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

[ctlady]

14 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

There have been times where all holiday movie talk was supposed to go in the holiday movies thread. However, I don't think that was ever how it worked in practice. There were also times when people could discuss them in either thread.  

We're discussing it right now and will offer clarification

Thank you

 

14 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

I thought it was decided last year that it was ok to discuss the Hallmark Christmas movies in this thread because so many of us don't watch the other networks. Nothing against Lifetime, but I stick to Hallmark because juggling multiple channels with similar movies is more work than I want to put into background noise viewing. 

But I see a separate thread just to discuss holiday tv movies (I'm guessing apart from non-HM ones such as It's A Wonderful Life, etc).  It's probably not going to matter as to get a non-Christmas Hallmark (or Lifetime) movie on the channels between now and New Years is about a 0% chance, but I do like discussing some 'oldie but goodies' non-Christmas Hallmark movies (other than the  mysteries, as that has a separate thread) without it getting lost in a flood of Christmas movie talk

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by ctlady

[Bronx Babe]

Honestly I don't know which is more excruciating -- watching grown men and women endlessly wax poetic about gingerbread houses or waiting for the final results of this crazy election.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I was looking for a Hallmark Christmas Movies only thread. Loved the movie A Royal Christmas even though I've seen it a dozen times,lol. 

[Luckylyn]

I’m behind in my Christmas watching.  Trying to keep up with Hallmark, Lifetime, Up etc... is a challenge.  Every year, I end up missing some movies because it’s overwhelming.

 I just finished The 12 Dates of Christmas and really loved it.  There was something grownup about it.  I think it’s my favorite so far.

Edited November 7, 2020 by Luckylyn

[Suzysite]

On 11/7/2020 at 7:58 AM, Luckylyn said:

 I just finished The 12 Dates of Christmas and really loved it.  There was something grownup about it.  I think it’s my favorite so far.

There are two movies with similar titles.   The 12 Dates of Christmas was from 2011, and On the 12th Date of Christmas is new this year.

[Luckylyn]

58 minutes ago, Suzysite said:

There are two movies with similar titles.   The 12 Dates of Christmas was from 2011, and On the 12th Date of Christmas is new this year.

Thanks for the correction.  So many movies, so many similar titles.

[Kohola3]

12 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

So many movies, so many similar titles.

You would think that they would take a few seconds and look up similar titles before making a decision that just confuses people.  That's just plain lazy.

[Luckylyn]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

You would think that they would take a few seconds and look up similar titles before making a decision that just confuses people.  That's just plain lazy.

This makes me think of Stephen Colbert’s fake Christmas Movie advertisement and his hilarious movie titles. I want “Jurassic Wreath” to be a real thing.  Running for your life from dinosaurs will definitely inspire you to feel the spirit of Christmas.

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by Luckylyn

[Bronx Babe]

Luckylyn, that's hilarious!

[twoods]

15 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

You would think that they would take a few seconds and look up similar titles before making a decision that just confuses people.  That's just plain lazy.

Talk about lazy. I’m losing track of the southern Christmas movies- Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Bayou. I’m surprised I haven’t seen Savannah or Graceland-oh wait there is a Graceland! With hundreds of movies every single season, they have to recycle their titles because there is nothing left. Christmas Joy, Joy of Christmas, Joyful Christmas,  Joyous Christmas. Don’t even get me started on the princess/royal titles. My head hurts!

[Irlandesa]

17 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

You would think that they would take a few seconds and look up similar titles before making a decision that just confuses people.  That's just plain lazy.

Last night they had a uniquely titled movie, Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater, which I appreciated.  The movie did not live up to the title, unfortunately.  The other movie (The Christmas Ring) on Saturday didn't work for me either.

Sundays movies were much better.  I liked that in the Christmas With the Darlings movie that they explained some of the tropes that were common like wanting to do cold Christmas activities since the kids grew up in a warm climate. It made no sense, however, that none of the kids had a hint of an Australian accent.  Especially the younger one.

I think I loved The Christmas Bow.  Michael Rady is always a winner and I liked Lucia Micarelli as well.  I like that they're getting some people with real musical talent to be in these movies.  They had good chemistry, adult conversations and I felt like the decision both of them made at the end of the movie felt organic.  The little flashbacks to Grandpa Joe and his late wife were very touching. 

And I don't want to even admit how long it took me to realize the play on words in the title and that the "bow" wasn't referring to this:

But this:

[Kemper]

Has anyone seen “Holidate” on Netflix?  When scrolling through new titles this popped up; I figured they were trying to get on the Hallmark train of sugary holiday movies.  No disrespect...the Hallmark movies check off a lot of holiday boxes.

Well. Holidate was racy (Senior Citizen here) and vulgar in places.  I belly-laughed and enjoyed it thoroughly.  A breath of fresh air in these times if you are up for a movie like that. Since it is a Christmas movie it is okay to spoil it by saying it had a Hallmark ending.   The female lead did not have long flowing hair; and the guy was sexy. 

There is room for a regular Hallmark movie and for an “R” rated copy.  One can maybe enjoy both.

[twoods]

Why do all the good Michael Rady movies have to be on a channel I don’t have? I wanted to see Christmas Bow, Two Turtle Doves,  and A Joyous Christmas (yes I trashed the name earlier but you guys said it was good). Guess I have to watch Christmas at Homestead for the fourth time.

Edited November 9, 2020 by twoods

[maggiegil]

I was disappointed in Never Kiss a man in a Christmas Sweater mainly because the book its based on never kiss a man in a Christmas jumper is so good and laugh out loud funny. It was fine and I like Ashley Williams and Niall Matter but I feel like they could have used the source material better. Not one I'd bother watching again, it was forgettable.

I've just finished The Christmas Ring  and another architect, both Hallmark films I watched this weekend had the leading male as an architect, is this the new career path for our male protagonists? I found the story a bit ridiculous that someone would just buy a diamond ring without thinking about it and then try to make it into a story for a buzzfeed type site, people sell rings all the time. Also how is everyone remembering the most generic mans name and being like "oh yeah hes the one who used to be engaged to that heiress"? I found the lead actress' accent really affected and I don't know if it was her or the script but her dialogue felt very unnatural.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Kemper said:

Has anyone seen “Holidate” on Netflix?  When scrolling through new titles this popped up; I figured they were trying to get on the Hallmark train of sugary holiday movies.  No disrespect...the Hallmark movies check off a lot of holiday boxes.

Yep, I talked about it in the other thread for holiday movies.  I liked it a lot too.

27 minutes ago, maggiegil said:

I was disappointed in Never Kiss a man in a Christmas Sweater mainly because the book its based on never kiss a man in a Christmas jumper is so good and laugh out loud funny.

Yeah.  With the title and the movie's stars, I was expecting more comedy and was disappointed that it didn't translate into the movie. 

26 minutes ago, maggiegil said:

Also how is everyone remembering the most generic mans name and being like "oh yeah hes the one who used to be engaged to that heiress"?

Yep.  And it's not like they just broke up either.  It was months ago and she immediate thinks it's the same Michael Smith (or whatever his generic name is). 

[ShelleySue]

50 minutes ago, maggiegil said:

I've just finished The Christmas Ring  and another architect, both Hallmark films I watched this weekend had the leading male as an architect, is this the new career path for our male protagonists? I found the story a bit ridiculous that someone would just buy a diamond ring without thinking about it and then try to make it into a story for a buzzfeed type site, people sell rings all the time. Also how is everyone remembering the most generic mans name and being like "oh yeah hes the one who used to be engaged to that heiress"? I found the lead actress' accent really affected and I don't know if it was her or the script but her dialogue felt very unnatural.

I posted in the holiday movie chat about this movie because I couldn't figure out what was so newsworthy about the architect that the editor wanted a story about him or why no one could track him down when he was living in his hometown.

 

[ehall1052]

Jen Lilly was on Hallmarks Home and Family today and she looked absolutely emaciated. Her waist was itty-bitty and her face was very thin. Even her hair was thinner, although the lack of extensions could have caused that.  I always thought she looked fine and I hate it when beautiful actresses feel like they have to do this.

[twoods]

Wasn’t she pregnant within the past year? I wonder if she tried to lose all her post pregnancy weight and then some. Hope she’s okay.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

Wasn’t she pregnant within the past year? I wonder if she tried to lose all her post pregnancy weight and then some. Hope she’s okay.

I believe she had her baby sometime last year. I also saw on social media that she just finalized the adoption of her second son (she adopted her oldest last year). I imagine she’s had a pretty stressful couple of years. 

[Bronx Babe]

Is anyone else creeped out by Lacey Chabert's signature "heh-heh-heh"?  Can you imagine hearing that in the middle of the night, in the dark?  I'd be terrified, wondering if it was some sort of evil spirit.

[norcalgal]

On 11/9/2020 at 12:13 AM, Irlandesa said:

Last night they had a uniquely titled movie, Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater, which I appreciated.  The movie did not live up to the title, unfortunately.  The other movie (The Christmas Ring) on Saturday didn't work for me either.

I think I loved The Christmas Bow.  Michael Rady is always a winner and I liked Lucia Micarelli as well.  I like that they're getting some people with real musical talent to be in these movies.  They had good chemistry, adult conversations and I felt like the decision both of them made at the end of the movie felt organic.  The little flashbacks to Grandpa Joe and his late wife were very touching. 

And I don't want to even admit how long it took me to realize the play on words in the title and that the "bow" wasn't referring to this:

But this:

 

On 11/9/2020 at 7:28 AM, maggiegil said:

I've just finished The Christmas Ring  and another architect, both Hallmark films I watched this weekend had the leading male as an architect, is this the new career path for our male protagonists? I found the story a bit ridiculous that someone would just buy a diamond ring without thinking about it and then try to make it into a story for a buzzfeed type site, people sell rings all the time. Also how is everyone remembering the most generic mans name and being like "oh yeah hes the one who used to be engaged to that heiress"? I found the lead actress' accent really affected and I don't know if it was her or the script but her dialogue felt very unnatural.

I believe representation matters so I was pleased both had a POC female lead who’s Asian. I think these were the first holiday movies with Asian lead characters ...?  
However, in The Christmas Bow, I have to side eye the mom character. We’re supposed to believe she’s the biological child of an Asian dad (grandpa) and Caucasian mom (deceased mom)?!  Show really needed to cast an actress who appears Hapa, like their casting of Lucia since she did appear half Asian/Caucasian. 
But I felt the plot and dialogue were fairly decent so the movie gets a thumbs up from me. 
On a personal note, I generally prefer Lifetime holiday movies more because the casting is more diverse, even if the acting may not be as good as Hallmark’s & production values not as refined. Glad to see Hallmark is diversifying their casting and the plots aren’t as treacly/eye rolling. 

[Kohola3]

I'm glad I don't live in Hallmarkworld.  The mortality rate for young parents is astronomical.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

However, in The Christmas Bow, I have to side eye the mom character. We’re supposed to believe she’s the biological child of an Asian dad (grandpa) and Caucasian mom (deceased mom)?!  Show really needed to cast an actress who appears Hapa, like their casting of Lucia since she did appear half Asian/Caucasian. 

I really disagree. People who are half Asian/Caucasian do not have one characteristic look. I don’t know if Jyl Kaneshiro is mixed or full Asian but I wouldn’t be surprised either way. 

On 11/9/2020 at 12:13 AM, Irlandesa said:

I think I loved The Christmas Bow.  Michael Rady is always a winner and I liked Lucia Micarelli as well.  I like that they're getting some people with real musical talent to be in these movies.  They had good chemistry, adult conversations and I felt like the decision both of them made at the end of the movie felt organic.  The little flashbacks to Grandpa Joe and his late wife were very touching. 

Thanks for the recommendation. I ended up loving the movie. It was also a pleasant surprise to see James Saito as the grandfather. 

[KaveDweller]

On 11/8/2020 at 9:34 AM, Kohola3 said:

You would think that they would take a few seconds and look up similar titles before making a decision that just confuses people.  That's just plain lazy.

The problem is there are hundreds of these Christmas movies by now. And there are only so many names you can come up with while still remaining Christmas-y. The only way to be really original is to give a very unique title, like "A Shoe Addict's Christmas" or "Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater." But those only work if you have an original plot.

[Kohola3]

6 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

And there are only so many names you can come up with while still remaining Christmas-y.

Really?  It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, Home Alone, Elf, The Grinch, Klaus, Last Holiday, Prancer, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Love Actually, Schrooged, Babes in Toyland, Holiday Inn, The Bishop's Wife - the word "Christmas" doesn't appear in any of these titles.  It just takes a little thought.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

But those only work if you have an original plot.

The Christmas sweater movie didn't really have an original plot.

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

the word "Christmas" doesn't appear in any of these titles.  It just takes a little thought.

Exactly.  It's the weird obsession with having Christmas in the title that makes them so similar. 

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Really?  It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, Home Alone, Elf, The Grinch, Klaus, Last Holiday, Prancer, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Love Actually, Schrooged, Babes in Toyland, Holiday Inn, The Bishop's Wife - the word "Christmas" doesn't appear in any of these titles.  It just takes a little thought.

I didn't say the word Christmas had to appear in them, I just said Christmas-related. This is clearly important to Hallmark's marketing plan.  Santa, Holiday, Love, Home all work too. But what you list are all existing and well-known titles. My point was just that coming up with 40 brand new titles every year, that aren't a little repetitive is probably harder than it sounds. And they likely don't get paid that much.

4 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

The Christmas sweater movie didn't really have an original plot.

True. But they at least took one unique/humorous line from the entire movie and got me to watch it thinking it would. Confession - I would have watched it anyway.

[norcalgal]

3 hours ago, Dani said:

I really disagree. People who are half Asian/Caucasian do not have one characteristic look. I don’t know if Jyl Kaneshiro is mixed or full Asian but I wouldn’t be surprised either way. 

Thanks for the recommendation. I ended up loving the movie. It was also a pleasant surprise to see James Saito as the grandfather. 

I guess we all see what we see based on our own experiences/observations. I live in an area with lots of half-Asian/half-Caucasian kids. From my POV, the actress (Jyl Kaneshiro) who plays the mom does not seem Hapa.  Again, this is from my own observations, so it's possible there are Hapa who hew very much to one side of their heritage and don't appear to have a speck of their other heritage, but that's not the norm in my experience.

I just finished binge-watching Dash & Lily on Netflix so if you like James Saito, guess where he pops up as another grandpa?  😘

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

I guess we all see what we see based on our own experiences/observations. I live in an area with lots of half-Asian/half-Caucasian kids. From my POV, the actress (Jyl Kaneshiro) who plays the mom does not seem Hapa.  Again, this is from my own observations, so it's possible there are Hapa who hew very much to one side of their heritage and don't appear to have a speck of their other heritage, but that's not the norm in my experience.

It’s a really wide spectrum. I have one brother who looks Asian, one who looks white and I’m in the middle. I see a few characteristics in Jyl Kaneshiro that makes me think she may be mixed but it can be really hard to tell just by looking at someone. My Japanese grandfather looks mixed or even white in many photos. 

24 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

I just finished binge-watching Dash & Lily on Netflix so if you like James Saito, guess where he pops up as another grandpa?  😘

That’s on my list to watch next. I love that he is getting more roles. 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Guest

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I didn't say the word Christmas had to appear in them, I just said Christmas-related. This is clearly important to Hallmark's marketing plan. 

I'm sure it is. But when your channels are showing nothing but Christmas movies nonstop for months, I'm not sure why the title needs to be Christmas-related.  Clearly that's all you are showing.  And if they made something worthy of being well known they wouldn't need to have a marketing plan. People would remember the movie  because it's a well written movie with good acting and a good plot.  All of their drivel is totally forgettable with one or two exceptions.  They are in desperate need of new writing talent.

[roughing it]

I'm new to the holiday movies this year, and I've gotta say, I'm not a fan of Ashley Williams.  It's like she's trying oh so hard to look oh so cute.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I'm sure it is. But when your channels are showing nothing but Christmas movies nonstop for months, I'm not sure why the title needs to be Christmas-related.  Clearly that's all you are showing.  And if they made something worthy of being well known they wouldn't need to have a marketing plan. People would remember the movie  because it's a well written movie with good acting and a good plot.  All of their drivel is totally forgettable with one or two exceptions.  They are in desperate need of new writing talent.

Hallmark’s problem as never really been the writers. They actually have very good writers for the genre. The real problem is that Hallmark has completely hamstrung them. They are writing what they have to write to work. 

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, roughing it said:

I'm new to the holiday movies this year, and I've gotta say, I'm not a fan of Ashley Williams.  It's like she's trying oh so hard to look oh so cute.

I've felt that way about her for awhile.  She is on my personal "can't watch" list for the exact reason you said above.  Though I like Niall Matter, I skipped the Christmas sweater movie with her as his co-star.

[Kohola3]

42 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I'm not a fan of Ashley Williams.  It's like she's trying oh so hard to look oh so cute.

Every time I see her I'm reminded of the wonderful line in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  (I know, that was eons ago but...)

Lou:  You know what?  You got spunk.

Mary;  Oh, wellllll

Lou:  I HATE spunk.

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I've felt that way about her for awhile.  She is on my personal "can't watch" list for the exact reason you said above.  Though I like Niall Matter, I skipped the Christmas sweater movie with her as his co-star.

I feel the same way. She’s way too perky. Sometimes it’s annoying because I frequently confuse her with her sister and get disappointed. 

[Bronx Babe]

"My father passed away when I was seven years old, so it was just Mom and me.  She rented rooms to a nice professor who taught poetry.  Eventually they married but not long afterward she died in a car accident, so the professor and I moved to Boston into a lovely big house.  I went to high school and had a lot of extracurricular activities, but can't mention those.  We never really celebrated Christmas in a traditional way.  The professor loved to paint my toenails"

[Bronx Babe]

Christmas With The Darlings -- 40, count 'em, 40 mentions of the word "Christmas" in the first thirty minutes.  Now they're up to 46.

I'm sure they'll hit 100 before this movie is over.

Bizarre and creepy doesn't even begin to explain this Hallmark phenomenon.  Unsettling beyond belief.

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Bronx Babe

[EyewatchTV211]

10 hours ago, roughing it said:

I'm new to the holiday movies this year, and I've gotta say, I'm not a fan of Ashley Williams.  It's like she's trying oh so hard to look oh so cute.

I don't usually like her either. I did watch this movie, and it's interesting - she's usually trying to be super cute and smiley. But after the usual misunderstanding, her sad/upset/"barriers up" face was the opposite extreme. I actually found it a bit scary. She looked extremely mad. 

[Ashforth]

11 hours ago, roughing it said:

I'm new to the holiday movies this year, and I've gotta say, I'm not a fan of Ashley Williams.  It's like she's trying oh so hard to look oh so cute.

I liked her in the first few movies I saw her in, but it seems that over time her acting has become rather manic and her facial expressions match that. It's not fun to watch.

10 hours ago, Dani said:

Hallmark’s problem as never really been the writers. They actually have very good writers for the genre. The real problem is that Hallmark has completely hamstrung them. They are writing what they have to write to work. 

Well... I know that for at least the past few years (before the ousting of Bill Abbott) the writers were handed very strict story guidelines and little or no deviation was allowed (along with forbidding most non-white and pretty much all non-heterosexual characters). But that doesn't excuse a lot of the terrible dialogue.

4 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

"My father passed away when I was seven years old, so it was just Mom and me.  She rented rooms to a nice professor who taught poetry.  Eventually they married but not long afterward she died in a car accident, so the professor and I moved to Boston into a lovely big house.  I went to high school and had a lot of extracurricular activities, but can't mention those.  We never really celebrated Christmas in a traditional way.  The professor loved to paint my toenails"

Christmas with Lolita premieres on Hallmark right after Hell freezes over. 😉

Edited November 12, 2020 by Ashforth

[Bronx Babe]

They hit 100!!!!

[Bronx Babe]

8 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

 

Christmas with Lolita premieres on Hallmark right after Hell freezes over. 😉

LOL   

Interestingly, if you've ever seen Lolita director Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, his intentionally ironic over-the-top Christmas decor in that film (millions of pastel-colored, tacky-looking tree lights everywhere) bear a remarkable resemblance to the Hallmark ones!   

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Ashforth said:

Well... I know that for at least the past few years (before the ousting of Bill Abbott) the writers were handed very strict story guidelines and little or no deviation was allowed (along with forbidding most non-white and pretty much all non-heterosexual characters). But that doesn't excuse a lot of the terrible dialogue.

Yeah. That’s why I specifically said they are good writers for the genre. I do think a lot of the terrible dialogue was a direct result of Bill Abbott’s guidelines. There was that New Yorker article from last year where Abbott was very upset that the word suck made it into one of their acquired films without anyone noticing. So, is the dialogue terrible because the writers can’t do any better or because the Hallmark formula prevents them from writing realistic dialogue? 

I know it’s been posted here before but this interview with two Hallmark writers is very interesting. (Sorry for all the quotes but the interview is illuminating)

Quote

It’s like trying to write under water with handcuffs. It’s helpful in that you don’t have that many choices. The blank piece of paper isn’t so blank. 

Quote

Okay, let’s talk about the rules because I’m sure there are so many! What can you tell us about the Hallmark regulations that ensure a harmonious Christmas for all?

MERRY: The first rule is snow. We really wanted to do one where the basic conflict was a fear that there will not be snow on Christmas. We were told you cannot do that, there must be snow. They can’t be waiting for the snow, there has to be snow. You cannot threaten them with no snow. Our idea for Christmas in Miami? Never. Not in a million years. At least not at this point in the way they approach these movies. They’re very, very, very specific about what they want to see.

CHRISTMAS: They always like Christmas activities like gingerbread-making contests, snowman-making contests. They like to have that stuff scattered throughout the whole thing, so there’s always some sort of Christmas element going on.

MERRY: We have one script that’s about to go over there, they’ve signed off on it, and one of their big notes — and this is a movie where people are basically doing Christmas activities in every scene — was there wasn’t enough Christmas!

CHRISTMAS: The wedding movies on Hallmark are the same; you can’t have enough wedding things! It’s the same kind of thing where they just overload it with whatever the seasonal thing is. They like to hit you over the head with the seasonal club.

MERRY: Right, there cannot be a single scene that does not acknowledge the theme. Well, maybe a scene, but you can’t have a single act that doesn’t acknowledge it and there are nine of them, so there’s lots of opportunities for Christmas. They have a really rigid nine-act structure that makes writing them a lot of fun because it’s almost like an exercise. You know where you have to get to: People have to be kissing for the first time, probably in some sort of a Christmas setting, probably with snow falling from the sky, probably with a small crowd watching. You have to start with two people who, for whatever reason, don’t like each other and you’re just maneuvering through those nine acts to get them to that kiss in the snow.

CHRISTMAS: They can’t not like each other too much. One of the problems of writing a Hallmark is that you cannot have too much conflict, but somebody has to be angry and they hate…

MERRY: No! They dislike. You’re not allowed to use the word hate or the word crazy in Hallmark. Everything goes through a mildness filter. You have to mild-ify everything that you do just to kind of take all the edges off. It’s like everything gets sanded, filed down so the sharp edges come off. “Off-brand” is the word they use for anything that doesn’t fit, like if you use the word “stupid” or “crazy” or if someone is too mean or sexual, all those things are off-brand.

Quote

What about personality traits for the characters? What do you have to include?
CHRISTMAS: The woman basically has to be a saint, but she still has to be a take-charge kind of female until she basically submits to the guy at the end. She needs to have a dream that is not fulfilled and she has to figure out how to fulfill this dream over the course of the movie and, generally, the proper love interest has to do something to help her realize her dream or teach her a lesson about how to achieve that dream and the importance of it. Or, they show her that something else is really what she wants, that the thing she thinks she wants isn’t what she really wants — like when women want to go to the big city and be successful, often the big city is the enemy.

Quote

Is there any dialogue they ask you to include?
MERRY: Not specifically, but there was one time when we were working on one and we decided to watch a Hallmark movie and we heard, like, three of our lines in that movie because you end up writing the same things. I mean, they don’t tell you to use this language or this line or anything, but it’s just a natural consequence of how tight the form is.

 

[Ashforth]

3 minutes ago, Dani said:

So, is the dialogue terrible because the writers can’t do any better or because the Hallmark formula prevents them from writing realistic dialogue? 

That is a very good question. I remember that article from when it was posted before. I nearly mentioned it in my post but was too lazy to look for the link. It explains so many of the things that we complain about. Even so, clearly these movies have their appeal, I've been watching them for a long time. They're nice, lighthearted escapist entertainment and fun to snark on, too.

Hopefully with the new leadership, next year's movies will be a lot better! There has already been improvement this year.

I was going to take a break from the Christmas movies anyway, but recent/current events have kept my TV screen otherwise occupied. I'm going to start watching again closer to or after Thanksgiving so that in December I won't end up having seen everything that's on. I'm actually looking forward to watching the new ones (and a few of the older ones) when I give in to my holiday habit, LOL.

[twoods]

You guys were right- On the 12th Date of Christmas was very cute and entertaining. Tyler is always great, but the lead actress was also very natural. I liked how goofy and awkward she was, and the storyline was unique, plus there was no annoying significant other or ex to muddle things up.  Definitely one I will watch again.

Edited November 12, 2020 by twoods

[WinnieWinkle]

7 hours ago, twoods said:

You guys were right- On the 12 Date of Christmas was very cute and entertaining.

I saw this one yesterday and really enjoyed it.  My benchmark for if a Hallmark Christmas movie is actually good is if I'd watch it again - and especially if I'd watch it outside the Christmas season.  This one worked for me.  I saw another one yesterday as well that I had PVR'd and I can't even remember offhand now which one it was!  I'm guessing it did not make much of an impression!

[ShelleySue]

Is there no Hallmark Hall of Fame Christmas Movie this year?  I've looked at all of the listings and I can't find one that has that indicated.  They're usually bigger budget not so formulaic.   I can't remember a year without one -- even before there was a Hallmark Channel.  I wonder if COVID caused problems with filming.

[norcalgal]

On 11/11/2020 at 8:06 AM, roughing it said:

I'm new to the holiday movies this year, and I've gotta say, I'm not a fan of Ashley Williams.  It's like she's trying oh so hard to look oh so cute.

 

On 11/11/2020 at 11:10 AM, Dani said:

I feel the same way. She’s way too perky. Sometimes it’s annoying because I frequently confuse her with her sister and get disappointed. 

Huh...I never made the connection.  Is her sister Kimberley Williams (married to Brad Paisley)?

Also, the only two Hallmark movies I can recall watching with Ashley are Christmas in Evergreen (SO stupid how they contrived to stop her from leaving the town) and a Halloween movie where she's a nanny to two kids and then dresses as a mermaid at the end.

I can't recall if it was a Hallmark movie or not, but one I've enjoyed and re-watched a couple of times was a Kimberley Williams movie called Lucky 7. I say maybe it's not Hallmark because -  gasp! the lead female had a one night stand with the male lead (played by Patrick Dempsey). No way, no how would that happen these days on Hallmark.

 

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

I can't recall if it was a Hallmark movie or not, but one I've enjoyed and re-watched a couple of times was a Kimberley Williams movie called Lucky 7. I say maybe it's not Hallmark because -  gasp! the lead female had a one night stand with the male lead (played by Patrick Dempsey). No way, no how would that happen these days on Hallmark.

I loooove Lucky 7.  It was one of those movies I just stumbled upon and it is a fave of my daughter’s and mine.  And an early Patrick Dempsey whose character is so great.  Kimberly is a delight and I enjoy her in the Darrow movies.  Her sister Ashley - too much annoying spunk, tries too hard, manic smile.  I know she has lots of fans, but...

Edited November 13, 2020 by MerBearHou

[MerBearHou]

I am watching The 12th Date of Christmas again — y’all, it’s my 4th time already.  I cannot believe how much I love this new movie.  Tyler and Mallory are a superb duo with humor and chemistry, the supporting cast is perfect, and the story is smart and unique.  

Edited November 13, 2020 by MerBearHou

[twoods]

I saw Ashley the first time in the Snow movies on ABC Family and really enjoyed her in them. She wasn’t so bad in her first few Hallmark ones either but then she got too cute and smiley. That creepy smile would come out in the most inappropriate time and it would take me out of her scenes. 
 

Lucky 7 is also one of my favorite movies. 

Edited November 13, 2020 by twoods