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

[Ashforth]

CBS This Morning did a nice piece about the evolution of Hallmark (and Lifetime) Christmas movies.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hallmark-channel-lgbtq-christmas-movie/

Quote

 

[Jonathan] Bennett, who lives in California with his boyfriend, Jaymes, said his goal with "The Christmas House" was to make people feel less alone.

"It feels like I'm a part of progress and it feels really good. I can just imagine what younger me would have thought watching this movie," he said...

Asked why she thinks viewers love the formulaic Christmas movies, [Rachel] Boston said, "You do know everything's going to work out in the end. And I think there's so much peace that comes from that if the world around you is chaotic."

Psychologist Nancy Mramor said she believes the pandemic will increase the appetite for holiday movies.

"The brain likes things that are familiar to us," she said.

Asked what the metaphor for holiday movies would be, Mramor said, "It's the classic dream that everyone has. The dream of being happy in all areas of your life, and when our lives aren't so perfect, we kind of like to see and gain hope from stories that are really very perfect." 

Bennett knows life isn't always merry or bright like in the movies — this year, especially. 

His message to fans who may be struggling this holiday season is, "Just remember you're not alone."

"If you feel a little weird this year and everything feels off, that's OK," he said. "But at the same time, have hope because we will get through this."

 

💖💖💖

[Callietwo]

On 11/26/2020 at 2:32 PM, Irlandesa said:

You might be right.  But I was still annoyed. 😉

Yes, the premise IWATCHTV211  described was accurate. 

And though I too thought “That would NEVER happen in RL” at the way it ended with Cameras following them like that, I still absolutely loved the movie. (except and unless they were paparazzi cameras looking for a scoop on famous people but then they wouldn’t have been miked) 

Allison & Marc are two favorites of mine; I love that they are age appropriate together and the play well off each other with chemistry galore. 

When she walked off with the other guy the end, she seemed disappointed that he was the one that left the card and I was glad that misunderstanding was quickly rectified rather than typical Hallmark trope of Brian (Marc) packing his bag and leaving before she knew it was him.  
 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Callietwo
Added a thought & corrected commenters name

[bankerchick]

Quote

I just sat through it and Catherine Bell's character remains bitchy throughout. 

This is my complaint about most of the movies.  Never mind the million tropes, but I'm sorry, no guy who looks like any of these guys is going to keep letting these women treat them so badly and rudely, and keep coming back.  There are lots of women in those tiny little towns who are not bitchy 24/7 and there is nothing remotely intriguing or beguiling about the women (that the man has seen to this point) that would make the men hang around.  And don't get me started on hearing half of a conversation, or seeing the man hug a woman who turns out to be his sister, then immediately packing up, leaving town, and abandoning the Christmas pageant that you promised the widower's kids you would attend.

[EyewatchTV211]

15 hours ago, Callietwo said:

Yes, the premise Irlandesa described was accurate. 

And though I too thought “That would NEVER happen in RL” at the way it ended with Cameras following them like that, I still absolutely loved the movie. (except and unless they were paparazzi cameras looking for a scoop on famous people but then they wouldn’t have been miked) 

Allison & Marc are two favorites of mine; I love that they are age appropriate together and the play well off each other with chemistry galore. 

When she walked off with the other guy the end, she seemed disappointed that he was the one that left the card and I was glad that misunderstanding was quickly rectified rather than typical Hallmark trope of Brian (Marc) packing his bag and leaving before she knew it was him.  
 

 

I enjoyed it also, so I guess I will have to rewatch it to see how I missed that explanation initially. Hopefully I can get it to play without it skipping around a ton. So what was the girlfriend's surprise then, if he knew about the show?

[Callietwo]

2 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

I enjoyed it also, so I guess I will have to rewatch it to see how I missed that explanation initially. Hopefully I can get it to play without it skipping around a ton. So what was the girlfriend's surprise then, if he knew about the show?

I’m so sorry, IWATCHTV211.  
 

I wrote the wrong person’s name when I said the premise posted was correct.

You were right in your original post-  He did not know about the girlfriend's show until she showed up with the contract in hand.

As a chronic insomniac, I need to stop posting when I’m so tired.  Apologies for my errors!  

Edited November 28, 2020 by Callietwo

[Bronx Babe]

My deepest fantasy is having Clark Griswold's Cousin Eddie suddenly show up in one of the Hallmark towns.

Can't you see it?  One of his daughters doing a pole dance on those impossibly large candy canes.

[MollyMelrose]

Christmas in Evergreen: Part 35

Starring Cousin Eddie in A Schnitter's Full Christmas.

[CaliforniaLove]

I'm sorry, but in the previews, Lacey Chabert waltzing looks like Terra from Dancing With The Stars. 

I watched Five Star Christmas last night, and gave it a solid 3. Knew immediately who "Bea Turner" was, I knew Joy Lenz would sing at some point (even if it was thankfully brief), and the main dude at 6'3" looked like Shaq next to all the other shorty actors. Oh, and Grandma was creepy. 

ETA: and what was the deal with the B&B? Why was the Dad SO unprepared? And how many rooms did this place have? Dad told the kids they could all be in their old rooms, and then they seemed to have infinite rooms available for anybody who showed up! 

Edited November 28, 2020 by CaliforniaLove

[bankerchick]

Agreed.  I enjoyed the movie overall, but it was clearly obvious who was going to be 'Bea Turner.'  Also stupid things that are supposed to drive the story but are so dumb that they take me out of it.  For example, the grandfather.  Why do we have to call the handyman 'Mr. Walters' and not just Walter?  Would it be unheard of for the owner's father to be the handyman at a family run business?  And why can't he go into town?  If he's the handyman at a local B&B, it's not inconceivable that people from the town would know him.

I don't dislike Joy Lenz but she is one of the actresses that embodies my rant from up above (bitchy all the time for no reason, why do guys go for that.)  She comes off as shrill and intractable.

[Callietwo]

1 hour ago, CaliforniaLove said:

I watched Five Star Christmas last night, and gave it a solid 3. Knew immediately who "Bea Turner" was, I knew Joy Lenz would sing at some point (even if it was thankfully brief), and the main dude at 6'3" looked like Shaq next to all the other shorty actors. Oh, and Grandma was creepy. 

ETA: and what was the deal with the B&B? Why was the Dad SO unprepared? And how many rooms did this place have? Dad told the kids they could all be in their old rooms, and then they seemed to have infinite rooms available for anybody who showed up! 

I think we, the audience was supposed to know which of the two were was Bea Turner, though so that didn't bother me.   And I agree, Victor Webster looked huge next to the rest of them and it didn't help at all that he's put on a good bit of weight lately. So strange to see him so "puffy."

As for the rooms, I recall that Will & Suzanne (brother & wife) were booted out of their normal room, and that was why when the Dad asked if the pinecone room was ready, Will yelled YES.. and then realized he wasn't supposed to know and had that Ooops look about him and went back into Character. 

Then I thought they mentioned something about using rooms downstairs, so maybe the "family & staff" were using rooms there.  They didn't fully cover that one though.  

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

 For example, the grandfather.  Why do we have to call the handyman 'Mr. Walters' and not just Walter?  Would it be unheard of for the owner's father to be the handyman at a family run business?  And why can't he go into town?  If he's the handyman at a local B&B, it's not inconceivable that people from the town would know him.

I don't dislike Joy Lenz but she is one of the actresses that embodies my rant from up above (bitchy all the time for no reason, why do guys go for that.)  She comes off as shrill and intractable.

I couldn't understand the whole Mr. Walter thing vs. his just being Ted's dad helping out and the same for Chef "Francesca".  Why couldn't she be his daughter, also helping him run the B & B?  Why make it so convoluted.  

I actually enjoy Lenz as an actress, but her character did seem stressed.  They kind of covered that by saying Lucy had to take care of the siblings after their mom inevitably died when she was 15.  

I liked it.. I'd have given it more of a 4 out of 5.  So far my favorite premiere this season has been Good Morning Christmas the other night.

OH!  And though I normally dislike the actress that played Grandma, I thought her getting into it was hysterical.  I loved that.  

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, CaliforniaLove said:

I watched Five Star Christmas last night, and gave it a solid 3. Knew immediately who "Bea Turner" was, I knew Joy Lenz would sing at some point (even if it was thankfully brief), and the main dude at 6'3" looked like Shaq next to all the other shorty actors. Oh, and Grandma was creepy. 

ETA: and what was the deal with the B&B? Why was the Dad SO unprepared? And how many rooms did this place have? Dad told the kids they could all be in their old rooms, and then they seemed to have infinite rooms available for anybody who showed up! 

I'm starting to watch this year's movies (and reruns of old ones). I liked Five Star Christmas, despite its silliness and a nagging feeling that we've seen this exact plot before, right down to "I need to go flip the circuit breaker, it's in your guest room." I thought the leads had good chemistry as grown people who genuinely liked each other. But why, oh why, are all of these people unable to use their words? For the love of God, just say it, whatever it is.

Oh, and I liked the surprise pregnancy subplot. Very subversive for Hallmark to have a couple that wasn't planning to have a baby and so the woman is worried that her husband might be unhappy about it. Of course, he was! But it was a nice real life touch instead of nonstop treacle.

I tried Cranberry Christmas today. I promise that I did. As many have said, it was terrible. Again, Hallmark characters, USE YOUR WORDS. Why was this married but separated couple unable to communicate? It was like a high school breakup. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll just say "No" to this lousy movie.

[ctlady]

On 11/26/2020 at 11:47 PM, ECM1231 said:

LOVED Christmas By Starlight.  (Thank goodness considering I was looking forward to this one and was afraid of being let down.)  It was Kimberly and Paul's best movie together yet. 

I'll have to give this another chance.  Began watching it yesterday and immediately switched off in the beginning when she picked up her dog and began to exaggerate-dance around her living room to loud Christmas music. And then.....her parents walk right in on her!  Yeah, she had an 'open door' policy with them, but what if she was in an indecent form of dress or......entertaining?

[Bronx Babe]

5 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

Christmas in Evergreen: Part 35

Starring Cousin Eddie in A Schnitter's Full Christmas.

lol, yep, ya gotta love Eddie!

[Irlandesa]

I think Five Star Christmas wanted to be an episode of Frasier with all the secrets and lies and shenanigans.  I thought it was kind of fun, overall even though the farce didn't quite take off.  Or actually make sense some of the time.   For instance, I was surprised everyone expected dinner at a B&B.  Most B&Bs I've ever been to, pure B&Bs offered breakfast.  That's it. Inns would have dinner for extra cost but not dinner.  And yet brunch was the thing the guests were invited to--the thing one would naturally expect at a B&B. 

He's also not quite doing his job giving them a good review as all the other "guests" they were juggling were family members.  That gives a false impression how they'd work if all the rooms were taken with demanding people as opposed to family putting in work.

The biggest laugh I got from the movie was the home video of dead mother because I recognized the actress from The Vow documentary.  If you haven't heard of it, The Vow focused on Sarah Edmundson (the actress) and Mark Vicente and their spouses as they leave the sex cult known NXIVM.  She apparently didn't have sex with the cult leader but she was branded. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Irlandesa

[DanaMB]

On 10/26/2020 at 2:14 AM, Irlandesa said:

I didn't have much time to watch many holiday movies tonight so of those on my DVR, I selected Deliver For Christmas and I really liked it.  It's another interracial romance.  I liked the more rugged, with a touch of gray, Eion Bailey as the male lead.  I find him sexier than most of the leads of these movies. 

And I'm also a sucker for the You've Got Mailness/Shop Around The Cornerness of the plot.

I just watched this one and really liked it. I actually saved it to watch again and I rarely do that. I really am enjoying Hallmark movies more than Lifetime this year which is a surprising change. 

[MerBearHou]

So enjoyed The Christmas Waltz with Will Kemp and Lacey Chabert.  OMG the fantasy of learning to dance like that (with a dreamy teacher like Will as a bonus) - yes, please!  Expected greatness from Will which he certainly delivered, but Lacey was a gorgeous dancer!  I liked the premise and Lacey has great chemistry with Will.  My only two ever-present Lacey complaints are her absurd stilettos (even while decorating a Christmas tree and climbing a ladder) and her fluttering eyelids — Lacey, cut it out!  Otherwise I really enjoy her more and more as she’s matured.  Will K is a delight.

Edited November 29, 2020 by MerBearHou

[Chippings]

I had a lot of thoughts about The Christmas Waltz, which I really did enjoy.  I'd really liked Will Kemp in both his earlier Hallmarks, as the Prince with Bethany Joy Lenz, and then the chocolatier with Lacey Chabert.  As they got acquainted in this movie I was sort of expecting them to start stirring up some chocolate, though, since I couldn't forget that earlier relationship.

Another frivolous thought was, Do they have a specific folder of head-shots and bios for actors to play the Original Fiance' Who Dumps the Heroine??  I think I've only ever seen one Original Fiance turn up as a hero in another movie.  They are pretty much interchangeable.

And, am I right, but was the final romantic waltz on stage danced to the same song as the final dramatic waltz in One Royal Holiday a couple of weeks ago?  Yes.  "Christmas Waltz"  

It was lovely, after reading that Will Kemp had such a serious dance resume', to actually see him dance.  Whew, he really can.  

 

 

[Mittengirl]

17 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I don't dislike Joy Lenz but she is one of the actresses that embodies my rant from up above (bitchy all the time for no reason, why do guys go for that.)  She comes off as shrill and intractable.

That is exactly why I can’t stand Lentz - she plays the same manic, bitchy know-it-all who comes in to save the cafe (bakery, diner, winery, lodge) in every movie.  

[Callietwo]

9 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

So enjoyed The Christmas Waltz with Will Kemp and Lacey Chabert.  OMG the fantasy of learning to dance like that (with a dreamy teacher like Will as a bonus) - yes, please!  Expected greatness from Will which he certainly delivered, but Lacey was a gorgeous dancer!  I liked the premise and Lacey has great chemistry with Will.  My only two ever-present Lacey complaints are her absurd stilettos (even while decorating a Christmas tree and climbing a ladder) and her fluttering eyelids — Lacey, cut it out!  Otherwise I really enjoy her more and more as she’s matured.  Will K is a delight.

I thought Lacey looked absolutely gorgeous.. almost luminous for most of the movie.   She should keep that makeup artist on payroll!   And I adored the dress/cape & shoes she wore to his family christmas party.  If I were 20 years younger, I'd be all over that look.  

It was quite serendipitous that she wore the perfect dress to the show, yes?  😉 

[Kohola3]

Christmas Waltz was OK.  Shameless rip-off of the Gene Kelly number in Singing in the Rain.  But standard issue bad fiance, standard issue misunderstanding, totally unbelievable "just step in and take over for a professional dancer" bit.

It must have driven Will Kemp nuts (since he is a classically trained ballet dancer) to not be able to follow the musical beat.  When he was teaching her the waltz they were totally out of synch with the music, dancing much more slowly than the waltz rhythm of the song.  I had to cover my eyes.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Kohola3

[Suzysite]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

It must have driven Will Kemp nuts (since he is a classically trained ballet dancer) to not be able to follow the musical beat.  When he was teaching her the waltz they were totally out of synch with the music, dancing much more slowly than the waltz rhythm of the song.  I had to cover my eyes.

I have heard that they don't always use the final music while filming because they need to obtain the rights, so what they are dancing to and what we hear might be two different things.   I've noticed this with other movies where there is dancing. 

Watch the dancing scene in The Christmas Card.   It's blatant.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Suzysite

[kirinan]

I loved The Christmas Waltz. knew I would love Will Kemp no matter what, since he's become one of my favorite Hallmark regulars, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Lacey Chabert in this. (Even more than in Love, Romance, and Chocolate, which I rewatch whenever it's on.) She danced beautifully for a non-dancer, and yes, there were a few things I had to handwave (for instance, that she'd do such a good job onstage after just 10 dance lessons), but hey, that's what you do with fairy tales, and this was a fairy-tale type of movie. Which is my favorite kind. I even gave a little fist-pump when she told off Bad Fiance. I also loved the scene at Roman's parents' house. The noise and the chaos reminded me very much of my own family holidays. 

This is one I'll probably watch whenever it's on, along with Christmas By Starlight, which I adored even more and will buy if they offer it on DVD. Only Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade and The Nine Lives of Christmas have that honor so far. On the 12th Date of Christmas will end up on the buy list, too.

I plan to watch If I Only Had Christmas tonight, if reluctantly. However, I do like Warren Christie and am intrigued to see how they incorporate The Wizard of Oz elements (plus dancing, which I love), so I'll see if Hallmark can finish out the week with another win, even if it's a lesser win like Five Star Christmas (so Victor Webster is older and puffier; hey, I am, too, LOL, so now he's closer to my type) and Good Morning, Christmas, both of which I enjoyed,  although not on the same level. 

Edited November 29, 2020 by kirinan

[kirinan]

Nothing to see here; post duplicated by mistake.

Edited November 29, 2020 by kirinan

[NYGirl]

Speaking of bitchy I've seen 3 or 4 of the Candace Cameron Bure movies and she always plays the bitchy corporate executive who comes to the town to make a resort, fix her dad's farm, etc.  It's so annoying that she's so rude to everybody for at least half of the movie.

[Guest]

52 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

Speaking of bitchy I've seen 3 or 4 of the Candace Cameron Bure movies and she always plays the bitchy corporate executive who comes to the town to make a resort, fix her dad's farm, etc.  It's so annoying that she's so rude to everybody for at least half of the movie.

She’s moved away from that character since her early Hallmark movies. 

 

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

I plan to watch If I Only Had Christmas tonight, if reluctantly. However, I do like Warren Christie and am intrigued to see how they incorporate The Wizard of Oz elements (plus dancing, which I love), so I'll see if Hallmark can finish out the week with another win, even if it's a lesser win like Five Star Christmas (so Victor Webster is older and puffier; hey, I am, too, LOL, so now he's closer to my type) and Good Morning, Christmas, both of which I enjoyed,  although not on the same level. 

I’m also curious about If I Only Had Christmas. CCB is one of my least favorite Hallmark actresses but I do like that they give her more leeway on the formula than most. 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Guest

[WinnieWinkle]

20 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

Speaking of bitchy I've seen 3 or 4 of the Candace Cameron Bure movies and she always plays the bitchy corporate executive who comes to the town to make a resort, fix her dad's farm, etc.  It's so annoying that she's so rude to everybody for at least half of the movie.

Oh that's funny, I guess she's changed horses somewhere along the line.  I've only seen 3 or 4 of her movies but that doesn't sound like her kind of character at all.   I think she's going for sweet and kindly now.

[kirinan]

9 minutes ago, WinnieWinkle said:

Oh that's funny, I guess she's changed horses somewhere along the line.  I've only seen 3 or 4 of her movies but that doesn't sound like her kind of character at all.   I think she's going for sweet and kindly now.

Anything is better than that forced peppiness she used as the host for all the movies this week. I don't mind CCB movies for the most part; I especially liked Journey Back to Christmas and the one where she's the doctor in Alaska.  But every time she appeared this week with that manic bright smile and the high, loud voice that I think was supposed to convey enthusiasm, I wanted to throw something at the TV. She can do better than that.

I do want to see her dance tonight, since I watched her season of Dancing With the Stars and she was actually pretty good. 

[Callietwo]

25 minutes ago, kirinan said:

 But every time she appeared this week with that manic bright smile and the high, loud voice that I think was supposed to convey enthusiasm, I wanted to throw something at the TV.

Every time I see her in that commercial, I want to rip that ugly headband off her head and fix her straggly hair.

[Bronx Babe]

Christmas Waltz:  where is Patrick Swayze when you need him?

I'll concede that Will Kemp is charming.  His rather fey character here is Russian-American, but with an English accent, which the script tries to explain away by his having spent time studying abroad in London.  (that's what "Roman" tells "Avery")  And hey -- good going, Hallmark!  His parents live in Brighton Beach!  The mother looked like she was baking some traditional Russian cookies but I couldn't be sure. 

There was one scene (at Lacey's law office) where she offers the staff hot cocoa but I suppose that's just mandatory at this point.  At least no gingerbread houses made an appearance. 

[dalek]

I've been distracted from Christmas movies this weekend due to my cable company giving me 4 free days of HBO/Cinemax.  I ended up binge watching Lovecraft Country, which is pretty much the opposite of Christmas. 

Not really impressed with the Hallmark offerings this year, except for Christmas by Starlight and Good Morning Christmas.  I generally like Alison Sweeney's movies and Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell have great chemistry.

And it looks like they're not showing either A Season for Miracles or Naughty or Nice this year, which I am annoyed about.

 

 

[Irlandesa]

I think there's a difference between high strung and bitchy.  I do agree that some of these movies start with a woman being bitchy too often but that can also be said about the men being too dickish.

But stressed/high strung doesn't bother me and I think that's different.

I finally got to see A Christmas Waltz and it was quite enjoyable. I loved all the dancing.  It helped make the movie a lot of fun.  It also helped make the movie a sexier movie because not only do Will and Lacy have chemistry but, because of the dancing, there was a lot of closeness and touching.  I appreciated the artistic touch where we saw them getting closer when he had her look at him but then he made her look away when he thought she was back together with her ex*.

*And if I have one quibble with the movie, it's that the ex got all territorial and instead of telling Avery that her fiance came to be all territorial around him, he acts distant.  Just tell her so she can dump the jerk if she's really back with him.

But it ended with a good kiss so that makes me happy.

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Mittengirl]

44 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

The mother looked like she was baking some traditional Russian cookies but I couldn't be sure. 

The cookies Roman took out of the ovens looked like chrusciki (or bow ties or angel wings), except they are deep fried rather than baked.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Mittengirl

[DanaMB]

 A Nashville Christmas Carol was boring, which is disappointing because I love Wes Brown. His Christmas movie last year was one of my favorites. 

[Kaoteek]

Christmas Waltz was okay - plotwise, everything felt way too generic for me, and a bit forced (then again, ballroom dancing - especially the very average kind - always left me cold) but Chabert seemed enthusiastic & motivated, and her playful chemistry with Kemp made it work.

Didn't care much for A Christmas Tree Grows... again, very generic & tropey, with an added dose of forced, artificial enthusiasm, esp. from the lead actress.

On the other hand, I enjoyed both Christmas by Starlight (the tropes were there, but Sustad & Campbell made it work with their chemistry) and Five Star Christmas (even though BJL's character was a bit on the grating side).

[VartanFan]

All I could think of before the obligatory 'sub-in-the-dance-for-someone-with-extensive-dance-training' moment is that she needed to spend the 5 minutes warming up.  Could they have even given us a throw-away line about it while he was talking to the kid?  

[bankerchick]

Just watched The Angel Tree.  It left me cold.  I really dislike the lead actress and the lead actor didn't appeal to me enough to make me care.  Plus, the storyline was stupid.  A generous philanthropist wishes to remain anonymous but too bad, she's going to find out who it is and write an article about it because she's a reporter.

I also really hate the jeans she wears.  I was almost thinking the show took place in the 90s.

Edited November 30, 2020 by bankerchick

[Just Carol]

Not the *only* thing that bothered me about "Five-Star Christmas," but in the home movie of Annie Ralston, I think that the toddler in the high chair had to be Lucy, not Amber.  The Annie character said something to that effect.  Also, Annie appeared to be pregnant (presumably with Will). Despite the credits that the toddler was playing the role of baby Amber, I think it is a mistake.  

How could it be possible for dad to lose the house?  He owned it, right?  Did he not get a pension from the National Park Service?  Could the renovations have been so expensive that the bank was going to take the whole house?  

All the dancing in "A Christmas Waltz" that was NOT performed by Lacy Chabert was fantastic.  Yes to the Singing in the Rain rip-off.  No to the Dirty Dancing rip-off.   

 

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Just Carol said:

How could it be possible for dad to lose the house?  He owned it, right?  Did he not get a pension from the National Park Service?  Could the renovations have been so expensive that the bank was going to take the whole house?  

I was assuming that he had a mortgage on the house and the renovations wiped out his savings. Or he took out a home equity loan on the house. With a $9,000 fridge the renovations probably cost a small fortune. If he only had enough money to keep it going for 3 months his money management skills must be really bad. The timeline was ridiculous but that’s true for every Hallmark movie every made. 

[Chippings]

So, as to If I Only Had Christmas ??  I was a huge Warren Christie fan from Most Wonderful Time of the Year, but goodness, he has to have something to work with.  This character spent most of his time standing behind C.C. Bure, watching her be peppy.  Once in a while he perked up a little, but there just was hardly any "there" there.  

As to the thing being based on Wizard of Oz, what I could pick out was really strained.  Kansas, yes; "Bobo" for Toto, and 'the man behind the curtain' and the 'emerald' thing.  Was somebody supposed to be a Tin Man character or a Lion or Scarecrow?  Couldn't tell, if they were.  Was the lighted maze related to the poppy field or .. ?   The story they had didn't sit well in the Wizard mold. 

The whole thing just fell flat for me - did others "get" it more than I did?  

[Irlandesa]

30 minutes ago, Chippings said:

So, as to If I Only Had Christmas ??  I was a huge Warren Christie fan from Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I also liked him in The Color of Rain with Lacy Chabert--although that wasn't a Christmas movie.

30 minutes ago, Chippings said:

The whole thing just fell flat for me - did others "get" it more than I did?

I started watching but stopped about 20 minutes in and decided to hold it for tomorrow--possible.  Those 20 minutes didn't grab me and there wasn't much Warren in the movie at that time either.  I wanted to hear what others thought before I kept going.

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Kaoteek]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I wanted to hear what others thought before I kept going.

Same here. I checked the movie's imdb page before coming here, and for what it's worth, let's just say the early reviews are... unusually unkind.

[Suzysite]

6 hours ago, Chippings said:

Was somebody supposed to be a Tin Man character or a Lion or Scarecrow?  Couldn't tell, if they were. 

I caught the last names of the 3 Emerald coworkers and they were Crow(e), Lyon(s), and Tinley.   The Crow woman was chatty and a bit scatterbrained, the Lyon guy was afraid to put himself out there, and the Tinley woman was pretty rigid.    That's all I've got.

  I was so bored by this one and I had fairly high hopes.

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Suzysite

[Cementhead]

Meet Me at Christmas starring Catherine Bell is being very heavily advertised on the W Network in Canada  and I came here just to comment on how horrified I was at the sight of Catherine's face!  Holy Smokes!  I haven't watched her in anything in many years; probably since JAG and the overuse of fillers in her otherwise beautiful face is truly shocking.

And I just started to re-watch one of my all-time favourite series; Party of Five and I have to say that Lacey Chabert was such a fantastic child actress!

Edited November 30, 2020 by Cementhead
spelling

[bankerchick]

Agreed about Catherine Bell's face.  How can they not know how bad this looks?  It's like the Jennifer Aniston commercial where she asks the scientist if Aveeno can do (something) but the Botox is so obvious I can't even concentrate on the facewash.

Currently watching A Twist of Christmas.  I guess it's perfectly ok to stand outside what appears to be a very important meeting and make faces at the guy running it, as long as you have a toy you need to switch.  God forbid you wait in the waiting room until the meeting is over.  And, half an hour in, deciding to change the channel because this is another example of intractable, unpleasant woman who is in the wrong but won't stop being a bitch.

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, Suzysite said:

I caught the last names of the 3 Emerald coworkers and they were Crow(e), Lyon(s), and Tinley.   The Crow woman was chatty and a bit scatterbrained, the Lyon guy was afraid to put himself out there, and the Tinley woman was pretty rigid.    That's all I've got.

  I was so bored by this one and I had fairly high hopes.

 

One more Wizard of Oz name connection:  the Gumm company -- Gumm was Judy Garland's real last name.  I only watched the first hour and then switched to The Undoing finale -- will have to give it another go to fully review.  Sounds like it was just OK to many of our Primetimer pals.

Edited November 30, 2020 by MerBearHou

[kirinan]

9 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

One more Wizard of Oz name connection:  the Gumm company -- Gumm was Judy Garland's real last name.  I only watched the first hour and then switched to The Undoing finale -- will have to give it another go to fully review.  Sounds like it was just OK to many of our Primetimer pals.

I watched the whole thing, and "just OK" was what I thought at the end. There's definitely more Warren Christie, but @Chippings was right--he had nothing to work with. Basically, it was two hours I didn't have to find something else to watch. And I got lots of solitaire played on my iPad.

I will say, for those who DVR'd it, fast-forward to sometime in the second hour when CCB dances on those impossibly glittery, impossibly high red stilettos for a good laugh. As I mentioned in an earlier post, she didn't do badly on Dancing With the Stars, but man, those shoes did her no favors. She clomped around like a total newbie, and I swear she was about to lose her balance a couple of times. How she didn't come out of it with a broken ankle is beyond me. What was the costume director or whoever made that decision thinking?

[Irlandesa]

I'm deleting.  Normally, I'd watch to see for myself but I don't like CCB enough to do that and the first few minutes I saw weren't really speaking to me.  

[Chippings]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

One more Wizard of Oz name connection:  the Gumm company -- Gumm was Judy Garland's real last name. 

Good point!  You know, I realized that at one point, and I thought Wow that is an incredible stretch, to even bother putting in.  I guess that's what's called 'Easter eggs', little obscure bits that they will put into a film for people to catch, even though it doesn't matter, and say 'Aha!".  

If I hadn't seen the promos and just watched as a holiday Hallmark movie, I wonder how long it would have been before I realized there was a 'Wizard of Oz' thread going on and I should be watching for the bits?  Catching the tertiary characters' names was more than I accomplished, even knowing what was up.  

Oh, and I saw the IMDB reviews -- very not good.  Taking the thing without the attempted Oz parallel, it was just weak.  Can they give Warren Christie another chance please?  It wasn't his fault.  

 

[ctlady]

On 11/29/2020 at 3:31 AM, Mittengirl said:

On 11/28/2020 at 10:13 AM, bankerchick said:

I don't dislike Joy Lenz but she is one of the actresses that embodies my rant from up above (bitchy all the time for no reason, why do guys go for that.)  She comes off as shrill and intractable.

That is exactly why I can’t stand Lentz - she plays the same manic, bitchy know-it-all who comes in to save the cafe (bakery, diner, winery, lodge) in every movie.  

I can't watch her in anything without seeing annoying Hayley James from One Tree Hill.  Even when she played a city attorney on Pearson she bugged

18 hours ago, Callietwo said:

18 hours ago, kirinan said:

But every time she appeared this week with that manic bright smile and the high, loud voice that I think was supposed to convey enthusiasm, I wanted to throw something at the TV.

Every time I see her in that commercial, I want to rip that ugly headband off her head and fix her straggly hair.

Dial it back, sista!  She's one of several Hallmark actresses I just can't watch anymore.  Allison Sweeney, Alicia Witt, Lacy Cherbet, Danica McKellar are examples of some others.  I just can't look at them without being reminded of past annoying characters they've played in other roles.  It just ruins me for the movie.  I really like when I come across a Hallmark movie with unknown (to me) actors (ones not previously known for other popular roles)

I watched a couple of Hallmark HOF oldies - An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving and An Old Fashioned Christmas (with Jacqueline Bissett).  I'm glad they switched out the actress who played Tilley in AOFT for AOFC (they had to get an older actress to 'age' the character).  Really enjoyed those very much.  And I so wanted to watch a couple of other oldies like The Christmas Secret and The Christmas Box, but......I can't look at Richard Thomas without NOT seeing John Boy Walton (I know....I have issues!)

[bankerchick]

Come sit by me, ctlady.  I don't really have an opinion on Allison Sweeney but dislike all the other actors except Richard Thomas, who will always be John-Boy.  Danica McKellar will always be the shrew who broke up with a guy because she missed her kid's soccer practice.  Not game, not championship series, but practice.  Never mind she didn't write it, she should have refused to act it out.