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

[MissyPoo]

 

3 hours ago, Dani said:

Kyle Selig looked so young compared to Laura Osnes. I would have believed she was his former babysitter not that they were the same age. The more movies I see Laura Osnes in the less likeable I find her. She plays the same character everytime.

Right? When I saw the poster and previews, I immediately thought that was her younger brother or something. Some of the casting this year has me a bit confoozled. Stuart Townsend looks like Lacey's dad and I'm still in shock in how much time has passed since his hot vampire self from 'Queen' to today. And from the poster of Andrew's movie this year, I'm still not sure if they were trying to tell us if the lead gal was potentially dating her brother (haven't seen the movie so...yeah).

I agree about Laura Osnes. She was rather boring in the Key of Love movie and she was one of my least favorite things about last year's royal movie. 

 

[NYGirl]

I kind of enjoyed The Christmas Contest.  At least it didn't have the return to home town trope and I liked the fact that they used to date.  They both were OTT but it didn't bother me much.  I don't mind CCB.  She has way more personality than Lacey.  The only comment I would make is to tell her to run far away from him.  He's going to break her heart again.

Christmas in Tahoe was just as bizarre as Dani said.  The lead actor looked so young and the lead actress was very wooden.  The script was meh.  

Just as an aside I've been watching tons of movies because I'm quarantined.  My daughter was exposed to COVID last week and she needs to stay home for 2 weeks even though we are vaccinated and also got the booster shot.  I'm getting diabetes from all of these sugar sweet movies.

[Cetacean]

22 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Why is it considered the ultimate catch for an American to hook up with a Royal or the Entitled? We created America to get away from that shit. We don't curtsy to them or go gaga over titles.

It's pretty insulting for Hallmark to seem to think we are all thirteen and want to be princesses.

[Door County Cherry]

FYI, for holiday movies that don't appear on any of the Hallmark channels (ION, BET, Lifetime, Netflix...etc.) there's a holiday movie thread.  

 

[ECM1231]

https://www.cinemablend.com/television/lacey-chabert-shares-feelings-about-her-hallmark-christmas-movie-airing-right-after-her-sisters-unexpected-death

[norcalgal]

On 11/27/2021 at 5:21 PM, NYGirl said:

My only complaint is that they were Christmas light decorators and their designs were just meh.  The competition was someone who's lights would give anyone seizures.

ITA to this!  The two families' final decorating showcase was just so-so. I really thought they'd do more with the Italian tradition the male lead's father mentioned. 

And the Glowscapes decorating was basically lights synchronized to music. I really didn't see much "decorating". 

And OMG - the woman who was the head of decorating was so damn annoying! My biggest complaint with her was her YELLING all the time!  Tone it down, lady!

On 11/27/2021 at 5:39 PM, MissyPoo said:

Loved An Unexpected Christmas. I was going to skip it until I saw a preview and it looked funny. Plus, I'm with the unpopular opinion of liking Bethany Joy Lenz. I have a soft spot for her since The Christmas Secret and love that she can do drama there and has good comedic timing in her later entries. I tend to like her movies as of late. 

My problem with The Christmas Secret  (only saw it once so excuse me if I might be wrong), was the unbelievability of how BJL's mom never told her who her father was, nor did the dad tell HIS mom about BJL's mom. Why all the secret? 

And of course the cafe owner turned out to be BJL's grandma! 

I think this is also the first time I saw Greyston Holt (he played the scary, jerk ex-husband). It wasn't until I saw him in the show Bitten that I realized he did a great job as "horrible ex", given how much I loved him on Bitten.  [And I'm gonna bang that drum again: Laura Vandervoort and Greyston need to do one of these holiday movies - on whatever network. I wanna see if their Bitten chemistry transfers over to another project]

On 11/27/2021 at 7:22 PM, DeafAngelboy23 said:

Well I use Hallmark movie checklist app to check off movies I’ve watched so far… 

Thanks for the tip @DeafAngelboy23. I do have to give you a demerit for being a Liverpool fan.  😉

Signed,

Everton fan

[SusanM]

On 11/27/2021 at 2:56 PM, shapeshifter said:

I watched One December Night yesterday. I think having better actors makes a lot of difference.

I am watching one right now called Christmas Next Door and it's the usual thinly plotted Hallmark Christmas movie but the lead actress -  Fiona Gubelmann - makes it work.  I checked her profile on IMDB and was not surprised at all to see she has done a lot more than act in Hallmark Christmas movies!

Edited November 29, 2021 by SusannahM

[kirinan]

For anyone who hasn't seen the cameo appearances: Hallmark Faves Are Making Unexpected Cameos in 2021 Christmas Movies (mostly just GIFs, but you can know what to look for.)

Edited November 30, 2021 by kirinan

[ECM1231]

On 11/28/2021 at 7:12 PM, norcalgal said:

For those with an Italian heritage, did you find the insertion of Italian Christmas traditions facile and insulting, or were you touched and enjoyed them?

Now you have piqued my interest. I recorded but haven't yet watched. For me, I guess it would depend on how accurately it was depicted and whether or not people were depicted in a negative, stereotypical way. It's tiresome seeing those of us of Italian heritage being depicted as gangsters or goombahs.

Did they mention Christmas Eve and the dinner of 7 fishes?

[ECM1231]

5 hours ago, SusannahM said:

I am watching one right now called Christmas Next Door and it's the usual thinly plotted Hallmark Christmas movie but the lead actress -  Fiona Gubelmann - makes it work.  I checked her profile on IMDB and was not surprised at all to see she has done a lot more than act in Hallmark Christmas movies!

Fiona's been on The Good Doctor the past few seasons. She's one of those characters you just love to hate. Well, maybe not hate. She's more annoying than awful, although they do occasionally show her good side.

[MerBearHou]

5 hours ago, SusannahM said:

I am watching one right now called Christmas Next Door and it's the usual thinly plotted Hallmark Christmas movie but the lead actress -  Fiona Gubelmann - makes it work.  I checked her profile on IMDB and was not surprised at all to see she has done a lot more than act in Hallmark Christmas movies!

Fiona had a small but key role on Lucifer and I like her very much.  She is one of the actresses on Hallmark I consistently enjoy.

[NYGirl]

24 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Now you have piqued my interest. I recorded but haven't yet watched. For me, I guess it would depend on how accurately it was depicted and whether or not people were depicted in a negative, stereotypical way. It's tiresome seeing those of us of Italian heritage being depicted as gangsters or goombahs.

Did they mention Christmas Eve and the dinner of 7 fishes?

Unfortunately they did mot mention the dinner.  I'm Italian and I was waiting for it. 

[MissyPoo]

5 hours ago, norcalgal said:

My problem with The Christmas Secret  (only saw it once so excuse me if I might be wrong), was the unbelievability of how BJL's mom never told her who her father was, nor did the dad tell HIS mom about BJL's mom. Why all the secret? 

And of course the cafe owner turned out to be BJL's grandma! 

I think this is also the first time I saw Greyston Holt (he played the scary, jerk ex-husband). It wasn't until I saw him in the show Bitten that I realized he did a great job as "horrible ex", given how much I loved him on Bitten.  [And I'm gonna bang that drum again: Laura Vandervoort and Greyston need to do one of these holiday movies - on whatever network. I wanna see if their Bitten chemistry transfers over to another project]

I got the impression everybody died before the main character could know what's what and who's who. The father died before he could tell his mother. The mother seemed to die sometime after. I'm curious to see if (and/or how) the book does better in explaining why the secret was prevalent so long. 

I think this was around the time I first saw Greyston Holt also. Either this one or All of My Heart. He plays the jerky ex too well haha. I have to say I'm still smitten (Bitten?) by my first appearance of Paul Greene on that show and couldn't grasp why the main character threw him aside for GH. PG is just too yummy, especially after that first bare scene of him ;-). It would be cute if she had them as co-leads in two different movies though.

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, NYGirl said:

I kind of enjoyed The Christmas Contest.

I don't love CCB but I don't hate her either.  Like Lacey, she is what she is and it will all depend on the movie they're in.  And The Christmas Contest was all right for me.  I even liked the guy in it although I do agree that she should run.  Maybe I liked his height.

I won't rewatch but there was enough there that I stayed until the end.

[twoods]

I try to shy away from CCB movies since she’s so shrieky during the commercials but I may have to check out the contest one since the lead played one of her love interests on Fuller House and I always loved their chemistry and his acting. Damn it.

[MerBearHou]

Just now, twoods said:

I try to shy away from CCB movies since she’s so shrieky during the commercials but I may have to check out the contest one since the lead played one of her love interests on Fuller House and I always loved their chemistry and his acting. Damn it.

I liked The Christmas Contest because their chemistry was fun, relaxed and believable.  I had no idea who John Brotherton was so I looked him up in the middle of the movie — sure enough, he plays CCB’s love interest on Fuller House.  Their comfort level showed and both were relaxed with each other (even if she was playing someone wound up tight).  I loved his character’s humor and she played her heartbreak very believably.  Ditto for her mom who couldn’t forget and was so skeptical toward him (I would be just the same).  When CCB’s character sarcastically said “yeah, I should forget about my MBA and go off to start a Christmas tree farm”, I loved it — a little wink to the Hallmark tropes.  The supporting cast of kids and seniors and the personal assistant — all strong additions.  

[Guest]

7 hours ago, norcalgal said:

My problem with The Christmas Secret  (only saw it once so excuse me if I might be wrong), was the unbelievability of how BJL's mom never told her who her father was, nor did the dad tell HIS mom about BJL's mom. Why all the secret? 

Her father had told his mother that he had good news he wanted to tell in her person but he died before he could and her mother died when she was young. 

[absnow54]

13 hours ago, kirinan said:

For anyone who hasn't seen the cameo appearances: Hallmark Faves Are Making Unexpected Cameos in 2021 Christmas Movies (mostly just GIFs, but you can know what to look for.)

I hadn't realized that Andrew Walker and Tyler Hynes were cousins in law.

[ctlady]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't love CCB but I don't hate her either.  Like Lacey, she is what she is and it will all depend on the movie they're in

I just can't watch either of these HM leading ladies, including Bethany Joy Lenz and Danica McKeller.  I can't get their origination roles (Full House, Party of Five, One Tree Hill and Wonder Years) out of my head in order to take them as serious romantic leads.  And something about Rachel Boston bothers me (maybe its the absence of an upper lip - yes I'm a tad salty this Monday am)

The Christmas Bond with Holly Robinson-Peete as a mother of an autistic son at Christmastime looks very interesting.  But I have to admit - I'm sort of Christmassed out with all these movies heavily playing the last 2 months that I may just put HMM on hiaitus until after the new year and hopefully a new crop of murder mysteries

[Kaoteek]

Didn't really care for The Christmas Contest. It wasn't bad, or anything, I just found it a bit dull, with a weird juxtaposition between John Brotherton's hammy, grinny, sitcomy acting and CCB's often ponderous and pseudo-deep platitudes about love, life and so on. I think the idea of a Christmas Contest could have been done with more oompf, fun and pizzazz, but this wasn't it for me.

[norcalgal]

15 hours ago, MissyPoo said:

I got the impression everybody died before the main character could know what's what and who's who. The father died before he could tell his mother. The mother seemed to die sometime after. I'm curious to see if (and/or how) the book does better in explaining why the secret was prevalent so long. 

I think this was around the time I first saw Greyston Holt also. Either this one or All of My Heart. He plays the jerky ex too well haha. I have to say I'm still smitten (Bitten?) by my first appearance of Paul Greene on that show and couldn't grasp why the main character threw him aside for GH. PG is just too yummy, especially after that first bare scene of him ;-). It would be cute if she had them as co-leads in two different movies though.

I didn't know The Christmas Secret was based on a book.

As for your last paragraph, OMG - I would love that sooooo much!  But who would she choose?  As for Bitten, I thought Paul's character was merely a pretty boy, while I preferred Greyston because he brought the smolder like I hadn't seen in a looooon time.  Another Bitten alum who has been doing these Hallmark movies is Michael Xavier who played Logan.

P.S.  I understand the US airing of Bitten sanitized the nude bits, so if nude Paul Greene or nude Greyston Holt floats your boat, try to watch the Canadian version (streaming or DVD).

Disclaimer:  I don't know if that's really the actors or if they used body doubles.

[kirinan]

They're starting to put out info for the post-Christmas movies. I like some of the actors they're using, and will definitely watch at least a couple of these movies. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

4 hours ago, ctlady said:

I just can't watch either of these HM leading ladies, including Bethany Joy Lenz and Danica McKeller.  I can't get their origination roles (Full House, Party of Five, One Tree Hill and Wonder Years) out of my head in order to take them as serious romantic leads.  And something about Rachel Boston bothers me (maybe its the absence of an upper lip - yes I'm a tad salty this Monday am)

The Christmas Bond with Holly Robinson-Peete as a mother of an autistic son at Christmastime looks very interesting.  But I have to admit - I'm sort of Christmassed out with all these movies heavily playing the last 2 months that I may just put HMM on hiaitus until after the new year and hopefully a new crop of murder mysteries

I think with Danica and Candace, it’s an age thing. Both of them are in their mid 40s, but it seems like they’re still trying to put them in younger romantic roles. I grew up with both of them age wise and have always enjoyed them as actresses, but knowing I’m closer to menopause than my HS graduation year makes it hard to view them as an ingenue. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

They're starting to put out info for the post-Christmas movies. I like some of the actors they're using, and will definitely watch at least a couple of these movies. 

I really like that they are starting to do movies with multiple leads. Lacey Chabert, Autumn Reeser and Allison Sweeney together should be fun. Maybe it will stop Lacey from phoning in her performances. 

Lyndsy Fonseca, Kimberley Sustad and Erica Durance together also sounds like it could be really good. Plus a movie about people training to be royal butlers rather than wanting to be royal is surprising. 

[bankerchick]

3 hours ago, Kaoteek said:

I think the idea of a Christmas Contest could have been done with more oompf, fun and pizzazz, but this wasn't it for me.

Paul Campbell and Kimberly Sustad could pull off a zany version, or Andrew Walker and either Arielle Kebbel or Taylor Cole could be snarky and funny.

3 hours ago, norcalgal said:

P.S.  I understand the US airing of Bitten sanitized the nude bits, so if nude Paul Greene or nude Greyston Holt floats your boat, try to watch the Canadian version (streaming or DVD).

There's nude Paul Greene?  I recall someone talking about him being all sexy in Bitten (which I couldn't find) but didn't realize it was Full Monty.  And I'm in Canada so sounds like I might have to look again.

 

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

They're starting to put out info for the post-Christmas movies. I like some of the actors they're using, and will definitely watch at least a couple of these movies. 

Yes, some of these look good.  Fingers crossed.

[norcalgal]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

There's nude Paul Greene?  I recall someone talking about him being all sexy in Bitten (which I couldn't find) but didn't realize it was Full Monty.  And I'm in Canada so sounds like I might have to look again.

 

Sorry, didn't mean to get you all hot and bothered.  It's not full frontal, but there's definitely alot of the "backside"...  😉

Again, it may or may not actually be Paul/Greyston/Laura.  I don't know if body doubles were used.

[SusanM]

3 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I think with Danica and Candace, it’s an age thing. Both of them are in their mid 40s, but it seems like they’re still trying to put them in younger romantic roles.

To be fair I think this is an issue with many of the female leads in these movies.  The movies I like best are when they acknowledge that the characters they're playing aren't twenty something,

[Valentine]

I finally watched A Kiss Before Christmas. It is definitely my favorite so far, and the only one I would rewatch. There have been a lot of let downs this year (and that bar is low). I watched Desperate Housewives and had forgotten the great chemistry of Hatcher and Denton. I appreciate all of you for touting it so highly. You were right! 

[MissyPoo]

15 hours ago, norcalgal said:

I didn't know The Christmas Secret was based on a book.

As for your last paragraph, OMG - I would love that sooooo much!  But who would she choose?  As for Bitten, I thought Paul's character was merely a pretty boy, while I preferred Greyston because he brought the smolder like I hadn't seen in a looooon time.  Another Bitten alum who has been doing these Hallmark movies is Michael Xavier who played Logan.

P.S.  I understand the US airing of Bitten sanitized the nude bits, so if nude Paul Greene or nude Greyston Holt floats your boat, try to watch the Canadian version (streaming or DVD).

Disclaimer:  I don't know if that's really the actors or if they used body doubles.

Yup the author is Donna VanLiere in case you're wondering. Same title as the movie. :-D 

Why, she'd choose both because she'd have a movie for each hehe. At least that's what I'd like to see. :-D I guess I lean more toward the pretty boys at times lol. But not too pretty (someone mentioned Trevor Donovan upthread and although he appealed to me years ago, I can't get the overgrown elf thing out of my head now). 

I totally forgot Michael Xavier was in there, but you're right! And I keep seeing him everywhere, especially this year when he has like 3 xmas movies across the networks.

Ha! I saw the US version which did strategically cut that part but I'll have to check out the Canadian version... for science, of course! ;-)

11 hours ago, norcalgal said:

Sorry, didn't mean to get you all hot and bothered.  It's not full frontal, but there's definitely alot of the "backside"...  😉

Again, it may or may not actually be Paul/Greyston/Laura.  I don't know if body doubles were used.

Lol no worries! More reminiscing. The version I saw had a bit of bum viewage from what I remember but he had a nice presence and I was sad to see him slowly pushed out. 

14 hours ago, kirinan said:

They're starting to put out info for the post-Christmas movies. I like some of the actors they're using, and will definitely watch at least a couple of these movies. 

Nazneen Contractor is the queen of Hallmark Winter movies! I've only seen her in last year's winter movie but I like her as a lead. May tune in to her and Autumn's movie. 

Another Degrassi Next Gen alum joins Hallmarkland! 

[DeafAngelboy23]

On 11/29/2021 at 2:55 PM, norcalgal said:

Thanks for the tip @DeafAngelboy23. I do have to give you a demerit for being a Liverpool fan.  😉

Signed,

Everton fan

It’s all right but we own your Goodison Park 😉

I think it’s a fair deal isn’t it? 

[norcalgal]

31 minutes ago, DeafAngelboy23 said:

It’s all right but we own your Goodison Park 😉

I think it’s a fair deal isn’t it? 

UGH - don't remind me!   🤪  (Sigh - the pundits and tv networks can stop playing up the Meyerside derby since it's never a contest of two equals anyway. Just treat this like any other match already.)

[Darian]

Finally watched Gingerbread Miracle and it was fine but a bit cringy. I want diversity, loved so much Spanish, and hearing about some of the traditions was nice. I'm a little old white lady so I don't know if I were Mexican I'd feel some of it was off. I think the part that amused the hell out of me was that I could sing along in Spanish to Silent Night, which I think we sang once in my high school Spanish class for our holiday party in maybe 1976, reading the lyrics off a printed page. (I did have a lot of Cuban friends, so maybe I heard it at their houses, but I couldn't believe I got all the lyrics!) 

[DeafAngelboy23]

Just finished watching Bottled with Love (2019) 

Admittedly, I was not sure if they got the chemistry but in the end… it’s right there.

Now tell me your opinion about the mix and match they tend to rotate their stars that worked out great or Bustville?  
 

Edited December 2, 2021 by DeafAngelboy23

[ButterQueen]

On 11/22/2021 at 10:35 PM, Starry-Eyed said:

Our kitchen gets decorated. Maybe not to the nines the way on some Hallmark movies, but nutcrackers (my aunt used to send us nutcrackers every year and now we all have loads) get set up on top of the cupboards, a poinsetta goes behind the sink, and usually there's either a little Nativity scene or a snowglobe or some other decorative knick-knacks on the sill of the kitchen window. All pretty far away from oven and stove, and I don't think kitchen smells have ever been a problem.

Oh my goodness, my DH loved Christmas.  He decorated every room in our home, including the kitchen.  He decorated the outside beautifully and put up 9 Christmas trees.  Our house was gorgeous and we enjoyed it immensely.  Sadly, he passed away suddenly last year and I don’t even have one tree up.  We had so many decorations, I rented a storage unit to hold them after selling our home.  I’ll go through them…..some day.  🥲

[bankerchick]

2 hours ago, DeafAngelboy23 said:

Now tell me your opinion about the mix and match they tend to rotate their stars that worked out great or Bustville?  

Some pairings are so good, I could watch them over and over (Paul Campbell/Kimberly Sustad.)  Some actors (Luke Macfarlane) and actresses (Erin Cahill, Rachel Boston) have no chemistry with anyone but for the most part, they are all so interchangeable as are the stories, so I can't even name any frequent pairings good or bad.

[ECM1231]

On 11/28/2021 at 7:12 PM, norcalgal said:

 

 

 

55 minutes ago, ButterQueen said:

Oh my goodness, my DH loved Christmas.  He decorated every room in our home, including the kitchen.  He decorated the outside beautifully and put up 9 Christmas trees.  Our house was gorgeous and we enjoyed it immensely.  Sadly, he passed away suddenly last year and I don’t even have one tree up.  We had so many decorations, I rented a storage unit to hold them after selling our home.  I’ll go through them…..some day.  🥲

9 Christmas trees🎄? Oh my! Sounds like your home was decorated to the nines!

I'm very sorry for your loss, @ButterQueen.

[Kaoteek]

An Unexpected Christmas was entertaining, with snappy comedic writing that felt more polished than usual. That said, I kind of struggled with Tyler Hynes' characterization, with his constant lying and supposed perfectionistic tendancies, that didn't really gel for me with what was shown on screen. Also, the final scene felt like they realized in post that they needed to end on a kiss, and had to reshoot one last minute.

[bankerchick]

I decided to give Santa Stakeout another chance, due to my mad love of Paul Campbell, but Tia or Tamara or whoever she is, is just unwatchable.  She is just so miserable, whiny and bitchy.  I decided to watch Wedding Every Weekend for the 100th time instead, and not regretting the decision.

Edited December 2, 2021 by bankerchick

[SusanM]

2 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I decided to give Santa Stakeout another chance, due to my mad love of Paul Campbell, but Tia or Tamara or whoever she is, is just unwatchable.  She is just so miserable, whiny and bitchy. 

Wow I didn't get that vibe at all from her.  This movie was one I like enough that it's probably going in my "I can watch this again" pile.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, SusannahM said:

Wow I didn't get that vibe at all from her. 

Me neither.  As I think I've said before, within the first few minutes he mocks her desk and steals her chocolate.  How's she supposed to react to that?  Then they pretty much tease each other for the rest of the movie as their respect for one another grows.

1 hour ago, Kaoteek said:

That said, I kind of struggled with Tyler Hynes' characterization, with his constant lying

The constant lying was tough because I don't think he was ever fully exposed for his lie about getting the governor.  Yes, he eventually got her (before she had to cancel) but so many of Emily's decisions were based on his lie instead of making a backup plan.

[Cetacean]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I decided to give Santa Stakeout another chance, due to my mad love of Paul Campbell, but Tia or Tamara or whoever she is, is just unwatchable. 

I won't watch that again, either.  She didn't bother me all that much but I didn't buy them as a couple for a hot second.  I didn't see one second of chemistry there.

[Starry-Eyed]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I decided to give Santa Stakeout another chance, due to my mad love of Paul Campbell, but Tia or Tamara or whoever she is, is just unwatchable.  She is just so miserable, whiny and bitchy.  I decided to watch Wedding Every Weekend for the 100th time instead, and not regretting the decision.

I didn't think she was that bad in Santa Stakeout, but I agree she tends to rub me the wrong way for some reason. It was the guy who turned me off in that one, though. He was so obnoxious I didn't get why she would ever fall for him.

[Starry-Eyed]

On 11/27/2021 at 12:13 AM, Irlandesa said:

But good news for those who miss Hallmark movies with regressive and infuriating plots.  This weekend, Christmas CEO also debuted and it was infuriating.  I wanted to throw things at my TV.  I ended up watching more than I wanted to watch because I was cleaning the kitchen but whoo boy did my blood pressure go up. So spoiler warning for those that didn't but, for the love of all that is good, spare yourselves.

It was about two best friends who started a toy business together but he ended up walking away because he wanted to make toys that "matter" (i.e. no electronics or bells and whistles) and she was focused on profit margins and business sustainability.  And in his eyes, her desire to run a business like a business made her someone he didn't know.  And that's all that made her bad.  It's not like she cut employee pay or vacation to increase profits.  Nope.  It was just being aware of profit margins. 

She grew the business and another toy company wants to merge with her and she'd become CEO of this new bigger company.  However, she can't merge without his signature so she goes to find him. And is taking care of her niece at this time too because I guess it's a requirement that there be a kid to show her how wrong she's doing life.

The whole movie is him basically mansplaining to her about how she's doing life wrong for wanting this major professional goal.  He agrees to sign if she does a toy charity drive with him.  As they put together the toy drive, he remembers that he has been in love with her his whole life.

So he tells her.  And he says that spending the past few weeks with her, he believes he was seeing "the real Christmas" again (Her name is Christmas, BTW--so he's talking about her). Now, at this point, I was maybe a little excited that they'd salvage this otherwise infuriating movie because she actually called him out on his "the real Christmas" line. CEO-wannabe and charity drive creator are all "the real her" and even though she did this charity thing, she's still doing the merger. 

And because she has the audacity to disagree with his vision of the real her, he walks away.

So does he come around? Or realize the bologne he spews?  Nope.  She decides to stop the merger and walk away FROM. IT. ALL. so she can go back to him and they can start from scratch and build a new toy company the way they always envisioned.

So if you want to hate a Christmas movie, I recommend Christmas CEO for that purpose.

tl;dr He mansplains over and over because the businesswoman runs her business like a business until he beats her down that she walks away from it all.  And yet, they never resolved the central conflict that she is always going to be more money oriented than he is.  Now this is a Hallmark couple I believe will and should break up.

Oh so infuriating.

Wish I had taken the time to read this. Oh, this movie made me SO mad! The guy was absolutely ridiculous for all the reasons you said.

[Starry-Eyed]

On 11/27/2021 at 7:17 PM, gutbuster said:

I was so excited, last night there were three movies on I hadn't seen yet. 

Christmas CEO was so, so bad, but the cheesy title should've given that away. I actually managed to find some small things I liked. I liked the niece, I thought the actress did a good job in being natural and came across like a normal child.

The actress did a fine job, but the writing was all over the place on her (as it usually is on Hallmark child characters). She has a singer-songwriter arc like an older teen character (which fits her casting), but she wants to play with toys like a 9 - 10 year old and suggests her aunt get married to a man she's not even dating like a 1st or 2nd grader might

[MissyPoo]

7 hours ago, Starry-Eyed said:

It was the guy who turned me off in that one, though. He was so obnoxious I didn't get why she would ever fall for him.

Yeah, I felt the same way. I normally like Paul Campbell but his character was a bit too obnoxious and jerky in this one. I liked the movie upon first watch but I don't think it will be a repeat viewing for me.

[SusanM]

What I liked about Santa Stakeout was it was lighthearted and no lovable moppets in sight.  I do think it was basically a short story stretched into a novel but it worked for me. 

Same with Crashing Through the Snow.  It wasn't quite what I was expecting but I liked it.  I appreciated that there really were no bad guys here, I admit I was expecting the father's new girlfriend to be a real bitch but she wasn't at all.  There was an adorable moppet but she wasn't annoying and the older daughter was written quite believably.  I guess what I liked best was the wealthy family's estate was something that got discussed - none of this regular middle class family somehow living in a McMansion!  I also love  Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses so I appreciated hearing someone sing it a few times!

Edited December 3, 2021 by SusannahM

[Bronx Babe]

Every food item and dish is proclaimed "the greatest" in town or even around the world.

Hey, Hallmark couples, I know a little family restaurant in New York where their veal is the best in the city.

Not that I wish anything bad to happen.

 

[bankerchick]

I go through my fictional Hallmark existence with Paul Campbell as my Hallmark husband.  Then I watch a movie with Andrew Walker and I think, 'you know, bigamy is not such a bad thing.'

[Bronx Babe]

This insistence by Hallmark that Christmas is not "Christmassy" (one of their favorite words) unless it is celebrated in a four season climate is just....insufferable to me.

They think we all want this  Currier and Ives, Dickensian atmosphere.  Well, let me tell you, I live in Florida (I'm a NYC transplant, been here 20 years) and wouldn't trade our warm weather, dreamy wavy palms, beaches, and the lighting of our holiday sand tree (called Sandi) for any so-called traditional decorating versions.

[Bronx Babe]