Apple Mortgage Cake

Currently showing on Amazon Prime UK.

You know when you get something on Amazon and it arrives and you think “that’s not what I ordered!”. Apple Mortgage Cake is the film equivalent!

At the minute I’m trying to mix up my lockdown films with things that sound interesting and this did “single mom tries to save house by baking” kind of feel good story that we sometimes want.

I have two issues with the Amazon description, firstly claiming it’s a 2019 film when it’s from 2014 and then putting it in the Movie section, suggesting a cinematic release. Well it certainly isn’t that, it’s a no questions asked TV movie and not in a modern TV drama good way and nowhere near the quality you’d get from a modern Amazon or Netflix production.

All that said it doesn’t mean it’s terrible and if this was on Christmas 24 (there’s a lot of snow) or Hallmark (a lot of schmaltz) and you liked that kind of thing then this is perfectly acceptable TV movie fair.

It centres on the true story of Angela Logan a single mum in debt and arrears on her mortgage due to factors outside of her control, she has three boys and threat to foreclose on her house just days away. Even with those things going on around her she still gives to the community, volunteering at a Women’s charity and her much loved Apple Cake been the star of local bake sales.

It’s the cake that becomes her saviour deciding to use it as the cornerstone of a mega cake sale idea to raise the money to save her house. From there we find lots of familiar territory, the ups and downs of the enterprise, balancing her private life with trying to save her house and when all looks lost the local community all respond to years of her help by saving the day.

There is nothing to dislike, the story is an uplifting one and Kimberley Elise is fine in the central role, but it certainly lacks any of the cinematic quality you’d hope for, script is clunky and full of cliche, the scope of the film is limited, it’s over sentimental and schmaltz filled with the cheap TV score you’d expect, it even has those cut away scenes into which you’d drop the ad’s.

While it doesn’t offend there’s lots of better stuff on on-demand services than this and really it needs banishing off to the Hallmark channel where it will be right at home.