Lauren Holly and Cameron Bancroft star in this original UP movie. Abby Houston (Holly) is a famous author. When she visits Bliss, Mississippi, she discovers an entire town with one thing on their minds – getting a wife for their beloved mayor (Bancroft) whose wife passed away several years ago leaving him to raise their two children.
While Abby is there to promote her new book, she gets caught up in the scheming of the townsfolk to match the two up, at least for a date. It seems everyone has only one thing on his or her mind, and that is playing matchmaker for the mayor. And with a successful, single, beautiful, charming, and intelligent author in town, what a great match that would be.
The owner of the B&B, Charlotte (Valerie Harper), is filled with wisdom for Abby, and also helps alleviate the big-city frustrations of Abby’s publicist Jamie (Lucy Guest) who finds rural life rather boring and is always looking for a spot where she can use her cellphone, rarely with good luck.
Meanwhile, Abby is soaking in all the calmness of Bliss, making her, yes, blissful. I couldn’t help that. You know it had to come out sometime! Anyway, Abby is happy in Bliss, even with the pressure to date the mayor, whom she is definitely attracted to. The mayor is, well, a little klutzy but also charming. With the entire town scheming, they set up a date in a restaurant where most of the town also goes that night to keep an eye on the couple. Needless to say, this would be intimidating for anyone, but the two take everything in stride. Actually, they do make a great couple, but are they ready to be matched up?
While the town is busy putting the two together, Abby also must attend to her business, which includes a town meeting and book signing. Abby is so popular, even her most ardent fan Walter (Toby Hargrave) follows her to town for her book signing. This guy is obsessed with the author, and at each signing he buys a stack of her books.
So, things are rolling right along for Abby Houston, with the comfort and support of Charlotte and the matchmaking plans of the town. But there is one thing they didn’t plan on. I won’t spoil what happens, but you know in the end things are going to work out all right. After all, this is a movie for UP, a network that brings us “Uplifting Entertainment.”
Hillary Clinton wrote a book titled It Takes a Village. In this case, it takes a town. And that’s the town of Bliss. The Town That Came A-Courtin’ is fun for the entire family. It premiers Sunday, January 19, 2014 on UP.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet: The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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