Christmas CEO is an interracial Christmas story. The movie was directed by Jonathan Wright, and it starts with the lovely Marisol Nichols as Chris. She was in the recent saw entry Spiral with Chris Rock.
The movie also features the handsome Paul Greene as Joe. And he was in a series called When Calls the Heart. We also have Barbara Lee Harris, who’s a longtime African-American actress, and she was recently in Station 19.
Christmas Whitaker, or Chris, is the owner of her own toy company, CJ Toys. Joe works at his father’s toy hospital repairing toys, and he also runs the local toy drive to help kids in need. She and Joe grew up together as best friends and sweethearts but haven’t seen each other since Joe left the company abruptly after a disagreement about the direction of the toy company they founded, and she hasn’t seen him in seven years.
Plot & Review
After being offered a merger with the top toy company and the chance to be the CEO of both companies, she finds out she has to get her ex, Joe, to sign off on the merger. But Joe wants her to see why making toys is more important than making money.
So Joe proposes to sign the merger if Chris volunteers for the Christmas Jamboree for Toys for Tots. Joe wants to use the time together to rekindle their love, and Chris wants to get a big promotion. So, can Joe rekindle his relationship with Chris, the love of his life? Will Chris follow her dreams? Hey, is that the real Santa Claus Chris keeps running into? As we know all well, that ends well.
So, what did this movie get right? Yeah, it was OK for a Hallmark movie. It was well-acted, and it had a positive story. I liked the chemistry between Chris and Paul. Kathleen’s character was one of the best parts of the movie. I thought the dialogue she and Chris had about the sacrifices one makes to run a corporation was realistic, and I thought this one was okay for the entire family.
But this movie disappointed me a bit, and the ending bothered me a lot. The Ending felt very old-fashioned and sexist. I wanted her to have her dream and work it out with him. So what do I recommend it? Not really. I felt like it was an OK movie, but it lacked a modern take on working women, which I didn’t appreciate.
Filming Locations
The images that Paul Greene posted on Instagram show that Christmas CEO was shot in and around Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Filming took place over 16 days, starting on September 24, 2021, and ending on October 9, 2021.
Greene was updating the fans with his multiple posts and numerous Instagram stories as the filming was taking place. He went so far as to disclose the exact hour that filming started, which was 7:00 AM. In the same video, Paul disclosed that they were shooting in Ottawa, and Marisol, the co-star of the film, disclosed that she was working on a Christmas movie.
Ottawa served as the primary location for the Hallmark film’s principal photography. Several key scenes were filmed in Downtown Bank Street. The members of the “Christmas CEO” cast and crew were seen filming a few scenes at Westboro and the Savoy Brasserie.
Ottawa, which is close to Montréal, is among the Great White North’s most intelligent cities. It has a multicultural population that is diversified and is home to immigrants from all over the world. The area is recognized for hosting worldwide music festivals, but it also serves as a production hub for movies and TV shows. Numerous films, including “Two for the Win,” “Homemade Christmas,” and “Fit for a Prince,” were filmed in Ottawa.
This film, which was directed by Jonathan Wright, was also partially filmed in Almonte. The producers may have selected Almonte as a second filming location because of its close proximity to Ottawa, the primary location for production. For the film, St. L.G. Lee & Sons, which was originally situated at 36 Mill Street, underwent a complete makeover to become Sullivan Antique and Collectibles.
Furthermore, the film team also used other areas of the city. The actors and crew wore masks and adhered to all safety protocols to keep everyone safe on the set because the Hallmark film was filmed during the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
