Hallmark Movies: Small Town Royalty Magically Celebrating Rekindled Love! - General Discussion

[luvthepros]

It is nice to see those familiar faces of actors who have been wonderful supporting actors now have a shot at the lead character.

 

[Joe Bacigaloop]

Hallmark always had a formula. Usually a former child star as the lead like Candace,  Lacey or  Niki DeLoach. Then a faded star from yesteryear as the Mom or Dad like Marilu Henner or Bruce Boxleitner. Add a Halllmark regular like Barbara Nevin and supporting actors like Peter Benson.

So I don’t know if they will promote supporting characters to lead. Most people stay in their lane.

It would be a good thing if they did providing they have enough charisma to carry a movie.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Joe Bacigaloop said:

Hallmark always had a formula. Usually a former child star as the lead like Candace,  Lacey or  Niki DeLoach. Then a faded star from yesteryear as the Mom or Dad like Marilu Henner or Bruce Boxleitner. Add a Halllmark regular like Barbara Nevin and supporting actors like Peter Benson.

Somewhat but they have deviated from that formula a lot. They also love singers, soap actors and broadway stars. A lot of their regulars do not fit the former child star category. 

They definitely want actors that have built-in fanbases but they are also successful enough that they don’t have to follow that formula which we have been seeing for years. Several Hallmark stables were not very well known when they started making Hallmark movies. Names we know really well are still virtual unknowns to people who don’t watch Hallmark.  

[bankerchick]

 

13 hours ago, Joe Bacigaloop said:

So I don’t know if they will promote supporting characters to lead. Most people stay in their lane.

I would use Kimberly Sustad as an example of someone who was a secondary character in several movies but is now a lead.  I think there might also be one or two others who have at least done one movie as lead (Debs Howard from Hint of Love comes to mind.) Whether or not it works out for them may remain to be seen.

I love Chris McNally as a totally hot guy, though I don't think he needs to spend a lot of time working on any acting awards speeches, so I am looking forward to A Tail of Love tonight.  Plus, the dogs are really cute.

[Joe Bacigaloop]

38 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I love Chris McNally as a totally hot guy, though I don't think he needs to spend a lot of time working on any acting awards speeches, so I am looking forward to A Tail of Love tonight.  Plus, the dogs are really cute.

Chris brings an easy calm vibe to the table and a built in audience with the WCTH fans. I just wish they didn’t pair him with a generic super thin blond. I would have loved to see him paired with a feisty brunette like Krysta Rodriquez from the recent “Just One Kiss” movie. 

[Bronx Babe]

14 hours ago, Joe Bacigaloop said:

 

It would be a good thing if they did providing they have enough charisma to carry a movie.

I'm yearning for a certain kind of offbeat charisma in these Hallmark roles but I doubt that will ever happen.

I realize that the male leads in particular provide chick flick wish fulfillment in terms of sex appeal but couldn't they cast someone like Bill Pullman (well, when he was younger) and not the Peter Gallagher type?  (referencing While You Were Sleeping again)

[Joe Bacigaloop]

I also really wish they would have some plus size actors as the leads. A forlorn hope since they only feature very beautiful very skinny people. I just wish they would feature some people who look like much of America.

I guess vaunted value of inclusion does not include my fellow Chubby-Americans.

[memememe76]

I think someone like Chrissy Metz would be wonderful in a Hallmark movie. 
 

I am wondering who from the 2000s or 2010s could become the next big Hallmark actor or actress. I think a couple of the Vampire Diaries actresses have done a few of these flicks. One of the Glee entertainers? 

[Joe Bacigaloop]

Actually Melissa Benoist formerly of “Glee” and “Supergirl” would be the perfect replacement for Candace. She gives off that wholesome friendly vibe that would be perfect for Christmas movies or romcoms.

[windsprints]

59 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

I think someone like Chrissy Metz would be wonderful in a Hallmark movie. 
 

I am wondering who from the 2000s or 2010s could become the next big Hallmark actor or actress. I think a couple of the Vampire Diaries actresses have done a few of these flicks. One of the Glee entertainers? 

Kat Graham did a Hallmark Christmas movie and a Netflix Christmas movie. She would be a good option. 

Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) has done a couple of HM movies. I'd like to see her in more. She was in My Christmas Family Tree in 2021.

[ECM1231]

9 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

I realize that the male leads in particular provide chick flick wish fulfillment in terms of sex appeal but couldn't they cast someone like Bill Pullman (well, when he was younger) and not the Peter Gallagher type?  (referencing While You Were Sleeping again

What? Bill was super hot in back in the day.I dare say hotter than Gallagher, he of the ridiculously bushy eyebrows. That scene in Sandra's apartment building, where he stands at the stairwell and looks at her.... swoon! 

Back to Hallmark. I wasn't familiar with Chris McNally as I don't watch WCTH.  He's a cutie. The best part about tonight's A Tail of Love movie was the adorable doggies!

 

[MerBearHou]

27 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

What? Bill was super hot in back in the day.I dare say hotter than Gallagher, he of the ridiculously bushy eyebrows. That scene in Sandra's apartment building, where he stands at the stairwell and looks at her.... swoon! 

Back to Hallmark. I wasn't familiar with Chris McNally as I don't watch WCTH.  He's a cutie. The best part about tonight's A Tail of Love movie was the adorable doggies!

 

Oh, I had the biggest crush on Bill Pullman just from that movie alone and that scene was swoon-worthy!  

Chris McNally is truly one of the most handsome guys.  His acting method is always a smidge stiff but I like him.  I loved him in the movie he did with Julie Gonzalo.  Brittany Bristow is another I like very much so I’m glad she got the lead in tonight’s film with the adorable doggies.

[Bronx Babe]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

What? Bill was super hot in back in the day.I dare say hotter than Gallagher, he of the ridiculously bushy eyebrows. That scene in Sandra's apartment building, where he stands at the stairwell and looks at her.... swoon! 

 

 

I didn't say it right -- I do most certainly agree that Bill was far hotter than Gallagher in WYWS!  I was trying to go into the mind of Hallmark, who would probably prefer a wooden Peter Gallagher type -- even with those hideous eyebrows -- than someone whose face has character and quirky charm -- that's Pullman for me! (and you!) 

51 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Oh, I had the biggest crush on Bill Pullman just from that movie alone and that scene was swoon-worthy!  

 

Me, too!  

I also love the "leaning" scenes.

[Bronx Babe]

I tried watching A Tail of Love, I really tried, but darn it, when the male lead mentioned the inevitable "pitch meeting", that was too much!  I had to switch over to Sven for Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man.

 

[Chippings]

I watched bits of A Tail of Love, but the word that kept crossing my mind was that it was just "tepid".  Not the actors' fault, just the writing / nature of the situations.

It was nice seeing Brittany Bristow doing a lead.  She's been the "best friend" twice that comes to mind (the ice skating women at the palace, and the 'Royal Matchmaker'). I do remember one other lead that she did -- the girl who hired an actor to act as her boy friend at Christmas, the 'issue' being that he was Jewish and a little uninformed on Christmas things.  She could carry a stronger story, certainly.

So I won't be taping this one for re-viewing (which I did do with Just One Kiss, by the way).  Not a tepid one.

[Cetacean]

5 hours ago, Chippings said:

I watched bits of A Tail of Love, but the word that kept crossing my mind was that it was just "tepid".  Not the actors' fault, just the writing / nature of the situations.

Bland, vanilla. boring.........and, as always totally predictable.  Nice dogs but also not the least big realistic.  It's not that easy to place dogs at the best of times.  

And can someone in the military just decide to turn down an assignment?  I highly doubt it!

[Bronx Babe]

Who doesn't love the doggies in these  productions, but I think they're just "throwing" them in there for the built-in chick squeal factor; you know what I mean -- women go crazy over cute guys who love adorable fuzzy animals.  The biological underpinning of this attraction -- that these men would make better husbands -- is used very calculatedly by Hallmark.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Bronx Babe said:

...women go crazy over cute guys who love adorable fuzzy animals. 

Or cats.  Or small orphaned children.  Calculating indeed.

And on a different plane could we, for the love of all that is holy, ditch the "beachy hair waves"?  I think one of the reason I enjoyed Just One Kiss was a different hair style on the female lead!  I am sick to death of that boring look.

[Irlandesa]

9 hours ago, Chippings said:

but the word that kept crossing my mind was that it was just "tepid". 

Tepid is a great word.  I like both of the leads.  They're cute.  The dogs are also cute.  The grandma was cute too.

But the movie?  So much meh.

[Bronx Babe]

3 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Or cats.  Or small orphaned children.  Calculating indeed.

And on a different plane could we, for the love of all that is holy, ditch the "beachy hair waves"?  I think one of the reason I enjoyed Just One Kiss was a different hair style on the female lead!  I am sick to death of that boring look.

Yes, those nurturing hunks.....but they're BORING, lol.

Oh God, those mermaid locks.  Makes the females look like aquatic robots or something.  I just don't understand the "logic" (and everything about Hallmark is strategic, they do nothing by accident) of this uniformity.  It must mean something which I'm still trying to figure out!

But the biggest mystery to me is the food item/meal that is "the best in town/country/world"  The most egregiously baffling of this "trope", if it could be called that, was one movie (of course I don't remember the title) where the guy invites our female lead to his house.  "Can I offer you coffee?  My Aunt Charlotte makes the BEST CUP IN TOWN"

I will unravel this, wait and see!  It must mean something!

[Bronx Babe]

Me (always analyzing; I'm a Libra, lol), thinking out loud:

"Why is every dish the best in the city/town/country/world?What is Hallmark trying to convey?  What is the sense behind this manipulation?  The fact that so many writers put it into the scripts mean they are told to, just like the parents always calling their daughter (or even son) "Sweetheart" or "Honey" instead of the name.

Is that "best" label supposed to even further "seal the deal" on how things are always so much better in that particular location where the heroine will eventually settle?  If the coffee, cupcake, strudel, or whatever is only "fair", is that supposed to mean the town isn't so wonderful after all?"

Now I'm getting a headache.

[Bronx Babe]

There was one where the guy was living in "Brooklyn" (after leaving Iowa to make his mark) and tells the girl:  "When I first came here I lived in a fourth floor walk-up with only cold running water"  Did he time-travel back to 1910 or something?

So they're walking down the city street and come upon a food truck.  Now, the NYC boroughs are famous for their pizza -- in mom & pop restaurants so what does he do?  Tell her:  "Have you ever had a New York pizza?  No?  Well here is the BEST PIZZA IN THE CITY".  At a food truck with no wood-burning oven to give the pies their delicious, smoky, crispy, authentic flavor.   He orders two slices.  She takes a bite:  'OH MY GOSH YOU'RE RIGHT, THIS IS LIFE-CHANGING!"

What....the.....???????

Do you see what I mean????

But now here's the weird part:

It's the best pizza in NEW YORK CITY, a place neither of them want to live in.  So you'd think the writers would be instructed to make it lousy or half-assed pizza.  But of course, in their paint-by-numbers world, New York City equals pizza (as though no one else anywhere could make it it, albeit not as good) so it has to be the best.

Is this convoluted or what????

[Bronx Babe]

Then there was one -- this doesn't relate to food but to the demonization of the Big City -- girl says her mother (passed away of course) loved nature and the country, fresh clean air, you can hear yourself think, etc., and then she moved to Chicago.  Guy, with not so subtle incredulous tones) "Chicago???"

Turns out the mom went to attend law school since obviously despite all of nature's wonders in Glistening Glen Happy Sunny Lane there was nothing comparable academically.

[Scarlett45]

17 hours ago, windsprints said:

Kat Graham did a Hallmark Christmas movie and a Netflix Christmas movie. She would be a good option. 

Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) has done a couple of HM movies. I'd like to see her in more. She was in My Christmas Family Tree in 2021.

I liked Kat Graham’s movie! It was set in Seattle. I cannot remember the name though. 

On 4/23/2022 at 1:15 PM, Joe Bacigaloop said:

I also really wish they would have some plus size actors as the leads. A forlorn hope since they only feature very beautiful very skinny people. I just wish they would feature some people who look like much of America.

I guess vaunted value of inclusion does not include my fellow Chubby-Americans.

I agree. 
 

I would like if they included more movies about older people- and not sad stuff about spouses dying, but maybe finding adventures in retirement or falling in love, learning new skills or hobbies. I loved Stop the Wedding with Alan Thicke (RIP). 

[Mittengirl]

4 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

would like if they included more movies about older people- and not sad stuff about spouses dying, but maybe finding adventures in retirement or falling in love, learning new skills or hobbies. I loved Stop the Wedding with Alan Thicke (RIP). 

I have often wondered what Hallmark Channel’s demographics are.  My hunch is they skew older and definitely female.  So, to me anyway, it would seem logical that they would want to appeal to that segment of the population.  Or is it that older viewers will watch shows featuring younger characters, but young people will not watch shows featuring older characters? (Or at least the perception?)

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I have often wondered what Hallmark Channel’s demographics are.  My hunch is they skew older and definitely female.  So, to me anyway, it would seem logical that they would want to appeal to that segment of the population.  Or is it that older viewers will watch shows featuring younger characters, but young people will not watch shows featuring older characters? (Or at least the perception?)

I think that may be it. But if the acting is good and the story engaging it shouldn’t matter too much. 
 

I know that the “fall in love and partner” story seems to be hitting the late 20s-30s pretty hard (that’s why a lot of the love interests are widowed young with a child), but older people can fall in love too!

 

Or let them be married and do a couple’s vacation, or open a new business, or set up their kids- let them do something besides be the “parent” and let the younger people be supporting. What’s the trilogy with the older couple who have 20 something kids and they reconnect after 30years? I know this won’t help but a pretty blonde woman was the star, but she is in her 50s. 
 

I am 36 and like watching stories about all types of people. One good thing about love stories with older people is that there won’t be a precious child to have to write around. Something’s Gotta Give is one of my fav romantic comedies. Something like that but “Hallmark-esque”. Hell, a stuck in an airport together plot could be fun!

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Or let them be married and do a couple’s vacation, or open a new business, or set up their kids- let them do something besides be the “parent” and let the younger people be supporting. What’s the trilogy with the older couple who have 20 something kids and they reconnect after 30years? I know this won’t help but a pretty blonde woman was the star, but she is in her 50s. 

Do you mean the Wedding March series? I think there are 5 of those now. 

There was A Second Chance at Love with Gloria Rueben and Eriq LaSalle. I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet so I don’t know if it was any good but it is a shift for Hallmark. 

[Scarlett45]

3 minutes ago, Dani said:

Do you mean the Wedding March series? I think there are 5 of those now. 

There was A Second Chance at Love with Gloria Rueben and Eriq LaSalle. I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet so I don’t know if it was any good but it is a shift for Hallmark. 

Wedding March! Yes that’s it thank you. I think I’ve only seen 3 of them though. 

[Woopwoopkitty]

On 4/21/2022 at 1:10 PM, windsprints said:

 

There's 500+ scripted tv shows & hundreds of tv/holiday movies available. It's not difficult to find entertainment you can enjoy. Unless it's a religious themed channel I don't see why any wouldn't want to be inclusive to gain as many viewers as they can.

I agree to the first part of your comment.  Most cable channels cater to a specific group or demographic.  Logo and BETexist because they can create and curate their content to a narrow and well defined audience and do it well.

I o find it i interesting that  Hallmark is derided as being Christian channel.  Other than the Christmas movies they do, there is no reference to religion and I don’t recall even references to going to church.  And even the Christmas movies are devoid of religious reference, save an occasional kid’s Xmas pageant done for comedy.  I don’t consider flying reindeer nor egg laying Easter bunnies to be Christian.  Fine with me, I’m an Atheist. If these movies were religious in nature I’d be watching less.

as to why not being inclusive........ “fun fact”.  For all the loud voices screaming for diversity, it doesnt result in better ratings.  In fact, the opposite.  I’m not saying there weren’t exclusionary practices under Abbott, but at the end of day,a lot of it is about ratings.  Management knows it and is likely trying to balance demands from one end of the spectrum against resistance at the other end.  There’s a strategy to making generic bland movies - they sell well.  It’s not just lazy writing as purported by some on this site, some of it is intentional.  The reality is that the more “ethnic” or demographically focused you make a movie, the fewer people will watch.  Some people will tune in who wouldn’t normally engage while others will tune out finding it unrelateable or otherwise unpalatable. So maybe 10% more tune in but 40% tune out.  I believe that gay romance stories will show huge audience loss, most temporary but some permanent.

When ratings for Xmas movies were released late last year, CCB’s movie was #1. Movies with POC leads and stories were last, with an over 50% loss of audience.

So why again does Hallmark need to be all things to all people? How many low rated movies do they have to make in the guise of “fairness” before ratings are allowed to guide their offerings?

i will try to link correctly to the article and note these are hallmark released ratings not the usual “favorite” movies they often tout.

 https://www.yahoo.com/video/25-far-2021-hallmark-christmas-193000567.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAI9Qp0DRFXooOqFvEFBgRU_vdWea8LndMFTEtPPEXsiQFdM0GYKvSC-6XQN4SQW_qmqi2aGifxracXA0pxAPsEqdcRuMKMYtDcCTh3cgSgvRXh1sjQFRjROaYD1aabhUQr-bsYyZAjEBxO5JRFb5_skKl2xaNZ9Dryxc5ExcoWvB&guccounter=1

 

sorry for the messy link... i’m Not skilled in this particular area.  

[Irlandesa]

58 minutes ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

I o find it i interesting that  Hallmark is derided as being Christian channel.  Other than the Christmas movies they do, there is no reference to religion and I don’t recall even references to going to church.  

No, but that has always been the quirky duality of Hallmark.  They have used religion or religious adjacent language (like family values as defined by certain religions or even "faith") to describe their movies (and attempt to justify their exclusions) while not actually including much religious content.

I know BYUtv is a much smaller station but there's a reason why they don't usually get the same criticism even if they have the same issues.  They are willing to live in their own specific space for Mormons and don't attempt to market to everyone.  \

But Hallmark absolutely does/did want to cater to the masses.  And it's going to invite criticism when the movies for the masses don't even attempt to represent the masses.

 

58 minutes ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

When ratings for Xmas movies were released late last year, CCB’s movie was #1.

It depends on which metric you look at.  For overall audience, hers was 4th. 

The thing about having gay stories is that movies that have them tend to do fine.  Hallmark thought Christmas House did well enough to get a sequel. Bethany's movie with Tyler Hynes last year had sub plot about his lesbian sister and that movie did well.

And I think that's all that many people wanted or expected--let them exist in these movies. 

 

 

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

as to why not being inclusive........ “fun fact”.  For all the loud voices screaming for diversity, it doesnt result in better ratings.  In fact, the opposite.  I’m not saying there weren’t exclusionary practices under Abbott, but at the end of day,a lot of it is about ratings.  Management knows it and is likely trying to balance demands from one end of the spectrum against resistance at the other end.  There’s a strategy to making generic bland movies - they sell well.  It’s not just lazy writing as purported by some on this site, some of it is intentional.  The reality is that the more “ethnic” or demographically focused you make a movie, the fewer people will watch.  Some people will tune in who wouldn’t normally engage while others will tune out finding it unrelateable or otherwise unpalatable. So maybe 10% more tune in but 40% tune out.  I believe that gay romance stories will show huge audience loss, most temporary but some permanent.

There are a lot of complicating factors that make it nearly impossible to make this kind of direct comparison. A big one is that Hallmark has a pattern of scheduling movies with diverse leads in spots that get lower ratings. Nearly all of the movies with POC leads aired very early in the schedule at a time when movies always get lower ratings. Danica’s movie last Christmas was the first to air and there was a huge drop off from the previous year. It’s the point in the holiday season before general audiences have turned their attention to Christmas movies.  

Eight Christmas movies aired in October and six of them had POC leads. Three of the movies with POC leads aired on a Sunday which has lower ratings  One aired on the Friday after Thanksgiving at 6pm which usually gets lower ratings. That one actually did better than the other 6pm movies. The only ones to air on Saturday in November or December were Christmas House 2 which got middle of the pack ratings and Christmas Together With You which did well.

Also it can’t be ignored that Hallmark has spent years developing these white actresses as leads. They have an established following while most of the POC leads are new. Of course they are going to have lower same night ratings as people choose to DVR and watch later or catch a rerun. 

Plus, Hallmark has a clear reputation and it has been that of being unwelcoming to people of color and LGTBQ+ individuals. People who are interested in these movies but want diversity are not going to immediately assume that the representation on Hallmark is going to exist or be meaningful right away. Hallmark burned at lot of bridges with very exclusionary policies. You can’t expect them to just show up immediately. 

9 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

When ratings for Xmas movies were released late last year, CCB’s movie was #1. Movies with POC leads and stories were last, with an over 50% loss of audience.

Lacey’s movie was #1. 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Guest

[Cetacean]

Excellent analysis, @Dani!

5 hours ago, Dani said:

Hallmark burned at lot of bridges with very exclusionary policies.

That's it in a nutshell.  And while making a feeble attempt at changing things, they do not really seem to be committed to it and point to ratings as the excuse.  You have provided excellent reasons for those ratings.

[bankerchick]

10 hours ago, Dani said:

There was A Second Chance at Love with Gloria Rueben and Eriq LaSalle. I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet so I don’t know if it was any good but it is a shift for Hallmark. 

Like many movies, it could have been good but the child ruined it.  In this case, the child was 30-ish.

[Bronx Babe]

I was impressed with Love, Classified.  It is the kind of Hallmark I could really get into.  I'll even forgive the lead actress and her mermaid hair.

Re-viewed a bit of Love on the Slopes.  Seems we must add s'mores to the trope list.  I've heard this food item mentioned in several productions, always with this line of dialogue:  "You know what you need?  S'mores!"

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Bronx Babe

[luvthepros]

On 4/22/2022 at 10:25 PM, Joe Bacigaloop said:

Hallmark always had a formula. Usually a former child star as the lead like Candace,  Lacey or  Niki DeLoach. Then a faded star from yesteryear as the Mom or Dad like Marilu Henner or Bruce Boxleitner. Add a Halllmark regular like Barbara Nevin and supporting actors like Peter Benson.

So I don’t know if they will promote supporting characters to lead. Most people stay in their lane.

It would be a good thing if they did providing they have enough charisma to carry a movie.

Two actresses who have been supporting actors who I have seen in  lead roles are Brittany Bristow and Ali Liebert.

[Bronx Babe]

I'd be interested to know what kind of movies the posters here are fond of, with stories that are similiar in spirit to what an ideal, revamped, refreshed, etc. Hallmark production would or should be like.  I mentioned that one of my favorites is While You Were Sleeping and was delighted to discover that many of you like that one.  Here are more of mine:

Crossing Delancey (makes me nostalgic)

The World of Henry Orient (ditto)

Goodbye, Columbus (that world is also familiar to me)

Best Friends (w/Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds)

Local Hero (set in Scotland)

I Know Where I'm Going (1945 romantic drama set in the Highlands of Scotland)

Foul Play (Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase)

The Matchmaker (set in Ireland, with Janeane Garafalo)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (original Elia Kazan 1945 version)

 

[Cetacean]

OMG, I love Local Hero! Absolutely no one that I know has ever heard of it!

My faves include:

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (yes, older people can find love)

Return to Me (so sad, so happy, a monkey wrench that is so realistic and not contrived)

The Milagro Beanfield War (a small town but no twee stores and a poor family with loads of love)

An Affair to Remember (Cary, my dahling man, and snappy lines even by today's standards)

All are love stories but done so, so much better.  Hallmark, take notes.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Cetacean

[Bronx Babe]

I didn't include When Harry Met Sally because, even though the film has now become almost "iconic" (because of a certain deli scene which I always cringe at, and I'm no prude), Meg Ryan's Sally is very unlikeable to me because she's the typical Hallmark heroine -- ditzy workaholic who acts her age in the office but like a five year old little girl with the male lead.  Ugh!

[Bronx Babe]

Wonderful to see your list, Cetacean!  I'd have thought a lot of people would be familiar with Local Hero but it's regarded as a little "sleeper".

I haven't seen The Milagro Beanfield War, Miss Pettigrew or Return to Me but will put them on my Watch List.

There was an original Affair to Remember in 1939 with Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer but I do think the remake with Cary and Deborah is better.

One of my guilty pleasures is Dirty Dancing, lol.  I can relate to that world as well....While I wouldn't go so far as to say I love it, it definitely speaks to me on a few levels.

[Scarlett45]

11 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

I'd be interested to know what kind of movies the posters here are fond of, with stories that are similiar in spirit to what an ideal, revamped, refreshed, etc. Hallmark production would or should be like.  I mentioned that one of my favorites is While You Were Sleeping and was delighted to discover that many of you like that one.  Here are more of mine:

Crossing Delancey (makes me nostalgic)

The World of Henry Orient (ditto)

Goodbye, Columbus (that world is also familiar to me)

Best Friends (w/Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds)

Local Hero (set in Scotland)

I Know Where I'm Going (1945 romantic drama set in the Highlands of Scotland)

Foul Play (Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase)

The Matchmaker (set in Ireland, with Janeane Garafalo)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (original Elia Kazan 1945 version)

 

Oh this is fun. 

Things I like about Hallmark stories- they are emotionally easy, not too much trauma or “high stakes”, the depiction of the highs and lows it “regular life”, pretty scenery (being in the Midwest I’m in obsessed with mountains or hills), and a happy ending. I also like the supporting characters that are kind and offer wisdom. I like to see people being nice to each other. 
 

Some of my favorite Hallmark films (non Christmas) are “Stop the Wedding”, “All of my Heart”, “Country Wedding”, “Harvest Moon”, “Royal Matchmaker” (these are the ones I can think of off of the top of my head). 
 

Stories I love that are “Hallmark-esque”:

Hitch

He’s Just not that Into You

Sabrina (I actually like the 1994 version better)

Footloose-the rare story where the remake is plays homage to the original but is very good on its own. 
 

 

[MerBearHou]

Oh my gosh, Return to Me is one of my very favorites.  I’ve seen it so many times.  Fabulous, fun cast and such a wonderful premise.  David Duchovny and Minnie Driver are great together.

And the Cary Grant / Deborah Kerr An Affair to Remember is a sentimental favorite too.  I love the theme song and Deborah Kerr looks so much like my mother when she was young.  Cary Grant is swoon-worthy as ever.  When I was young, I would check the new TV guide that came with the newspaper to see if AATR was on.  I checked every single week.  

I also love Sliding Doors so much.  John Hannah is a total crush in this movie and it’s a cool theme.

If Hallmark wanted to be totally lazy, they could slightly alter a lot of these classics so they don’t get sued.  Keep the basic bones of these great films and put some good actors/actresses in them (minus the beachy waves in every one).  

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks so much, Scarlett!

Haven't seen Footloose, Hitch, He's Just Not Into You, or the 1994 Sabrina.  (I like the 1954 Billy Wilder original but Humphrey Bogart competing with William Holden -- and they're supposed to be brothers! --for Audrey Hepburn is not too believable, lol)

I like feel-good stories myself but (and maybe because I'm from New York City) tend not to shy away from the heavy emotional stuff.  Even though real life sucks more times than not, I'll take it because, well, consider the alternative. That old saying, "between grief and nothing, I'll take grief", resonates with me, although of course I want more good than bad.

I like Candace Cameron Bure.  My favorite Hallmark of hers is that time travel one -- the title escapes me right now -- she's transported from WWII '40's to the present time.  That had some appeal and emotional weight.   

 

[Bronx Babe]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

Oh my gosh, Return to Me is one of my very favorites.  I’ve seen it so many times.  Fabulous, fun cast and such a wonderful premise.  David Duchovny and Minnie Driver are great together.

And the Cary Grant / Deborah Kerr An Affair to Remember is a sentimental favorite too.  I love the theme song and Deborah Kerr looks so much like my mother when she was young.  Cary Grant is swoon-worthy as ever.  When I was young, I would check the new TV guide that came with the newspaper to see if AATR was on.  I checked every single week.  

I also love Sliding Doors so much.  John Hannah is a total crush in this movie and it’s a cool theme.

If Hallmark wanted to be totally lazy, they could slightly alter a lot of these classics so they don’t get sued.  Keep the basic bones of these great films and put some good actors/actresses in them (minus the beachy waves in every one).  

Is John Hannah that lean, older, gray-haired Scottish actor?  I had such a crush on him in that British series Monarch of the Glen.

As for Cary Grant, he can do no wrong with me.  

[Bronx Babe]

The other thing that many times skewers my Hallmark viewing on the cynical, snarky side is that I'm a life-long horror movie fan, lol.  I mean, I love the bad ones.  Just this morning I watched The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant with Bruce Dern, of all people, as a mad scientist.

So to go from these weird worlds of monsters, vampires, mummies and the like to Happy Valley is many times a shock, but the irony is -- as I've said here countless times -- the Hallmark writers are frustrated sci-fi/horror fans themselves, as a lot of the scripts reference aliens, planets, robots, etc.  It's so weird!

 

[MerBearHou]

9 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Is John Hannah that lean, older, gray-haired Scottish actor

Yes indeed!  He’s so wonderful in Sliding Doors.  

[Bronx Babe]

Oh thanks for that!  I must see Sliding Doors!

I'll sign off for now.  Today is Errol Flynn Monday/early Tuesday on Turner Classic Movies so I'm going to catch a few right now.

See you guys tomorrow!

[Woopwoopkitty]

Count me in with Bill Pullman love, pre-face lift.  He can lean in on me anytime.

also a fan  of Sabrina remake, An Affair to aremember, While you Were Sleeping, and Sliding Doors.

and......toe pick.  Hallmark should get the guy from Cutting Edge, DB Sweeney.  I wonder if he’s aged well.

the older Hallmark actor I enjoy if Gregory Harrison.  Far more handsome as he’s aged than when he was in MASH.

[Bronx Babe]

Oh my gosh, MerBearHou, me and my mixed-up Boomer brain!  I was actually confusing the Scottish actor Alexander Morton I think his name is, who played the gamekeeper on Monarch of the Glen, with John Hannah, who I think is so cute in Four Weddings and a Funeral.  I'm getting really confused in my old age, lol.

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks, Woopwoopkitty!  Bill Pullman had a face-life?  Oh no!  Haven't seen him in any newer stuff for quite some time. 

Okay, back to Errol!

[MerBearHou]

13 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Oh my gosh, MerBearHou, me and my mixed-up Boomer brain!  I was actually confusing the Scottish actor Alexander Morton I think his name is, who played the gamekeeper on Monarch of the Glen, with John Hannah, who I think is so cute in Four Weddings and a Funeral.  I'm getting really confused in my old age, lol.

Ha!  I haven’t seen Monarch of the Glen but I sure think John is cute and he’s Scottish so I said yes! I should’ve checked before I replied about that actor question.  He is a delight in all the ways in Four Weddings and a Funeral too.  When he recites the poem at the funeral…