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

[Cetacean]

Never try to apply logic to any Hallmark offering.  It will just make your head spin.  Or your eyes roll back so far you'll see behind you.

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, Rootbeer said:

Same way that all those people trying to start their own bakery or bookshop or Christmas ornament shop live in huge colonial houses on massive lots.

I think this was mentioned upthread but there was one I saw where the struggling musician who had to work in a restaurant to make ends meet lives next door to a successful author.  They never explain this away by saying that she inherited her Very Upscale House or anything similar. And of course she had tons of extra Christmas decorations stashed away to help the neighbour decorate.  As you do. If you overthink these things you'd never watch another Hallmark movie I guess!

Edited November 17, 2021 by SusannahM

[Starry-Eyed]

On 11/15/2021 at 2:33 AM, Bliss said:

That actress is Aimee Teegarden. I liked her in Friday Night Lights (she played the daughter of Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler... "Julie" was her name, I think) - great show while it lasted!

She's also in Once Upon a Christmas Miracle, which is a super-favorite of mine ever since it aired two or three years ago. I thought she and the dad really carried this movie, which was a mixed bag of some really charming and genuine moments and the usual Hallmark Christmas schlock.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Well, I think he was kind of flip and then maybe realized how it sounded.  I think his real personality is much like his characters, a really sweet guy with a snarky edge, which is what I like.  You're more likely to laugh on a date with him than a lot of these Hallmark guys.

I listened to that same podcast and had the same impression. I though he was more of a quippy statement agreeing that she didn’t fit the norm rather than criticism of her. He also pretty willing to humorously criticize the Hallmark formula so I thought it was an extension of that. 

[oakville]

On 10/31/2021 at 1:27 AM, norcalgal said:

Did anyone watch The Christmas Promise? I don't understand why the fiance had to go get the ice? Wasn't that party at Susan's home? When Susan told the African American male to go get ice, were those THEIR children he said he had to wake up?!  If the kids are in THEIR home, why would they have to wake up just to get ice with daddy?! If someone has a clearer understanding, please respond.

As for Joe - whatever. He came across as a little stalkery. He was supposedly "Teddy's" friend that Teddy says he's known for YEARS, yet the only scene they had together was when Joe admitted to Teddy that he ended up with Henry's phone. [Yeah, yeah - Joe and Teddy attended the same social functions but they never actually had scenes together.]

If Pops had two granddaughters (Nicole and Gail), how come he never had scenes with Gail? And how would Gail feel that Nicole ended up with Grandma's pin?

The scavenger hunt took place in 25 degree weather?!  You couldn't really tell by how under dressed some of them were in Susan's backyard. Speaking of the backyard - WOW it was huge! It seemed like Susan lived far out in the country with acres of backyard space, but we can see from other shots that she lives in a typical suburb. So unrealistic, but then that's Hallmark for you, with the house porn, food porn (Mike's bakery had AMAZING goodies), clothes porn, etc. People seem to live upscale/upper middle class lives without a source of income that would account for that sort of living.

Finally, out of all the permutations of relationships (romantic, familial  or friendship) the only one that seemed genuine was Pops and Nicole. Patrick Duffy really brought warmth to his role. All the others just felt to me like actors going through the motions.

I just saw the movie last night. I was so happy to see that Patrick Duffy is still acting.

I grew up watching him on Dallas.

 

 

[Kaoteek]

- Loved last july's Crashing through the snow. But then again, I've always liked Amy Acker and Brooke Nevin, there was chemistry between the leads, and the focus on Acker's character being a good mom was a nice touch. And it was different enough from the usual HM formula to be enjoyable through and through.

- Boyfriends of Christmas Past was fine. I certainly appreciated the diversity and the light-hearted tone, though I gotta say I've probably had my fill of Christmas Carol-inspired holiday movies with a romance twist.

- Didn't care for the latest Mrs Miracle. Nothing against Caroline Rhea and her scenes with Paula Shaw were fun, but the writing felt very heavy-handed, esp. in the way it made the lead character's life totally miserable (she's an orphan and it still haunts her ! she doesn't talk to her dad ! grandpa recently died ! grandma is depressed ! their last foster placement failed and they're unhappy ! they have money trouble ! they're breaking up !...). To be fair, though, I'm usually not the target audience for those melodramatic holiday movies where everything ends in cathartic tears, especially not when there are angels involved. Still better than Mr Miracle, though.

[SusanM]

20 minutes ago, Kaoteek said:

Still better than Mr Miracle, though.

Oh my god that was probably the worst Hallmark movie I've ever seen.  And like most posting here I've seen a lot of bad Hallmark movies!

[Crs97]

I finally watched The Mistletoe Secret.  Kellie Pickler is not only a terrible actress, her voice grates (and I am from the South).  How is she getting parts?

[Kaoteek]

- Coyote Creek Christmas. Über-derivative and generic, but watchable. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see the gay bff get a lead role in the near future, she was very likeable and memorable.

- On paper, Next Stop, Christmas should have been a slam dunk for me, esp. with an added BTTF reunion. Sadly, the overbearing music score, the blandish male and supporting parts casting, and some bits of awkward writing just left me cold. Lyndsy Fonseca did her best, though, even overcompensating at times, but overall, it didn't quite work for me.

[norcalgal]

On 11/17/2021 at 4:50 PM, Starry-Eyed said:

She's also in Once Upon a Christmas Miracle, which is a super-favorite of mine ever since it aired two or three years ago. I thought she and the dad really carried this movie, which was a mixed bag of some really charming and genuine moments and the usual Hallmark Christmas schlock.

Yeah, I too enjoyed Once Upon a Christmas Miracle.  Two things about this movie:

1) wow - that's the first time I saw Brett Dalton in something besides being evil in Agents of Shield

2) the movie was based on a true life story of the couple

39 minutes ago, Kaoteek said:

- On paper, Next Stop, Christmas should have been a slam dunk for me, esp. with an added BTTF reunion. Sadly, the overbearing music score, the blandish male and supporting parts casting, and some bits of awkward writing just left me cold. Lyndsy Fonseca did her best, though, even overcompensating at times, but overall, it didn't quite work for me.

Yeah, IA that overall, this movie didn't work, and for many of the reasons you stated.

Also, for me, I kept seeing the male lead/best friend as gay Will Horton from Days of Our Lives. Will has been gay for some years now and is living openly as a gay man. I've never seen the actor Chandler Massey in anything else, so I couldn't help seeing his character in this movie as "Will Horton".

[bankerchick]

You know, it's hard enough to watch a movie (Nantucket Noel) where the lead character is all, 'You can't shut down the wharf!!  So what if it's falling apart.  It doesn't matter that you actually own it, or that every other merchant here is ok with moving and taking the cash offer, my mother opened this store so you still can't do it.'  But to make the wharf owner, who happens to be the Dad of the potential love interest, a miserable prick, just makes it that much harder.  Why do these people act like they are the only person who has ever lost a family member, or that life can't move on and change?  So now Andy and Wink can't celebrate Christmas or have a tree or use the lighthouse topper because Grandma is dead?  Even though the building and the wharf is falling apart, Christina still can't move because the store was opened by her Mom who is dead now?  I am loving the guy who is obsessed with being in an amateur theatre troupe, though, as well as the lady who owns the clothing store.

[Mittengirl]

That was an awfully colorful flower garden Grandpa had in Nantucket in late December.  Also the sunflowers (black-eyed Susan’s?) and what appeared to be butterfly bush while the gang was caroling (with Scrooge?) looked nice with snow on them.  Come on Hallmark, do better!

[MerBearHou]

I tuned into Nantucket Noel because Nantucket is one of my favorite places on the planet and it pained me how very NOT like Nantucket this movie was in appearance.  In The Good Witch, Sarah Power eventually grew on me, but in this movie, paired with Trevor Donovan — OMG both were so wooden, flat, said the cheesiest lines with zero energy, and had no chemistry.  I was really disappointed and won’t watch again.  

Had to add:  that strolling group of carolers was so off-key; it was comical!

Edited November 20, 2021 by MerBearHou

[Cetacean]

10 hours ago, bankerchick said:

You know, it's hard enough to watch a movie (Nantucket Noel) where the lead character is all, 'You can't shut down the wharf!!  So what if it's falling apart.  It doesn't matter that you actually own it, or that every other merchant here is ok with moving and taking the cash offer, my mother opened this store so you still can't do it.' 

That whole "ruin all holidays because I am grieving" crap is wearing thin.

6 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

That was an awfully colorful flower garden Grandpa had in Nantucket in late December.  Also the sunflowers (black-eyed Susan’s?) and what appeared to be butterfly bush while the gang was caroling (with Scrooge?) looked nice with snow on them.  Come on Hallmark, do better!

Throwing fake snow on vegetation to pretend it's winter has fallen to a new low.

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

OMG both were so wooden, flat, said the cheesiest lines with zero energy, and had no chemistry.  I was really disappointed and won’t watch again.  

Had to add:  that strolling group of carolers was so off-key; it was comical!

It's like Hallmark is just picking names out of a hat and throwing them together. 

These crappy movies have become one-take messes.  If the scene is bad, tough, film it once and move on.  It's clear that quantity is the only thing that matters.  Ignore the obvious mistakes, use the same hairstyle for all of the women, let people wear their own clothes to save on wardrobe (Don't have a winter coat to wear in the snowstorm scene?  Whatev, just show up.), throw fake snow on top of a blooming summer garden, the viewers are too stupid to notice or care.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Cetacean
spelling

[SusanM]

I didn't make it past the first 10 minutes of Nantucket Noel and it had nothing to do with production values or the usual plotlines, it was the incredible wealth of the male lead's family that put me right off.  I don't mind when they have rich people on a Hallmark movie (jeeze even the regular folk live in McMansions) but there was just something jarring about that scene with him and his ex-wife that put my back up.  

[Kaoteek]

- One December Night was a decent surprise : not too heavy on the sobbing melodrama (even though Eloise Mumford tends to overemote slightly, always on the verge of tears), not too heavy on the romance, not too tropey, and with a fun Bruce Campbell/Peter Gallagher duo. I probably wouldn't watch it every year, but it was enjoyable.

[SusanM]

Finally saw the new Mrs Miracle and found it very touching.  Not a romance,  much more a movie about family and life and loss and picking up the pieces and moving on, a bit like what Hallmark movies used to be.  In a turnaround for me I actually prefer the ending for this movie as opposed to the way Debbie Macomber wrote it.

[norcalgal]

15 hours ago, bankerchick said:

You know, it's hard enough to watch a movie (Nantucket Noel) where the lead character is all, 'You can't shut down the wharf!!  So what if it's falling apart.  It doesn't matter that you actually own it, or that every other merchant here is ok with moving and taking the cash offer, my mother opened this store so you still can't do it.'  But to make the wharf owner, who happens to be the Dad of the potential love interest, a miserable prick, just makes it that much harder.  Why do these people act like they are the only person who has ever lost a family member, or that life can't move on and change?  So now Andy and Wink can't celebrate Christmas or have a tree or use the lighthouse topper because Grandma is dead?  Even though the building and the wharf is falling apart, Christina still can't move because the store was opened by her Mom who is dead now? 

You perfectly captured the reasons why I didn't finish watching this. I gave up about 1/2 way in, and even then, I was only sort of watching while doing other things.

But the Grandpa/wharf owner was SUCH a jerk I couldn't stand watching anymore...

[Mittengirl]

Did Wharf Grandpa & his cook/housekeeper end up together?  They seemed to be pointing in that direction with knowing each other as kids, but I just didn’t care enough to stick around and find out.

[ECM1231]

5 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Did Wharf Grandpa & his cook/housekeeper end up together?  They seemed to be pointing in that direction with knowing each other as kids, but I just didn’t care enough to stick around and find out.

They kissed at the end, so yeah.

Very unsatisfying ending. What was the big gathering at the beach all about? Senior Biddleman retired, leaving son Andy in charge of the wharf project/tear down. Toy lady still had to leave the wharf. Why was everyone happy?

And on a shallow note, this Trevor Donovan guy is very unattractive. I couldn't believe him as a love interest. To me he looks like a grown up version of an elf. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by ECM1231

[NYGirl]

So I found time to watch 2 movies from my DVR yesterday. 
 

Ready to Mingle:  For some reason I am enjoying the fake boyfriend/girlfriend movies this year.  Who knew?  I like both leads and they had chemistry.  I thought I read somewhere that my Hallmark boyfriend Luke MacFarland was in this one but alas..I was denied.  Lindsey Wagner was pretty bitchy as Molly's mother.  It had the usual tropes .. promotion, protagonist as his rival, etc. but it was enjoyable.

Five Star Christmas:  I don't think Hallmark does comedy well.  Everybody seemed so  OTT and uncomfortable.  The movie does not flow for some reason.  I think a lot of it had to do with the lead woman who's character I hated for some reason.  She just annoyed me and I can't put my finger on why.  Also the leading man seemed way too old for her.  I stuck it out though.  I don't know why.  

[bankerchick]

4 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Five Star Christmas:  I don't think Hallmark does comedy well.  Everybody seemed so  OTT and uncomfortable.  The movie does not flow for some reason.  I think a lot of it had to do with the lead woman who's character I hated for some reason.  She just annoyed me and I can't put my finger on why.  Also the leading man seemed way too old for her.  I stuck it out though.  I don't know why.  

I also disliked this movie intensely, though I recall it being pretty popular on this page.  Maybe you hated the lead character because she thought it made sense for her family to pretend they were guests in order to fool some travel writer, rather than just be themselves.  I know it was unpopular when she forced her family to stay home from the Christmas carnival (or whatever.)  Personally I think it was because Bethany Joy Lenz is insufferable.

I thought One December Night was a disappointment even though I really like Peter Gallagher, and really liked his character because he was kind've the anti-Hallmark dad (recovering alcoholic, not interested in changing to make anyone else happy.)  Having said that, he clearly loved his ex-partner and I thought it was funny how they could push each other's buttons while still smiling for the cameras, but then could sit at the piano and argue and collaborate in a way that had clearly worked for them for decades.  I like to think he will be there for his friend as he slips into Alzheimer's.  Zero interest in the lead couple.

A Christmas Together With You was sweet.  I like the emphasis on the older couple and once again, had zero interest in the young couple.  And seriously, she can't take the opportunity to buy the restaurant in the Christmas town and follow her dream because she can't let down her friend? (She's a waitress in a diner!!  How will her friend ever find a replacement??)

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

(She's a waitress in a diner!!  How will her friend ever find a replacement??)

I thought they were equal business partners in the diner or whatever establishment it was.

[Mittengirl]

18 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I thought they were equal business partners in the diner or whatever establishment it was.

That was my impression, as well.  Although why she couldn’t speak to her friend before making a decision is a mystery.  

[bankerchick]

You may be correct.  Shows how riveted I was by the details.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, bankerchick said:

A Christmas Together With You was sweet.  I like the emphasis on the older couple and once again, had zero interest in the young couple. 

Same.  I didn't hate the younger couple but I'm glad the time was split between the older couple and even the relationship between the younger woman and the older man.*

They said he was 70 at one point, I think, but the actor is only 57 so that was a little ridiculous.

I didn't make it through Five Minutes.  I wasn't in the mood for a serious grief movie even if I like Nikki and David as actors. 

16 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

And on a shallow note, this Trevor Donovan guy is very unattractive. I couldn't believe him as a love interest.

At least he's exclusively on the GAC Channel for the next few years so we may not have to worry about him showing up in a Hallmark film.

[norcalgal]

4 hours ago, bankerchick said:

A Christmas Together With You was sweet.  I like the emphasis on the older couple and once again, had zero interest in the young couple.  And seriously, she can't take the opportunity to buy the restaurant in the Christmas town and follow her dream because she can't let down her friend? (She's a waitress in a diner!!  How will her friend ever find a replacement??)

 

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

I thought they were equal business partners in the diner or whatever establishment it was.

 

17 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Same.  I didn't hate the younger couple but I'm glad the time was split between the older couple and even the relationship between the younger woman and the older man.*

They said he was 70 at one point, I think, but the actor is only 57 so that was a little ridiculous.

I too loved the story of Frank and Claire. In fact, I wish the entire show had been about this couple. I esp. loved, loved, loved Frank. There was just such warmth, sweetness, charm and cuddability (yes, I just made up a new word) about him. I also really loved the sort of father/daughter relationship he had with the female lead.

Frank is probably one of my most favorite secondary characters in any Hallmark show I've watched.

Only towards the very end did I sense any chemistry between the two leads (Laura & Niall's characters). Their "romance" didn't work for me, and I think it was mostly because of Laur.a She played her role too much in the vein of "still anti-men after her fiance jilted her, and just So.Not.Ready for a new romance".

As for Frank (or Claire's age), I too had a problem with this as neither actor/actress looked like they were near 70. At best, I'd say early 60s. In fact, this is ONE of my MAIN pet peeves about Hallmark movies. So often (to my eyes), the oldies (parent/grandparents) don't look old enough to be parents/grandparents to the main characters.

The worst example of this which still sticks in my mind even though I only watched the movie once is the Christmas movie with Candace Cameron-Bure and Paul Greene. It's the movie where she's on her way to meet her fiance but is delayed so she takes a trip with Paul Green's character and a husband/wife since they were all traveling in the same general direction. The husband/wife characters supposedly had college age children when they themselves looked no older than early 40s. And that's being generous. So this couple had kids when they were 18-20? I guess that's possible but it's not likely people even a decade or two ago had kids that young.

Finally, I too thought the friend was a co-owner in the cafe, and not just an employee...

 

 

[Irlandesa]

12 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

The worst example of this which still sticks in my mind even though I only watched the movie once is the Christmas movie with Candace Cameron-Bure and Paul Greene.

A Christmas Detour which is one of Bure's holiday movies I actually enjoyed--in no small part because of those side characters.  I wanted to learn more about them.

The actors were 41 and 39 at the time the movie came out so yeah, that time line is probably right. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I didn't make it through Five Minutes.  I wasn't in the mood for a serious grief movie even if I like Nikki and David as actors. 

I couldn’t make it through that one either. I like the actors and usually like movies with a magical aspect but this one tipped over into feeling phony and emotionally manipulative. Can Nikki even make a movie that isn’t focused on grief anymore? 

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

The husband/wife characters supposedly had college age children when they themselves looked no older than early 40s. And that's being generous. So this couple had kids when they were 18-20? I guess that's possible but it's not likely people even a decade or two ago had kids that young.

I think this is one of those things where the how realistic it is depends on where you live and your economic status. Lots of people still have kids that young today. The average age is increasing but that’s more because the curve is widening. 

[kirinan]

Wow, color me surprised. I loved A Kiss Before Christmas. Not that I expected to dislike it; I just wasn’t sure if I would watch it or not. I never watched Desperate Housewives, but I always liked Teri Hatcher in Lois and Clark so I left it on for a few to check it out, and got sucked right in. She and James Denton were great together. And I was happy to see Marilu Henner. Plus I do enjoy the movies with the magical twists. There were probably flaws, but I didn’t notice (or care). I’ll definitely watch it again!

[Irlandesa]

I liked it too but I expected I would.  I didn't watch Desperate Housewives but I've liked both of them in other projects.  And the previews I saw made it look like it'd be a competent production and that they'd have chemistry. 

And they managed to tell that whole story without "other people" or even a "big" misunderstanding (the one they had was short lived). In fact, both of those have been pretty absent in this batch of movies. 

46 minutes ago, kirinan said:

There were probably flaws, but I didn’t notice (or care). I’ll definitely watch it again!

There were some funny moments like "this place needs a total overhaul--probably a million dollars" when a building that size that needs all that renovation would probably cost more.

And there was one other moment that made it obvious non-experts were writing what they were talking about but not major flaws.

[shapeshifter]

I thought A Kiss Before Christmas seemed like a retelling of It's a Wonderful Life, but after reading on Parade.com this quote from lead and producer James Denton from a Hallmark podcast last year about the movie:

• “It’s a little bit like It’s A Wonderful Life.. a little bit like Heaven Can Wait”

—and also after reading a summary of Heaven Can Wait, I think it was closer in spirit (no pun intended) to Heaven Can Wait.

A Kiss Before Christmas was postponed from last year due to the pandemic. I wonder if the children were supposed to be different and if the movie would have possibly even been award-worthy if not for the pandemic.

IDK. Do these made-for-Tee-Vee Christmas movies ever get awards? 

[GeorgiaRai]

Just stopping in to add a big thumbs up for A Kiss Before Christmas - loved it!

And two thumbs down for Nantucket Noel.  I rarely demand my two hours back from Hallmark, but in this case... they owe me (and all of you!)

I didn't even attempt Five Minutes.  Just the commercials had me feeling like it was competing in the Grief Olympics and determined to win gold.  No, thank you.

[NYGirl]

20 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I also disliked this movie intensely, though I recall it being pretty popular on this page.  Maybe you hated the lead character because she thought it made sense for her family to pretend they were guests in order to fool some travel writer, rather than just be themselves.  I know it was unpopular when she forced her family to stay home from the Christmas carnival (or whatever.)  Personally I think it was because Bethany Joy Lenz is insufferable.

 

I think you are right.  I hated the fact that nobody could go to the festival but also the way she spoke to the family throughout the movie.  I just did not like her at all.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

DK. Do these made-for-Tee-Vee Christmas movies ever get awards? 

No.  And as enjoyable as it was, I don't think it's award worthy either.  But it can be in the running for our own personal "favorite Christmas movies of the year."

1 hour ago, GeorgiaRai said:

And two thumbs down for Nantucket Noel.  I rarely demand my two hours back from Hallmark, but in this case... they owe me (and all of you!)

Ha.  I only demand my time back if an otherwise okay movie was ruined by total what-the-fuckery at the end.  This wasn't it, IMO.  It was pretty obvious what this movie was early on.  Choosing to watch the whole two hours is on the viewer.

[SusanM]

I just watched Switched For Christmas and I can't believe I'm typing this but I actually liked it!  I can't see it going into endless rotation for me but it was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

I think one thing that really sold it for me was they didn't try to write Candace Bure as if was was still in her 20s-early 30s.  

[shapeshifter]

22 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

It was pretty obvious what this movie was early on.  Choosing to watch the whole two hours is on the viewer.

12 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

I just watched Switched For Christmas and I can't believe I'm typing this but I actually liked it! 

I "watched" at least 20 minutes of Switched For Christmas, but something else (anything else?) was more important, and I never felt the urge to go back and finish it.

 

[geekgirl921]

On 11/18/2021 at 1:28 PM, Crs97 said:

I finally watched The Mistletoe Secret.  Kellie Pickler is not only a terrible actress, her voice grates (and I am from the South).  How is she getting parts?

Yes, I don't know why they give her roles. She can't act her way out of a paper bag!

[SusanM]

37 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I "watched" at least 20 minutes of Switched For Christmas, but something else (anything else?) was more important, and I never felt the urge to go back and finish it.

That's pretty much my rule of thumb with Hallmark movies (well any movie really I guess) if I watch for 10-15 minutes and could not care less what happens to the characters I'm out.

[Bliss]

While enduring some painful healing/recovery, I've overdosed on Christmas movies... I've watched several, most titled some version of Blah Blah Christmas Blah Blah. Cannot think of a single one I want to see again. I do have several still taped, unwatched. Perhaps there's hope that one of them wows me?

Last night, I asked hubby to watch one and his response was, "which tree-trimming, cookie-making, snowball-throwing, hot chocolate-drinking, he/she/they wronged he/she/they (but they always fix the problem!) and fake snow plotless drivel are we going to snooze through?" We watched One December Night because I thought he'd enjoy Peter G singing...

Seriously, I LOVE Christmas and I LOVE movies. Why do they have to make so many that are just "fair"? Why not make less in volume and more in quality? I'm not in tv production, so I have no idea what the payoff is for such quantity vs quality decisions.

My apologies for a Bah Humbug post. I am certifiably cranky.

[Irlandesa]

21 minutes ago, Bliss said:

Why do they have to make so many that are just "fair"? Why not make less in volume and more in quality? I'm not in tv production, so I have no idea what the payoff is for such quantity vs quality decisions.

For the same reason Kellie Pickler was in two holiday movies--people watch.  That's why even Discovery+ has a holiday movie.  And Comedy Central has gotten into the game this year.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Irlandesa

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

Why not make less in volume and more in quality? I'm not in tv production, so I have no idea what the payoff is for such quantity vs quality decisions.

Because they can sell more commericials for income.  People are not going to watch the same movies over and over (well maybe the old Hallmark Hall of Fame ones but those are in the distance pass) so they crank out pap hoping to rope us into watching.  Maybe it's the hope that they will finally come up with something decent that makes us tune in and that's what they are counting on. Follow the money.

1 hour ago, SusannahM said:

That's pretty much my rule of thumb with Hallmark movies (well any movie really I guess) if I watch for 10-15 minutes and could not care less what happens to the characters I'm out.

That's my meter as well.  Unless they bring out the hot chocolate sooner than that - I'm out of there as soon as that happens if it shows up that early.

[SusanM]

1 minute ago, Cetacean said:

Unless they bring out the hot chocolate sooner than that - I'm out of there as soon as that happens if it shows up that early.

Funny you said that, my husband was in the room when I was watching a Hallmark movie the other day and his only comment about it was about how he doesn't know any men who drink hot chocolate, let alone order it in a restaurant.  Well clearly he doesn't live in a Hallmark town!

[norcalgal]

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

A Christmas Detour which is one of Bure's holiday movies I actually enjoyed--in no small part because of those side characters.  I wanted to learn more about them.

The actors were 41 and 39 at the time the movie came out so yeah, that time line is probably right. 

Wow - like I posted earlier, the two actors looked in their 30s. So....kudos (?) Hallmark.

17 hours ago, kirinan said:

Wow, color me surprised. I loved A Kiss Before Christmas. Not that I expected to dislike it; I just wasn’t sure if I would watch it or not. I never watched Desperate Housewives, but I always liked Teri Hatcher in Lois and Clark so I left it on for a few to check it out, and got sucked right in. She and James Denton were great together. And I was happy to see Marilu Henner. Plus I do enjoy the movies with the magical twists. There were probably flaws, but I didn’t notice (or care). I’ll definitely watch it again!

I thought this movie was just OK.  Still loving the chemistry between Denton & Hatcher from Desperate Housewives. [Still po'd they killed Mike!!!]  But the first 30 minutes or so were offputting for me, mainly because of Denton's character. The way the character acted, you would have thought he/his family lived in a fleabag apartment, had no modern conveniences, and relied on charity (food bank, donated clothes/furniture) to get by. He kept wanting to  upscale their lifestyle, when no one else in the family seemed to care for the bling bling life. They seemed solidly middle class, so him acting like they were living paycheck to paycheck just irked me.  

4 hours ago, SusannahM said:

That's pretty much my rule of thumb with Hallmark movies (well any movie really I guess) if I watch for 10-15 minutes and could not care less what happens to the characters I'm out.

I watch based on the synopsis.  Then, like @SusannahM above, if it doesn't hold my attention for about 15 minutes or so, I stop watching. I realize I might miss out on some gems because I really only watch based on the synopsis, but I know I can try to catch the movie again (even if not in the same year) since Hallmark keeps replaying these movies over & over & over & over...

[SusanM]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:04 PM, norcalgal said:

. The husband/wife characters supposedly had college age children when they themselves looked no older than early 40s. And that's being generous. So this couple had kids when they were 18-20? I guess that's possible but it's not likely people even a decade or two ago had kids that young.

That stood out for me with this movie as well.  What was dumb, timewise, wasn't that they might have college age kids - technically as you say it's possible - what was dumb to me was they were going back east to visit their married daughter, who in typical Hallmark fashion is living in a beautiful house in a very upscale neighbourhood.  So we're supposed to believe this 40ish at most couple have a married daughter and one married long enough to be able to afford a pretty damn nice house!  They don't give them too much of a back story but what they do share doesn't give you the impression they are very wealthy.  Overthinking this, of course, but you'd think if their 20 yr old daughter (and she really couldn't be much older than that) had married into money it would have come up!

Edited November 22, 2021 by SusannahM

[norcalgal]

12 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

That stood out for me with this movie as well.  What was dumb, timewise, wasn't that they might have college age kids - technically as you say it's possible - what was dumb to me was they were going back east to visit their married daughter, who in typical Hallmark fashion is living in a beautiful house in a very upscale neighbourhood.  So we're supposed to believe this 40ish at most couple have a married daughter and one married long enough to be able to afford a pretty damn nice house!  They don't give them too much of a back story but what they do share doesn't give you the impression they are very wealthy.  Overthinking this, of course, but you'd think if their 20 yr old daughter (and she really couldn't be much older than that) had married into money it would have come up!

I will keep posting this until Mars has been colonized:  Hallmark movies are aspirational. There's very little logic presented. Instead, we get a lot of high gloss. Everything looks shiny, new, bright, upscale and that's all on purpose.  If I ever saw a family like the one depicted on Roseanne (now renamed The Connors), I would think I accidentally changed the channel to something else. Hallmark just doesn't "do" the working poor.

[Cetacean]

14 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Hallmark movies are aspirational.

Yep, fits the corporate image.  Aspiration is defined by social prestige and material success.  We working class schlubs can't possibly be happy in a Hallmark world.  Especially not a Christmas. 

Leaving now to go back to my poor, unfulfilling world per Hallmark standards.

[NYGirl]

So tell me fellow Hallmark Christmas Movie watchers.  Do you decorate your kitchen for Christmas?  Just about everyone on Hallmark does.  Don't they get greasy from all of that cooking?  Can't they catch fire while cooking?  

Inquiring minds want to know

P.S. I don't decorate my kitchen

[Cetacean]

37 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

 Do you decorate your kitchen for Christmas?  Just about everyone on Hallmark does.

Good grief. no.  I don't need stuff in there to move around to clean that will pick up the cooking smells. I do have a snowman timer and Christmas dish towels that I put out but that's about it.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

P.S. I don't decorate my kitchen

I don't do any decorating.  So no.