Bad Dad

This movie. I really shouldn’t have liked anything about it. It starts out with the couple in question hanging out celebrating early Christmas in a luxurious apartment in midtown Manhattan that had to have cost at least $10,000 a month. The guy is in “marketing” and comes from a normal family so there is no way. It is very common in Hallmarkland that people live in homes that are way too expensive for their means but this was more absurd than usual. Later in the movie the guy actually comments that they are going to find a bigger place! They are in love and she is going home for Christmas to be with her family. They are serious about each other and when he suggests he go home with her (his parents are traveling) to meet her parents she joyfully jumps at the chance. And so it begins. Her mother is the mayor of the small picturesque town and her father is the pastor of a local church. Loved the mother. We know we are going to have trouble with the father because Celeste, our heroine, tells Jason, our hero that he has trouble with “change”. When they once got a new couch, it was 6 months before he would sit on it. I think that was supposed to be funny, but I found it very disturbing. When we see him talking to his assistant pastor who once dated Celeste, he confides that his daughter just gave up her apartment and quit her temporary job so he has every expectation that her Christmas visit will extend to infinity and beyond. He also invites him to come over that night, hoping that their romance will rekindle providing extra incentive to move back home.

When Celeste shows up with (surprise!) Jason, her mother welcomes him warmly, the father is polite but reserved. At dinner that night, the coolness continues (So where were you thinking of staying tonight, Jared?). When Celeste learns that her beloved church will be going through renovations, she is heartbroken because her dream had always been to be married in the building she grew up with. All of a sudden, Jason gets down on one knee to propose marriage so they can be married this very Christmas Eve in the church of her childhood memories even though they have only known each other for three months. In front of her parents he has just met without even a ring or any discussion with anyone. Jason is a person of impulse. Dad is not happy, but he remains calm. Mom is thrilled. Next on the agenda, if they want her Dad to officiate, is his “Marriage Boot Camp” that he puts all his prospective brides and grooms through to determine whether they know each other well enough to have a chance at a successful marriage. The series of challenges, games, tests, questions etc. that Pastor Dad puts the couple through sucks up most of the rest of the movie along with some wedding prep. Of course, Dad hopes that they will realize that they shouldn’t be getting married so soon and best case scenario, break up for good. But they pass them all with flying colors.

Now make no mistake. Pastor Dad was just awful throughout this movie. He was childish, petulant, overly possessive of his daughter, selfish, and rude. But he had enough flashes of reasonableness and niceness here and there to keep him from being a complete villain. So he didn’t ruin the movie for me. Honestly, he didn’t seem like much of a threat, because no one was on his side, including his very nice assistant pastor, especially when Jason’s sweet parents show up unexpectedly. His wife was certainly not and she was a force to be reckoned with.  Also that couch thing seems to suggest that he had some psychological problems that may have been beyond his control. Also, I kind of saw his point. Three months is too soon for marriage, especially considering how spur of the moment it was.  I thought the couple was really cute and I really liked both of them. The boot camp that was meant to drive them apart only made their relationship stronger. Liked that too and the increasing frustration of the Dad.  He finally crossed the line when he overheard his daughter accept a dream promotion in New York City from her old boss which meant that she definitely would not be moving back home. He really loses it at last and for some reason blames Jason which made no sense. What followed was a dressing down by both his wife and his daughter until he was thoroughly ashamed of himself.

The ending was kind of lame. Because he was so preoccupied with breaking Jason and Celeste up, he ignored a leak in the church ceiling, which caused the roof  of the church to partially cave in. The whole purpose of the quicky wedding was to do it in the church so now the wedding was off. Is it possible that Pastor Dad subconsciously ignored the leak so that this very disaster would happen? Hmmmm. Nah. Hallmark’s not that subtle. Having had a change of heart and all, in three days the good pastor “rallies the townspeople” and arranges for the wedding to take place in the local country club. A better ending would have been for them to get married in the church anyway with heavenly sunbeams shining through the accidental skylight upon the happy couple. Or even a light dusting of snow falling picturesquely around them. That would have been a lot more Hallmarky.