Myna's Magical Christmas Cookies

LA - Sammi D, blonde and 21, happily skips from store to store in Beverly Boulevard. She poses for selfies with some eager fans. She climbs into a limo and requests to be taken to a bakery for cookies and shares it with her driver. She is in awe of the cookies and wishes she could bake cookies that good. The limo pulls into a gated mansion with many workers are busily setting up holiday decorations in and outside of the house. An assistant takes Sammi’s packages while Sammi finds her mother Judith, a famous actress supervising the decorating for her annual televised Holiday sing-along. They have an affectionate, but seemingly strained relationship. Sammi is shown creating a video for her popular YouTube channel. Michigan – Andy, mid 20’s is eating breakfast in a lovely farmhouse in Michigan. He works in the family business, auto repair, and listens politely as his mother tries to help him find a woman to date. Not that he needs the help; he prefers to be alone at this time of his life. He happily volunteers to go help a woman whose car will not start. He helps her and won’t accept payment. LA - Judith’s Holiday special is in full swing. During a break, Judith tries to set up Sammi with some men when Sammi gets a call from her agent about a meeting for a very sought-out role. Sammi’s limo pulls up to the red carpet and she arrives to the glitz and glamour as well as the media’s glare. An Entertainment Tonight-type reporter interviews Sammi and we find out that her and her rival, Hannah, are both up for the same award as well as sharing the same agent. The reporter mentions a role they are both up for, the heroine of a huge bestselling book. Sammi plays coy, saying that they are friends, and it doesn’t matter who gets the role. Michigan – Andy is at a bar and complains about the award show. The bartender knows the reason and changes the channel. LA - At the award show, to Sammi’s disappointment, Hannah wins the award. Days later, Sammi, agent Kyle Bronson and director Gordon Winston are in Kyle’s office waiting. Someone is late. Hannah bursts through the door carrying her award, coffee, and a cigarette. They discuss the role in question, which both women want badly. Neither wants the supporting role in the same movie, they both want to star. Hannah points to her award and says she won’t screen test for the role; she has lived the hardship the role requires while pointing out that Sammi has grown up with a famous mother and lived her life in luxury. A deal is struck; Sammi will live on her own, get a job and pay her way for three months and not let her identity be known. If she completes this, the role is hers. Sammi changes her look, packs her clothes, and arrives in Kyle’s office. She pretends to be an assistant, looking very different from the glamorous woman on the red carpet. She’s now a brunette and impresses the people at the meeting. She turns in her credit cards and gets cash, her ticket, and maps. Her agent secretly gives her a black AMEX and she’s on her way. Michigan – Andy and his mom are looking at a house that Andy may buy. LA – Sammi is having troubles at the airport and is miserable waiting in lines. She’s only flown private or first class. Her seat on the plane is coach and learns there is free alcohol. Michigan – Sammi arrives in Detroit with a pile of luggage. She now uses her birth name, Mary. She piles into a bus taking people to the rental cars. When the bus arrives at her car, it covered with snow. It snows in Michigan the driver says also stating that she never leaves her seat during her shift. Sammi asks the driver what she does about going to the bathroom. The driver simply states depends. Depends the product or depends on the situation? Sammi is confused. Sammi, now in rural Michigan, stops for gas on the way and has trouble, not having ever put gas in a car. Tired, she stops at a run-down motel for the night. Inside she asks about room service. The clerk deadpans that chef has left for the evening, which she believes. He suggests a hot dog/Slurpee special at the convenience store up the road. The next day she dreams aloud of Starbucks while drinking bad motel coffee and drives past snow covered fields. She impatiently waits behind an Amish family in a horse-drawn carriage then passes them. She losses control and crashes into a snowbank. The Amish family kindly gives her a ride to an auto repair business. Andy pulls her car out. She offers to buy him a drink. He’s non-committal. She finally arrives in the small town is turned down at the local Bigmart. She’s shown getting turned down for job after job. She walks into a small general store and is hired by an old couple, Myna and George Emery, who own the store. They inform her they are trying the sell the store so she may not have a job long. She takes the job. She is shown learning how to work the register, put stock away. The next day Andy arrives at the store reminding the Emery’s that he will be over to put up their lights tonight and is especially excited about getting the first batch of Myna’s Magical Christmas Cookies. Myna offers Sammi an apartment above their garage. Myna explains that the farmhands had lived there and it’s empty and cheap. Later that evening Andy helps Sammi move into the small apartment. At work she has a run-in with a couple local girls, who make fun of her for working there. One of the girls, Emily, was Andy’s high school girlfriend. Sammi makes up a story about being in the witness protection plan because she witnessed a murder. The girls believe her. The scene she describes is from one of her movies. She goes to a local bar for drinks that night and meets Rod, the bartender, who has heard about her. Word spreads fast here. The two girls from the store also arrive at the bar. They see and confront Sammi escalating the feud. Sammi finds out there are rumors about her being in rehab. The next day Sammi and Myna are making boxes for those famous cookies. Myna explains that the cookies started from her mother-in-law who started making them in the depression for the impoverished children. During her lunch break, Sammi sees Rod at the diner and has lunch with him. Andy comes in to pick a large order for the guys at work. Rod tells Sammi about Andy. Andy was an Ivy League banker with lots of money and an actress girlfriend. On the day he was going to propose, her caught her with another man. He quit his job, packed up and came home. Back at the store, George gives Sammi her first paycheck. Later that night Sammi is back at the bar cashing her paycheck. A karaoke contest is going on and Emily is onstage singing very badly. The song ends and Sammi grabs the Santa hat from Rods head. She tells Andy that Emily is really going to hate her after this. Sammi is called to the stage. She sings Santa Baby like a pro and the audience loves it. Sammi is in a laundromat attempting to wash clothes. She overfills the machine with soap and a woman injures herself, slipping on the wet, soapy floor. Sammi, Andy and the Emery’s attend the annual Christmas tree lighting in the town square. Andy tells Sammi about the Emery’s generosity to all the townsfolk and their inability to have children. Later, back home, George is asleep, and Myna tells Sammi about her life, she was a city girl who moved there with George because she couldn’t live without him. Andy starts introducing Sammi to life outside the city, teaching her ride a horse, ice fishing, cross country snow skiing. The attend a town sing-along. They are falling for each other. They meet his parents and their small farm. She likes the life they have and the commitment his parents have for each other. Sammi and Myna finish making the cookie boxes. Sammi asks if she can help Myna make the cookies. Myna is delighted when asked and off they go to make cookies. Sammi learns how to bake and is delighted with the delicious results. Later that night George has a stroke and is rushed to the hospital. The next day Sammi and Andy visit George and Myna in the hospital. George can’t speak so Myna asks them to do a few things. Sammi texts her mom and agent telling them she won’t be home tomorrow. She must get a few things done before she leaves. He says she’ll lose the role and miss Christmas. She says she’ll take the supporting role. The next day Andy is going over the Emery’s business ledgers. It’s not good. They are broke. They have been giving out free food to those in need to this day. Sammi has an idea, they are going to bake cookies and raise money for the Emery’s. They spend the night making cookies and wake up laying together on the couch. Sammi puts a sign on the door of Emery’s Market that the cookies can be picked up at the bar at 3:00 pm. Emily, Andy’s ex is watching TV and sees the specific scene Sammi described in the market. She replays the scene. She has proof. Sammi and Andy are at the fundraiser when Emily comes in and tells the assembled crowd about Sammi’s deception. Sammi rushes out of the fundraiser, Andy close behind. They are both crushed by the events and Andy drives off. Sammi tries to apologize but Andy is resistant. Sammi goes to the hospital and asks the billing office to pay every bill with her AMEX card. She then goes to Myna and gives her a cellphone. Sammi tearfully says she must leave. Myna understands and tells Sammi that she was the daughter they never had. LA – Sammi gets home with her cookies in hand. Her mother asks where she got them. Sammi says she made them. Her mom is impressed. They make plans to meet in Hawaii. Sammi contacts Rod who says Andy is still angry. Surprisingly, Myna texts Sammi that George is doing better, and she has learned to text. Michigan – Rod tells Andy that Sammi are paying all the Emery’s bills and bought their store. LA – Sammi is LAX searching for the gate for her flight to Hawaii. Below the flight is another flight. To Detroit. Seated in coach, she flies to Detroit. Michigan – Sammi completes her purchase of Emery’s market. She goes to a convenience store. The cashier excitedly recognizes her. Sammi asks her for a favor. Soon Andy’s tow truck arrives. After an awkward pause he smiles at her. In a church pew, Myna is clutching a bible and wipes away a tear. A priest comes up to her and says how great George looks. She smiles at him. Suddenly there is music. It’s the wedding march! The camera turns to the back of the church where George is walking Sammi down the aisle. Andy stands proudly at the alter. One Year Later: Sammi and Andy sit on the couch, Sammi nursing their newborn baby. They are watching an award show and announce that she has won the award but cannot be there because she's happily playing mommy in an undisclosed location. A drone view visits the small city and stops on the former Emery’s Market. It is now become Myna’s Magical Christmas Cookies.