheila, (who also wasn't helpful) or alone, most of the time, in his wife's cupcake store - while Janet was busy building a new store in a new location. I found that to be unrealistic - to throw Griff from the battle field into making cupcakes in one day! Come on... wouldn't any normal bakery or cupcake shop have more than two employees and most people would get some training time, instead of being left alone to bake the cupcakes and serve the customers. That seemed unrealistic to me.

At the end of his Army leave, Griff had to decide between accepting a higher position or staying home with his family. The family begins to come around and begin to accept their father and husband back into their lives just as the decision is about to made.

This decision made me feel great appreciation for soldiers who have served our country again and again - and I am deeply grateful for their sacrifices, as well as their families.

I was also glad near the end of the movie to see Griff wearing a camouflage apron, instead of the pink one he had been wearing for most of the show. It was exhausting to see the lengths he went to - to try and help out his family, while they continually rolled their eyes, ignored him, put him down, etc... He deserved greater respect and time to adjust to family life... but as I stated above, perhaps many miltary men and women go through similar situations and this movie will be a help to them.

Please also read a great "Movie Review", by an Anonymous poster.



See or Skip:

See, if you have a loved one in the service.

This movie did NOT contain Sex, Language, or Violence. Married couple kissed and were seen sleeping in the same bed. Another man tried to kiss Janet - she stopped him. Griff thought that a backpack left behind by a customer might be a bomb. He had all the customers leave the shop. Some cupcakes burned causing a fire, that destroyed the cupcake shop.


*Images via: Hallmark Crown Media Family Networks
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