Just in time for Father’s Day, the Hallmark Channel is bringing you an all-new movie, “Operation Cupcake,” which features a serviceman attempting to rejoin his family in daily life after being away serving his country for so long.
In “Operation Cupcake,” Army Col. Griff Carson (Dean Cain) returns home from serving in Germany and has a two-month leave in which he must decide whether to finally retire while he is waiting to hear from a review board if he is being promoted to general. While becoming a general is certainly a top honor, Griff must consider the repercussions of being gone from his wife Janet (Kristy Swanson) and two teenagers, Kim (Galadriel Stineman) and Ollie (Alec Gray), for another extended period while on a new tour.
When Griff has a hard time adjusting to his new role as a civilian, his wife seizes the opportunity and asks him to help at her cupcake shop while she prepares to open a second venue. While an opinionated baker named Sheila (Donna Pescow) make Griff’s life hell at the shop, he has other things to worry about as his wife’s new sleazy business partner seems to be up to no good. The more he tries to help at the shop or at home, the less he feels like he belongs in either place. When he tries to run the cupcake shop in a military fashion, disaster strikes and nearly sends the business up in smoke. And things at home aren’t any better with a daughter who is showing interest in boys and a son who is missing out on his fatherly influences. As his life seems to be out of control, there are major decisions Griff must make — and at the top is finding a way to make his family whole once again.
“Operation Cupcake” lives up to the tradition of the Hallmark Channel and its standard of quality family entertainment focusing on touching stories that ring true to the heart while promoting valuable lessons and original stories. Part love letter to our troops serving across the world and part family drama, “Operation Cupcake” is a wholesome family story infused with valuable lessons to be learned – and it’s also quite entertaining.
It’s always great to see Dean Cain onscreen and in this film he embodies a true American hero and the struggles that come with the sacrifice of serving to protect your country and being away from your family. While he has all of the best intentions, he finds himself dissociated from his wife and kids and he is desperately seeking a way to reconnect.
The second side to the story is Kristy Swanson, who shows the other side of military life — the spouse who is left at home to raise the kids and keep the family dynamic alive. Her character has to be a strong, independent businesswoman while also trying to remain a relevant part of her children’s lives. I did find the business partner quite underhanded and sleazy and was wondering why she couldn’t see him that way, but every story needs a villain and sometimes when you’re so close to the situation it is harder to see things clearly.
Swanson and Cain have great chemistry and you can tell that they enjoyed making this film together, which makes it that much more gratifying to watch. The other character that I found fun onscreen was that of the sassy baker Sheila and all of her quips and insults to Griff. She helped to add the much-needed touch of comedy into the story that helped it attain such a perfect balance.
With “Operation Cupcake,” the Hallmark Channel has once again delivered a sweet movie that is so much more than just an average dessert, but a heart-healthy serving of content suitable for the whole family. Simply put, “Operation Cupcake” is a fun film for the whole family to enjoy together on Father’s Day weekend.
“Operation Cupcake” premieres on the Hallmark Channel June 16 at 8 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m, CT. To tide over your appetite until the premiere, you can check out the official website for the film or watch the promo trailer HERE.
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Dean Cain looks fat