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

[luvthepros]

4 hours ago, Trini said:

Saw this in the program guide and thought 'that's different from the typical x-mas rom-com'. Glad to hear it was good! I will try to catch this if they re-run it. Thanks everyone!

..........If they rerun it?. Hallmark wiill replay this movie LOTS and LOTS of times this season. You can see it was their premier movie of the season, with commentary from the three actors at every commercial break. Oh, BTW........ I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the movie.

[bankerchick]

Wow.  I loved Three Wise Men and a Baby.  Loved it.  I laughed out loud so many times.  I thought Paul was hilarious and uptight and nonplussed and I loved his budding relationship with fellow misfit Susie, played by always funny Fiona Vroom.  I agree that Tyler looked like he could use a bath for most of the movie but it somehow suited his character, who had all the best lines.  There's not much to say about Andrew's role, I guess he was the straight man.  And 100% sure he could not be the dad...  He was still good, though I thought he was too thin.   

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

I too thought it required us to suspend disbelief that the baby’s mom left the baby with Luke just because he helped in the delivery. Although I thought it hilarious when Luke told her “I guess we both looked different at that time” (when she was in labor!).  I just wished he hadn’t continued by saying he thought about that a thousand times since that line came across as insincere to me.

Paul addressed this in the Facebook chat that @kirinan posted a few days ago and he acknowledged it was difficult not to make her a villain because it was just a comedy and they had to somehow get to the point where there was an abandoned baby.  I notice they (well, the mom) spent a lot of time empathizing that she must have been in a really bad place and she could understand how someone could be so overwhelmed they felt they had no choice.  I agree though that if Luke had thought about her a thousand times, he might have checked on her at least once since the baby was born. 

[luvthepros]

Walker too thin? He looked quite buff to me, especially in the opening scene. NICE!!!

Now, Ali Liebert, OTOH, looks heavier than I have ever seen her, without a doubt.

[Woopwoopkitty]

A bit behind but.....as usual I disagree with a lot of the posters here.

i didn’t watch the Ghosts of Xmas Always because if found the little troll of a woman insufferable. 

I liked Merry Measure, despite her bad dye job and his weird hair.  I’m always a sucker for anything with good dancing and/or singing. I liked the message about giving the awkward kids a chance to build confidence and shine.  I also liked the ending where she didn’t have to choose between her career by being a selfish bitch or staying in small boring town to be with her one true love. We’ve seen this trope before where Andrew Walker either had to fly away to keep his pro baseball career versus playing in game with a local kid.  And Tyler having to meet with some software execs or stay to bake pies with Taylor Cole.  I like that Patti made her meeting and got signed but was still able to get back for the show, although flight logistics and travel times possibly a stretch.  I liked there was no other ex/boyfriend in the picture or any stupid mis-understanding over an observed hug or interaction.  The diversity felt natural and not forced.

No surprise over the CCB issue.  I read her statement, all she did was state her beliefs and where her focus is.  There wasn’t anything negative or derogatory in her comments.  But the zealots of course demand pure allegiance to their cause and tear down those who don’t conform to unity of thought. I’m not religious and I don’t necessarily agree it’s her but I respect her opinion and the way it was expressed. I support freedom of thought and expression and critical thinking rather than screeching emotional reactions.  The irony of the intolerance towards those perceived to be the intolerant ones.

three Wise Men was fantastic, i’m rewatching now. I thought Tyler’s hair and dress was appropriate for the stereotype of his job.  I thought Ali was poorly made up.  No shame in the weight gain, I just found the dye job and garish lipstick made her look trashy.  snappy dialog, three great leads, and a wonderful family message. Tyler has shown his comedic skills before, I live his snark.

[luvthepros]

Watching Three Wise Men and a Baby again. The scene when Andrew Walker discovers the baby at the firehouse, he is wearing sweat pants. He does look thinner so agree with the poster above.

[ctlady]

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I really loved the dance too.  I felt it kind of petered out around the light display scenario but there were a lot of laughs for the first 3/4 of the movie. 

It did.  It was awful.  From making a mockery of the nativity, to the mother coming out of nowhere singing 'Silent Night' to the baby's mom suddenly showing up going "my baby!" to them all hooking up at the end - predictable and ridiculous

And I agree about glossing over the mother leaving the baby at the firehouse because she 'needed a few days to figure things out'.  Sorry - that does not fly with me.  What if they had called child services right away - and rightly so?  And the brother's mother condoning her behavior that she had to do what she felt she needed to do and not to feel bad about it.  What a bunch of BS!  She did not deserve to get that child back.

The movie was cute in certain areas, but did not live up to the hype.

[Artsda]

I really enjoyed Three Wise Men, so much funny scenes and not the normal Christmas Hallmark movie. 

The snark, the brothers, the light show, coming together, dealing with the baby. I enjoyed it. 

The dance routine lol. 

[Notabug]

34 minutes ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

.No surprise over the CCB issue.  I read her statement, all she did was state her beliefs and where her focus is.  There wasn’t anything negative or derogatory in her comments.  But the zealots of course demand pure allegiance to their cause and tear down those who don’t conform to unity of thought. I’m not religious and I don’t necessarily agree it’s her but I respect her opinion and the way it was expressed. I support freedom of thought and expression and critical thinking rather than screeching emotional reactions.  The irony of the intolerance towards those perceived to be the intolerant ones.

I read CCB's statement, too, and came away with a different POV.  She is absolutely entitled to her opinions and, as an actress, to choose films that she feels good about and that support her personal beliefs.  I haven't seen all of her Hallmark Christmas movies, but I've seen 3 or 4 of them.  In all of the ones I saw, she was either a single working woman or a married mother.  I saw no films in which she was part of a same sex relationship or an unwed mother or even had a sexual relationship outside of marriage.  I certainly hadn't heard that Hallmark, even now, with new leadership; was pressuring her to do roles that conflicted with her beliefs.  I understand she actually had a great deal of input and was able to choose her projects for herself.

It isn't that CCB wants to do certain roles and not others.  It's that she seems to feel that the rest of the network must also follow her very narrow beliefs, that the rest of us are not  entitled to use our own value system to decide what is right or wrong for us in our lives.  She wants the world to conform to her religious beliefs and exclude all mention of anything that conflicts.  If she and her family wish to be narrow minded and isolate themselves from the real world where the rest of us live; that's their choice.  It doesn't give her the right to tell the rest of us that we are wrong or not entitled to see programming that does not exclude large portions of the population.  

If GAF wants to be a network that excludes the majority of the population whose beliefs are not in the very narrow lane where CCB wants to drive, that's their choice.  I think it is a poor business decision in addition to being intolerant.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Notabug

[Notabug]

32 minutes ago, ctlady said:

And I agree about glossing over the mother leaving the baby at the firehouse because she 'needed a few days to figure things out'.  Sorry - that does not fly with me.  What if they had called child services right away - and rightly so? 

In real life, it would not have been a Safe Haven case anyway.  Each state has different rules, but, in general, it applies only to newborns, often less than 72 hours old.  Some states allow babies up to a month old, but that's the limit.  The baby in the film was obviously older than that.

Also, there are rules as to what has to happen for Safe Haven to apply.  The parent has to hand the baby over to someone with authorization to accept the infant.  Leaving the kid with a note addressed to an individual firefighter does not comply.  Then, the station has to follow strict rules as to how to proceed.  Sending the baby home with a random firefighter because he was called out in the note doesn't work unless he is also licensed to do foster care and the court agrees.  

Safe Haven is also meant for permanent surrender of children to be placed for adoption eventually; not for troubled moms who want a few days off from parenting.  Babies who are in Safe Haven are automatically wards of the state and their parents cannot show up and claim them like the fire station is a lost and found.

That being said, I really enjoyed the movie.  It was different that the usual fare and I liked the concentration on the brothers' relationship and how encountering the baby caused each of them to realize their own childhood losses had affected them in different ways.

The actors had great brother chemistry together and the dance was adorable.

[Makai]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

In real life, it would not have been a Safe Haven case anyway.  Each state has different rules, but, in general, it applies only to newborns, often less than 72 hours old.  Some states allow babies up to a month old, but that's the limit.  The baby in the film was obviously older than that.

It would have been in North Dakota which has the longest Safe Haven period of 1 year. I only mentioned safe haven sites because if someone is going to leave a child a fire station isn’t a bad choice. It’s a better choice than outside a door like in Three Men and a Baby. 

It’s one of those things that happens in movies for the plot and you kind of to ignore that horrible implication. Like the entire premise behind Parent Trap. 

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

Safe Haven is also meant for permanent surrender of children to be placed for adoption eventually; not for troubled moms who want a few days off from parenting.  Babies who are in Safe Haven are automatically wards of the state and their parents cannot show up and claim them like the fire station is a lost and found.

In depends on the state. In California there is a 14 day cooling period and the parent can show up a reclaim the baby. 

[Makai]

3 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

No surprise over the CCB issue.  I read her statement, all she did was state her beliefs and where her focus is.

She wasn’t just stating her beliefs and where her focus is though. She is the Chief Creative Officer for the network. When she talks about why she chose to switch networks it is her talking about what the channel as a whole is going to be and what the network represents. 

3 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

But the zealots of course demand pure allegiance to their cause and tear down those who don’t conform to unity of thought. I’m not religious and I don’t necessarily agree it’s her but I respect her opinion and the way it was expressed. I support freedom of thought and expression and critical thinking rather than screeching emotional reactions.

I feel like the exact same statements can be made about CBB’s side. Why is her opinion freedom of thought and expression and those who disagree with her screeching emotional reactions? I’ve seen a lot of reactions that were thoughtful and anything but screeching. 

3 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

The irony of the intolerance towards those perceived to be the intolerant ones.

I am not going to be tolerant towards the belief that what GAC is putting on the air is “family friendly”. CBB is choosing to align herself with a man who would have entire scenes reshot because a couple in the background could be perceived as an interracial couple. A man who had a well known reputation while at Hallmark all while claiming to be inclusive. 

I have never said a word about faith based networks because they have never pretended to be anything other than what they are unlike GAF. Hallmark under Abbot and now GAF under Abbott and CBB are trying to get me to watch while refusing to put families that look like mine on screen while claiming to be family friendly. That I have a problem with. 

Edited November 21, 2022 by Makai

[MerBearHou]

I liked Three Wise Men and a Baby but I didn’t love it like so many here.  And I had really expected to love it and put it on repeat because of the wonderful Paul, Andrew, Tyler (and Kimberly’s writing).  The enjoyable parts were a delight, but to me, the weak parts brought the overall grade down.  The worst was the actress who was the mom who left the baby behind and how that reunion with her baby was played.  I thought that whole section of the movie was subpar and not believable.  I didn’t buy the romantic match-ups either — not even one of them.  I won’t keep going on because I feel too “Debbie downer” doing so.  

Favorite parts were Kimberly’s cameo as the doctor and the competitive Bro who lived by the guys — he was a fun, funny addition.  

Edited November 21, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Mittengirl]

The part of Three Wise Men … that bothered me was taking the kid to the hospital.  First, do they ever take an infant in to an exam room without the adult that brought them?  And more egregiously, how the hell did they answer the admissions questions - “full name?” “Thomas something”.     “date of birth?” “No idea”,      “Insurance?” “Don’t know”.    “Any allergies or medical issues” “Not a clue”.    And the hospital didn’t call CPS?  No freaking way.

There must have been a better way for the guys to end up watching a baby.  A friend or spouse of friend runs in to the fire station and shoves baby carrier at Luke(?) and as he/she is running out yells over their shoulder that they have to leave due to an emergency (Grandpa tripped over a candy cane and needs help running the candy factory and no one else can help) and spouse/sibling/parent will pickup baby ASAP.  A storm/bridge collapse/airline strike keeps them away.  Hijinks still can ensue.

[Makai]

55 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

The part of Three Wise Men … that bothered me was taking the kid to the hospital.  First, do they ever take an infant in to an exam room without the adult that brought them?  And more egregiously, how the hell did they answer the admissions questions - “full name?” “Thomas something”.     “date of birth?” “No idea”,      “Insurance?” “Don’t know”.    “Any allergies or medical issues” “Not a clue”.    And the hospital didn’t call CPS?  No freaking way.

I didn’t think that was hospital. More like urgent care but it was ridiculous. But not as ridiculous is the police being involved with switching the babies back and apparently having no questions. 

[AnalyzeAndCritique]

I’m closer to loving than liking Three Wise Men. The focus on the brother’s relationship rather than a meet cute, misunderstanding, and HEA was nice. I’m a sucker for Hallmark Christmas movies. You know what you are getting and the bar isn’t set high. It is just a new version of classic Christmas songs. We know the verses and the chorus just hearing a different voice.
 

The movie fell apart 75% of the way through and then felt rushed. The decorating contest was fun hijinks, but it seemed to shoehorn in the return of both mothers. Until that moment, I had been happily engaged with the comedy and dialogue. I can suspend my demand for realism in regards to the hospital trip and even the mom leaving the baby behind. I could believe in a small Hallmark town they wouldn’t involve the police. They had to bend the rules to make the plot work. The tone of the movie changed at that point and it removed me from my enjoyment. Suddenly we had ten seconds to wrap it all up. 
 

The ending with all the brothers with love interests was a gift card under the tree. It isn’t the worst gift you can receive, but not a lot of thought went into it. I’m not mad one brother ended up with the mother. I’m almost bummed it was the firefighter. It might have been interesting to see the gamer grow up and become a father given he was the first brother to spend time with Thomas and he was accused of being selfish the whole movie.  I liked how Paul connected with his lady through the movie. Firefighter could have gotten his own lady for the end of the movie. Maybe a cameo from a Hallmark leading lady. 
 

Things I’m noticing this year is someone at Hallmark apparently has been listening regarding the women’s long hair. I’m not sure they understood the feedback. Too many questionable hairstyles. Used to blame it on wigs, but the hair seems natural just styled questionably. 
 

Also given Tyler is shorter than Andrew and Paul, why can’t they get him pants that don’t look like he had a growth spurt two weeks before filming? Paul’s cuffed jeans seemed to be extra long.
 

Also interesting all the firefighters were wearing regular sweats while Andrew was in form-fitting elastic ankle sweats. Those styling choices always stand out to me. As if the viewer already wasn’t engaged to the main character, we have to make the extras schlubby. Don’t pay attention to the extras. You must be looking where we want you. 
 

Overall I enjoyed it. It might make the list to be watched annually. I’m sure though I won’t be sitting and watching for the mothers return. 

[luvthepros]

9 hours ago, Notabug said:

I read CCB's statement, too, and came away with a different POV.  She is absolutely entitled to her opinions and, as an actress, to choose films that she feels good about and that support her personal beliefs.  I haven't seen all of her Hallmark Christmas movies, but I've seen 3 or 4 of them.  In all of the ones I saw, she was either a single working woman or a married mother.  I saw no films in which she was part of a same sex relationship or an unwed mother or even had a sexual relationship outside of marriage.  I certainly hadn't heard that Hallmark, even now, with new leadership; was pressuring her to do roles that conflicted with her beliefs.  I understand she actually had a great deal of input and was able to choose her projects for herself.

It isn't that CCB wants to do certain roles and not others.  It's that she seems to feel that the rest of the network must also follow her very narrow beliefs, that the rest of us are not  entitled to use our own value system to decide what is right or wrong for us in our lives.  She wants the world to conform to her religious beliefs and exclude all mention of anything that conflicts.  If she and her family wish to be narrow minded and isolate themselves from the real world where the rest of us live; that's their choice.  It doesn't give her the right to tell the rest of us that we are wrong or not entitled to see programming that does not exclude large portions of the population.  

If GAF wants to be a network that excludes the majority of the population whose beliefs are not in the very narrow lane where CCB wants to drive, that's their choice.  I think it is a poor business decision in addition to being intolerant.

Diversity is a good thing in the entertainment industry but let's be real; these people are not the majority of the population. Not here in the US anyway.

4 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

The part of Three Wise Men … that bothered me was taking the kid to the hospital.  First, do they ever take an infant in to an exam room without the adult that brought them?  And more egregiously, how the hell did they answer the admissions questions - “full name?” “Thomas something”.     “date of birth?” “No idea”,      “Insurance?” “Don’t know”.    “Any allergies or medical issues” “Not a clue”.    And the hospital didn’t call CPS?  No freaking way.

There must have been a better way for the guys to end up watching a baby.  A friend or spouse of friend runs in to the fire station and shoves baby carrier at Luke(?) and as he/she is running out yells over their shoulder that they have to leave due to an emergency (Grandpa tripped over a candy cane and needs help running the candy factory and no one else can help) and spouse/sibling/parent will pickup baby ASAP.  A storm/bridge collapse/airline strike keeps them away.  Hijinks still can ensue.

Suspension of disbelief is what is required to truly enjoy this movie. I did that so I LOVED the movie. I didn't even give it a thought as to the obstacles that would have been encountered when registering the baby at the ER.

[Makai]

4 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Diversity is a good thing in the entertainment industry but let's be real; these people are not the majority of the population. Not here in the US anyway.

Actually they are. The most recent polling puts support for LGTBQ+ rights in the US at 79%. 

ICYMI: New Data Shows Support for LGBTQ+ Rights Continues to Tick Upward

[ShelleySue]

On 11/19/2022 at 2:15 PM, Bronx Babe said:

Lots of sci-fi as the writers are inclined to slip in -- mentions of Star Trek, Mr. Spock, Godzilla, and "habitability on the rings of Saturn"

To make things more meta Ronnie Rowe played Lt Commander Bryce on Star Trek: Discovery.

[Kaoteek]

Really enjoyed Ghosts of Christmas Past, which had a very old school Hallmark vibe to it, before the usual tropes became too prominent.

Three Wise Men and a Baby was also very enjoyable and lighthearted. Not perfect, but I like the fact that HM actors get to write their own stuff, and it ends up being better than most other HM movies.

Lights, Cameras, Christmas was enjoyable, too, even though I'm not the biggest fan of Brotherton's broad acting. But then again, it was different enough from the basics to keep me entertained (also, Sustad).

On the other hand, I strongly disliked Christmas Bedtime Stories, and its clunky writing. I liked the cast, but overall, the last third (and the ending) just killed it for me.

[Miss Bones]

On 11/19/2022 at 10:03 PM, voiceover said:

Three Wise Men: charming and goofy and *funny AF.  Those three just had a good time together.  And they let us watch!   

And shout-out to co-writer Kimberley,  who was the perfect cameo.  
 

I was happy to see her, but then she ruined it with the insensitive "I'm afraid I have some bad news..." *pause* "...he needs a diaper change".  How thoughtless and unprofessional for a doctor to say that, to three worried relatives (she thought they were relatives of some kind), re: a BABY!  In real life, that would be a moment of total panic for a parent, thinking something was really wrong.  I thought that was awful.

10 hours ago, Makai said:

I didn’t think that was hospital. More like urgent care but it was ridiculous. But not as ridiculous is the police being involved with switching the babies back and apparently having no questions. 

I've been to many urgent care facilities, and they still ask for my name, date of birth, insurance info, etc.  So I'm not sure why it would change anything if it were an urgent care facility or a hospital.

[Notabug]

14 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

The part of Three Wise Men … that bothered me was taking the kid to the hospital.  First, do they ever take an infant in to an exam room without the adult that brought them?  And more egregiously, how the hell did they answer the admissions questions - “full name?” “Thomas something”.     “date of birth?” “No idea”,      “Insurance?” “Don’t know”.    “Any allergies or medical issues” “Not a clue”.    And the hospital didn’t call CPS?  No freaking way.

There must have been a better way for the guys to end up watching a baby.  A friend or spouse of friend runs in to the fire station and shoves baby carrier at Luke(?) and as he/she is running out yells over their shoulder that they have to leave due to an emergency (Grandpa tripped over a candy cane and needs help running the candy factory and no one else can help) and spouse/sibling/parent will pickup baby ASAP.  A storm/bridge collapse/airline strike keeps them away.  Hijinks still can ensue.

Oh, yeah, I am in the medical profession and there is no way the kid gets seen by anyone without a parent or guardian present.  The only exception is if there is an obvious life threatening emergency in which case hospital personnel can do whatever a 'reasonable' parent would want to have done for their child.  In real life, a social worker would've been called downstairs pronto and been calling CPS to see if there were any missing children reported and none of them would've been permitted to leave with the baby until the entire situation was sorted out to the satisfaction  of CPS.

I think the writers wanted to hit the 'poor abandoned baby' plot to play up the parallel with the brother's father deserting the family.  There were much better ways to do it.  As you said, the brother agrees to care for someone's kid for an hour or two and something happens and it turns into a days' long event.  Even let the brother agree to watch what he thinks is a friend's pet turtle only to discover that it's their baby instead and be unable to back out.

9 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Diversity is a good thing in the entertainment industry but let's be real; these people are not the majority of the population. Not here in the US anyway.

Suspension of disbelief is what is required to truly enjoy this movie. I did that so I LOVED the movie. I didn't even give it a thought as to the obstacles that would have been encountered when registering the baby at the ER.

Which people?  LGBTQ people?  Tolerant people?  People who believe in the personal rights of others and believe it is wrong to refuse to treat others equitably in situations where there is no harm being done to anyone?

As noted above, a large majority of Americans have no problems whatsoever with seeing LGBTQ people in everyday life, even those of us who don't live in LA or New York.  If they don't mind seeing them at work, at the grocery store or at the local park, why in heaven's name would they object to TV portraying something that is part of virtually everyone's life? I live and work in a midwestern city.  I work in an office with about 20 regular employees.  Three of them are gay; one is dating, one is engaged, the other is married.  We all get together for various occasions throughout the year and they have never NOT brought their significant others.  I personally would be sad if they felt a need to pretend that to be something they are not because I was uncomfortable seeing gay people living their lives.  I don't think there are very many people out there who don't have regular contact with LGBTQ people except for those who choose to isolate themselves.

I'm an old lady in my mid 60's; I've got cousins who are openly gay and around my age.  They didn't feel free to tell us in the family setting until about 20 years ago.  I'm sorry for the years we missed.  I have a similarly aged friend who has a brother who she knows is gay because she found out inadvertently a few years back.  It breaks her heart that he's never told her himself; she loves him and wants him to know that his sexuality is irrelevant. She also thinks he needs to get out and date some nice guys and bring one home; but that's a whole 'nother thing.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Notabug

[Makai]

2 hours ago, Miss Bones said:

I've been to many urgent care facilities, and they still ask for my name, date of birth, insurance info, etc.  So I'm not sure why it would change anything if it were an urgent care facility or a hospital.

It wouldn’t which is why I said it was still ridiculous. 

2 hours ago, Notabug said:

I think the writers wanted to hit the 'poor abandoned baby' plot to play up the parallel with the brother's father deserting the family.

I thought they just wanted to parallel Three Men and a Baby but couldn’t imply that unmarried Luke would have a child. 

[Cetacean]

I was happy that they only stole one scene from the original - the bottle toss.

[geekgirl921]

2 hours ago, ctlady said:

I really don't know how to explain it any clearer than I already did.  I, as a viewer, will change the channel and move on.  But assumptions can be made without saying a word.  My theory is that even if CCB didn't say a dang word and just quietly moved over from Hallmark to GAC, those who dislike her as an actress - or even some of her fans - may put two and two together and assume the reason because of her faith and call her out mercilessly on social media

Sadly, there are people being attacked every day without saying a word or even making eye contact with someone because they may be wearing a slogan shirt, tattoos or jewelry or have a sign on their yard that just happens to offend them.  We live in a world where we just can't tip out hat at someone, say hello and walk on by.  [sigh]  

Well, even if she had done it quietly, we all know what the reason is. She's not exactly subtle. If she wants to live in a world where she pretends that gay people don't exist, I suppose that is her right but she is trying to impose that on the rest of us. The notion that gay people aren't "family friendly" is offensive and I am glad that people are calling it out. 

[absnow54]

2 hours ago, Makai said:

I thought they just wanted to parallel Three Men and a Baby but couldn’t imply that unmarried Luke would have a child. 

I was kind of surprised they let others joke about him being an unwed father. Then again, in My Family Christmas Tree last year, the lead was the product of an unmarried relationship. 

[Bethany]

I just saw Noel Next Door.  Mixed feelings.  I bought the storyline - and liked that the guy had had a stroke, it was pretty unusual as far as these movies go.  Overall I'd give this one maybe a 7 out of 10.  Watchable once but probably not one I'd go out of my way to see again.

Also for anyone else who watched it - do they ever explain how a woman working as a waitress in a diner can afford to live in the same townhouse complex as a man who appears to have had a successful career in music?

Oh and major goof time - they are having breakfast Christmas MORNING then go outside and it's dark.  

Edited November 21, 2022 by Elizabeth Anne

[KaveDweller]

23 hours ago, ctlady said:

And I agree about glossing over the mother leaving the baby at the firehouse because she 'needed a few days to figure things out'.  Sorry - that does not fly with me.  What if they had called child services right away - and rightly so?  And the brother's mother condoning her behavior that she had to do what she felt she needed to do and not to feel bad about it.  What a bunch of BS!  She did not deserve to get that child back.

What I thought was weird about the mother was she just shows up at the end and says it is her baby and they hand it over? They have been telling people they are watching this baby, how do they know she'd not a crazy person trying to kidnap the kid?

6 hours ago, Miss Bones said:

I've been to many urgent care facilities, and they still ask for my name, date of birth, insurance info, etc.  So I'm not sure why it would change anything if it were an urgent care facility or a hospital.

They could have just lied at the hospital/urgent care. The doctor called out their last name, so that's what must have been on the chart. They could have also made up a date of birth.

I also think hospital's can't deny coverage if you don't have insurance. If someone shows up with baby and say they think something's wrong, they'll examine the baby, take your contact information and work out how to bill you later. I know someone who was hospitalized when they had no insurance and they were still admitted. 

[Notabug]

21 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

What I thought was weird about the mother was she just shows up at the end and says it is her baby and they hand it over? They have been telling people they are watching this baby, how do they know she'd not a crazy person trying to kidnap the kid?

They could have just lied at the hospital/urgent care. The doctor called out their last name, so that's what must have been on the chart. They could have also made up a date of birth.

I also think hospital's can't deny coverage if you don't have insurance. If someone shows up with baby and say they think something's wrong, they'll examine the baby, take your contact information and work out how to bill you later. I know someone who was hospitalized when they had no insurance and they were still admitted. 

EMTALA (emergency medical treatment and labor act) does guarantee that anyone going to an ER for care will not be turned away regardless of ability to pay; but they really do ask questions about any child presenting there.  At the very least, they'd want the baby's full name and date of birth.  Not to mention the name of his pediatrician, emergency contacts, etc.  Sure, the brother could've just made it all up; but the ER would likely ask for some sort of documentation as to what his relationship was to the child like a copy of the birth certificate since he wouldn't have any insurance ID.  I just didn't get the vibe that that brother would've been able to lie so easily or that he would've known what sort of questions would be asked so he could prepare answers.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Notabug

[Makai]

27 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

They could have just lied at the hospital/urgent care. The doctor called out their last name, so that's what must have been on the chart. They could have also made up a date of birth.

I also think hospital's can't deny coverage if you don't have insurance. If someone shows up with baby and say they think something's wrong, they'll examine the baby, take your contact information and work out how to bill you later. I know someone who was hospitalized when they had no insurance and they were still admitted. 

True but their reaction to her asking who was the father should have been a massive red flag to any doctor. 

I still have a much bigger issue with the police returning the baby apparently without any questions. They never got their story straight enough to believably get out of those kinds of situations. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

Also for anyone else who watched it - do they ever explain how a woman working as a waitress in a diner can afford to live in the same townhouse complex as a man who appears to have had a successful career in music?

He was a conductor in their small town.  He may have made a comfortable life but I don't think he was rolling in it.  But I always assumed that the townhouse was part of her divorce settlement. 

In three wise men, are we sure that they all ended up with someone?  I'm kind of hoping that they just stayed friends with the mother/child.  I do think it might have been a similar movie had they had a coworker of Tyler's set to go to a conference when her mother (maybe someone he has a crush on) suddenly couldn't watch the child because the mother got sick.  And then the coworker got upset that she had no one to watch her child so she might have to sacrifice a good career opportunity because of childcare issues. So, to show him he's a "serious" person, he offers to take care of the baby.

when I think of Christmas was a pretty standard movie.  I thought Niall and Shanae were both very good  and sounded great together but there was too little of them singing to truly elevate the movie.  My favorite part was Peter Benson showing up to audition for the concert.

[Makai]

11 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

In three wise men, are we sure that they all ended up with someone?  I'm kind of hoping that they just stayed friends with the mother/child.

Yes. Andrew Walker’s character kissed the mother in the one year later scene. 

[twoods]

He kissed her? I must have missed that. Oh well, I still liked it for the humor. I never take Hallmark movies seriously so the hand waving at the mom and ER visit didn’t bother me. If I wanted realism I would watch documentaries. 
 

I could not stomach another movie with Shenae in it, even if I love Niall. Her bangs look absolutely ridiculous as well. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by twoods

[Cetacean]

My whiskers quivered when they said "child services was probably closed for the night ". CPS has 24/7/365 coverage in some form.

[Makai]

I’m watched When I Think About Christmas and can’t get over them repeatedly making comments on how it’s been 10 years since they split up when she went to college. He said he was playing national tours a year ago and decided to go all in on myself before it was too late. She says, “Too late? What were you,29?” Seriously how hard would it be to rewrite the dialogue than have 42 year old Niall say lines like that. Making them closer to their actual ages would have worked better for the plot. 
 

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

My favorite part was Peter Benson showing up to audition for the concert.

Mine too. Peter Benson was actually the director of the movie. 

I’m I wrong or was that Jonathan Bennett playing the mom’s neighbor’s co-worker?

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, twoods said:

He kissed her? I must have missed that.

I did too so I rewatched the ending.  Just before he went up to the dance again, he hands Thomas over to her and gives her a quick peck on the lips.  But it's filmed from directly behind and quick which I think is why I missed it.

2 hours ago, Makai said:

I’m I wrong or was that Jonathan Bennett playing the mom’s neighbor’s co-worker?

Good catch.  Yeah, that's him.  He played the daughter's coworker.

[norcalgal]

On 11/20/2022 at 5:48 PM, Notabug said:

Safe Haven is also meant for permanent surrender of children to be placed for adoption eventually; not for troubled moms who want a few days off from parenting. 

I shouldn't make light of such a fraught, challenging situation but I recall reading in the news (when more and more places were being named Baby Safe Haven locations) that some dad - with kids all in pre-school/elementary age - (kind of?) joked that he might drop off his kids at a Safe Baby location. 

On 11/20/2022 at 9:38 PM, MerBearHou said:

I liked Three Wise Men and a Baby but I didn’t love it like so many here.   I didn’t buy the romantic match-ups either — not even one of them. 

Yeah, I already posted that I didn't care for any of the romantic matchups - even though none of the romantic relationships was a focus of the movie.  I just didn't feel the vibe between any of the men and their ladies. I know Stephan said he was wrong telling Susie they had nothing in common/personalities didn't mesh but I don't think he was wrong. To me, they didn't compliment each other. It was more like he got worn down by her relentless Miss Sunshine personality and constant presence.

Just glad none of the romances was front and center. 

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I did too so I rewatched the ending.  Just before he went up to the dance again, he hands Thomas over to her and gives her a quick peck on the lips.  But it's filmed from directly behind and quick which I think is why I missed it.

Oh wow - I have to rewatch since I didn't catch that either.

[Bronx Babe]

On 11/19/2022 at 4:00 PM, bankerchick said:

I did.  I was ambivalent because I really like the lead actor Ronnie Rowe but don't care for the actress Tamera Housley.  She ruined the Paul Campbell Christmas movie from last year, in my opinion.  I also hated the daughter.  A lot.  I watched Jingle Bell Bride this morning, which allowed me to watch him in a movie I liked.

Right?  She had a 5 minute conversation with him and knows his history and has invited him over for New years?  I thought that was a stretch, even for Hallmark.

They showed the two of them wiping away tears -- maybe she told a horrible ruthless lie to the maitre de that it would be her dying daughter's last Xmas and he'd go to hell if he didn't accommodate this unfortunate situation.  So I guess the question Shelby asked was if he was a religious person, lol.

I realize this will sound insensitive or even mean, but, I did not care for the child actor.  I know a lisp is something one cannot help and many people in the entertainment industry had/have one (Boris Karloff is the most famous example) but I felt that Hallmark was exploiting it to maximum degree.  (please do not hate me for this opinion)

As for Three Wise Men and a Baby, I guess it was okay by Hallmark standards but the guys should have been hunks to really make it work for the female audience; hell, the actor playing Luke the fireman brother bears an unfortunate resemblance to Timothy McVeigh.   I also didn't think the infant was cute.

[Bronx Babe]

On 11/21/2022 at 11:16 AM, ShelleySue said:

To make things more meta Ronnie Rowe played Lt Commander Bryce on Star Trek: Discovery.

Interesting!

The writers are either intense sci-fi fans or genuine aliens, lol.   Hard to tell sometimes which.

Just now, Bronx Babe said:

Interesting!

The writers are either intense sci-fi fans or genuine aliens, lol.   Hard to tell which sometimes.

[memememe76]

I really enjoyed Three Wise Men and a Baby. Besides the dance, another bonus is a shirtless Andrew Walker!

They got excellent ratings, it seems. Hopefully, it means more movies that focus on comedy and ensembles and less on couples. Although I suspect Hallmark will think they can base Christmas movies on 80s movies, ie Andrew Walker’s Day Off. 

https://deadline.com/2022/11/hallmark-three-wise-men-and-a-baby-most-watched-movie-of-2022-basica-cable-1235180386/

Quote

Christmas has already come early for the Hallmark Channel: Three Wise Men and a Baby has become the most-watched movie of the year to date across ad-supported cable in key demographics, according to Nielsen.

Edited November 23, 2022 by memememe76

[EtheltoTillie]

On 11/20/2022 at 11:33 AM, anniebird said:

I think there have been 2 good ones so far - this one and  Ghosts of Christmas Always - which is 2 more than we usually get. 

Was about to comment on this one. I liked it a lot. A mashup of Scrooge and time travel. 

[Makai]

I finally got around to watching Christmas at the Golden Dragon. I thought it was okay but that the dialogue was awful. Actors I like came across stilted and awkward. 

On 11/14/2022 at 2:43 PM, argrow said:

I think what really annoyed me about Golden Dragon is that this is the first(?) Hallmark Christmas movie with Asian lead and story, and they decided to add all the other characters. Why? Do they both think that an Asian led story will not do well with ratings? They could have expanded the multi generational Chinese story and instead went with that instead.

It wasn’t the first. They’ve done much better movies focused on Asian families. In particular last years Boyfriends of Christmas Past did a really good job. The leads were Korean and Indo-Guyanese. I also that Christmas Bow did a good job with a multigenerational Asian family. 

[twoods]

I agree that Boyfriends of Christmas Past was a good movie with an Asian lead. I need to find out when they are airing it this year.

[Irlandesa]

They're actually showing Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade early Thursday morning on Thanksgiving.   I can't remember the last time they did that. 

[bankerchick]

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.  I hope you are all having a wonderful day, however you celebrate.

In that spirit, I thought I would try to watch Love At The Thanksgiving Parade today.  I really like Antonio Cupo, and most of the female lead's outfits are amazing, even though the story about why she wears vintage is ridiculous.  I just not sure I can do it.  The female character is insufferable.  I don't think Autumn Reesor is a good enough actress to convey frustration and indignation without coming across as a BITCH!!  The 'should I, shouldn't I' scene over the ice cream and the drunken karaoke scene make me want to throw something at the tv.  However, they're currently having naked movie night (in which neither of them are naked) so I think this is the highlight of the movie.  We're about 5 minutes away from 90-minute mark crisis so depending on what the crisis is, I might gut it out or bail.

[voiceover]

Rewatched Three Wise Men last night, and was again charmed right down to my socks.

I feel a bookend to Crown for Christmas has been selected for my annual Favorite Hallmark Watch.

[Bethany]

20 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

They're actually showing Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade early Thursday morning on Thanksgiving.   I can't remember the last time they did that. 

It's airing on the station I get really late tonight and I have definitely got the PVR revved up!  I adore this movie.  Definitely in my top 5 and one I will happily watch any time of year!

[Makai]

21 hours ago, twoods said:

I agree that Boyfriends of Christmas Past was a good movie with an Asian lead. I need to find out when they are airing it this year.

It’s airing early Monday morning. 

[luvthepros]

On 11/21/2022 at 1:20 PM, Notabug said:

Oh, yeah, I am in the medical profession and there is no way the kid gets seen by anyone without a parent or guardian present.  The only exception is if there is an obvious life threatening emergency in which case hospital personnel can do whatever a 'reasonable' parent would want to have done for their child.  In real life, a social worker would've been called downstairs pronto and been calling CPS to see if there were any missing children reported and none of them would've been permitted to leave with the baby until the entire situation was sorted out to the satisfaction  of CPS.

I think the writers wanted to hit the 'poor abandoned baby' plot to play up the parallel with the brother's father deserting the family.  There were much better ways to do it.  As you said, the brother agrees to care for someone's kid for an hour or two and something happens and it turns into a days' long event.  Even let the brother agree to watch what he thinks is a friend's pet turtle only to discover that it's their baby instead and be unable to back out.

Which people?  LGBTQ people?  Tolerant people?  People who believe in the personal rights of others and believe it is wrong to refuse to treat others equitably in situations where there is no harm being done to anyone?

As noted above, a large majority of Americans have no problems whatsoever with seeing LGBTQ people in everyday life, even those of us who don't live in LA or New York.  If they don't mind seeing them at work, at the grocery store or at the local park, why in heaven's name would they object to TV portraying something that is part of virtually everyone's life? I live and work in a midwestern city.  I work in an office with about 20 regular employees.  Three of them are gay; one is dating, one is engaged, the other is married.  We all get together for various occasions throughout the year and they have never NOT brought their significant others.  I personally would be sad if they felt a need to pretend that to be something they are not because I was uncomfortable seeing gay people living their lives.  I don't think there are very many people out there who don't have regular contact with LGBTQ people except for those who choose to isolate themselves.

I'm an old lady in my mid 60's; I've got cousins who are openly gay and around my age.  They didn't feel free to tell us in the family setting until about 20 years ago.  I'm sorry for the years we missed.  I have a similarly aged friend who has a brother who she knows is gay because she found out inadvertently a few years back.  It breaks her heart that he's never told her himself; she loves him and wants him to know that his sexuality is irrelevant. She also thinks he needs to get out and date some nice guys and bring one home; but that's a whole 'nother thing.

I was referring to "these people" as anyone who is not typical mainstream America. I was not referring to those who are typical mainstream America who are tolerant. Sorry if I didn't make myself clear on that.

[Bethany]

Watching a couple of these today and all I can think of is how long would it take someone to put away all the decorations that get put out on these massively overdecorated houses in real life?  I get decorating for the holidays but Hallmark people must have huge storage rooms somewhere to keep the 40 zillion decorations they all seem to have!!

[VanillaBear85]

I think Ghosts of Christmas Always is one of the best recent movies from Hallmark. It was a good movie and not just a good Hallmark movie. I had some questions about the ending, but it didn't bother me enough to change my enjoyment of the movie. I recognized all the ghosts from somewhere else. Future ghost Carl Winslow from Family Matters. Present ghost from a season 1 episode of Leverage: Redemption. Past ghost played Iris from the salon episodes in Roseanne. 

Three Wise Men was just okay. It was kind of clunky. It was nice having a movie with the three actors, but I didn't really care about them. Thanks to the poster for saying the mom was the love interest in Three Men. I could not figure out how I recognized her. That was a good tie-in. Overall it was an interesting dynamic with the three brothers. I just didn't like it that much. 

I liked Noel Next Door except for the son. Once he kicked the ball at his head I was done with him and the movie.