Apr 20

Apr 20 'Spring Fever' movie review: 'Easter Under Wraps'

It's kind of surprising that it took Hallmark so long to make an Easter-themed movie - but thankfully "Easter Under Wraps" (airing April 20 as part of the Hallmark Channel's Spring Fever) is a sweet treat.

In short: The owner of a family-owned chocolate factor sends his daughter Erin (Fiona Gubelmann) to secretly work undercover at the chocolate plant to find out why sales are down. There she meets head chocolatier Bryan (Brendan Penny), who is frustrated as the company ignores his plans to revitalize the chocolate line.

The plot is quite similar to last year's Christmas bakery themed "Christmas in Love," (where a CEO works undercover at his family's bakery), however, this Easter-themed flick takes more time and care in its protagonist. Her ups and downs working on the chocolate line keep her story entertaining, but its heart remains firmly in Erin's goal of jump starting her family's business. Watching the city marketing pro initially struggle in the trenches keeps the movie light - but watching her grow is the strength of "Easter Under Wraps."

Admittedly, this pushes the romance between Erin and Bryan as a secondary plot thread - but it never feels like a b-plot. Instead, "Under Wraps" smartly uses the blossoming relationship not as a film's main focus, but as an element that increases the stakes. Erin's secret identity forces some slapsticky moments into the film - but the movie keeps it to the minimum. Its greatest value is in adding tension between Erin and Bryan, as she becomes conflicted between keeping up the ruse and deceiving her love interest.

For his part, Brendan Penny gets to chance to shine as an earnest but ignored leader with some exciting ideas. He exudes genuine excitement for his job and his concepts - and that just makes his frustration all the more relatable.

"Under Wraps" values family and tradition, where a stagnating company must rediscover what made it great in the first place. While the film joyfully humanizes the company by rooting the story in the people working at the factory - it also broadly paints the competition as cartoonishly thin. The rival candy company is represented by a pair of laughably interchangeable, douchey characters who wear matching outfits, with similar Bluetooth headsets.They're so transparently soulless that at point, there's even a joke about how easy it is to forget their names. For as much care goes into developing the family-run chocolate company, the "rivals" are just another group of throwaway, forgettable empty suits.

Other Hallmark films have used this basic plot outline, however, "Under Wraps" gives its protagonist with a real challenge - and the story gives her room to really think her way out of the dilemma. Gubelmann is afforded a character who really wants to help save her family's legacy - which makes Erin a lead character easy to root for!

Final verdict: "Easter Under Wraps" is a warm delight of a romance powered by a plucky performance by Gubelmann and enthusiastic turn by Penny.