It’s never too early for a holiday movie, especially when it spotlights a favorite destination for Minnesotans.
“A Wisconsin Christmas Pie,” airing 7 p.m. Saturday on Great American Family, was shot entirely in Door County in March and April, with plenty of references that will delight those who have visited the picturesque area a six-hour drive from the Twin Cities.
The movie, originally titled, “A Cherry Pie Christmas,” has a plot that will be familiar to anyone who thinks cable TV movies are as vital to the yuletide season as Santa Claus and pine trees. Emma Parker (Katie Leclerc), a big-city chef, must decide if she’ll give up a lucrative job to save the family business in her cozy small town. There’s a hunky, sensitive love interest (Ryan Carnes), super-supportive parents and lots of baked goods.
What makes the film stand out is that is was shot in Wisconsin instead of Canada, where the majority of GAC and Hallmark flicks are shot for tax-saving purposes.
Henriksen Fisheries, Lautenbach’s Orchard Country and the Hillside Waterfront Hotel provide the setting for key scenes. Director John Stimpson also used Novel Bay Booksellers, Old Bell Tower and the Anderson Dock shed where graffiti is encouraged.
“I used to think this was the most magical place on Earth,” Parker says as she admires the blinking ornaments at the Tannenbaum Holiday Shop.
For a pie bake-off, hosted by Midwest Living, signs in the background promote Vacationland Farm and the Lake to Lake Dairy Cooperative, while former Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green pops up as a tasting judge.
“Don’t let the friendliness and fresh air overwhelm you‚” Parker’s dad says, one of the many lines that sell the area as a winter wonderland.
The only barb comes when Parker can’t believe her ex-boyfriend did some early-morning fishing in the “eyelash-freezing, bone-crushing cold.”
“Pie” is already available for streaming on Great American Pure Flix and can also be watched on GFAM+ starting Saturday night.