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

[DeafAngelboy23]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

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.'

Are you so sure? 

[bankerchick]

Well, l am more of a dog person...........................

But you're right, if push comes to shove, it's Paul.

[NYGirl]

No love for my Hallmark movie boyfriend Luke Macfarlane???  

[izabella]

The Nine Kittens of Christmas!  Yay!  It's a sequel to The Nine Lives of Christmas, but with kittens!  Yay!

I did not like this one as much as I loved Nine Lives.  My biggest issues is it starts with the lead leaving her boyfriend/vet business partner to go home for Christmas, and he ends up not being able to join her because of issues with their computer system crashing and the on-call vet not being able to handle it.  She is all "whatever!  it always crashes!  fly your butt 3000 miles across the country anyway because Christmas!"  And he's all, "but it's our business!  someone has to keep it running!"  And then she sours on their entire relationship because he just "doesn't understand how important Christmas is to her!" and accidentally runs into the fireman cat guy from the previous movie. 

That left a bad taste in my mouth.  Like, sorry, but this is YOUR business that YOU opened with your bf, and your bf is working hard to keep it running while you are gone, and you are mad at him for being a "workaholic"?  Give me a fucking break.

But, did I mention the kittens?  Kittens!  Yay!

[norcalgal]

2 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

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.

I know there's a thread for the non-Hallmark holiday movies but ITA with this!  In fact, this was the sore point for the lead female character when she brought it up to her boss in Lifetime's Say Yes to Christmas.

I think a reason why Hallmark likes their Christmas movies to exist in "Christmassy" settings is they can trot out their tropes of: 

• snowball fight
• build a snowman
• drink hot cocoa/chocolate
• characters ice skating/inner tubing/sledding
• and many more

Hallmark feels you can't do these things unless you are in the appropriate weather.

 

[Pallida]

50 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

No love for my Hallmark movie boyfriend Luke Macfarlane???  

Maybe I don’t want to share…

not that I’m his type!

[absnow54]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

The Nine Kittens of Christmas!  Yay!  It's a sequel to The Nine Lives of Christmas, but with kittens!  Yay!

I did not like this one as much as I loved Nine Lives.  My biggest issues is it starts with the lead leaving her boyfriend/vet business partner to go home for Christmas, and he ends up not being able to join her because of issues with their computer system crashing and the on-call vet not being able to handle it.  She is all "whatever!  it always crashes!  fly your butt 3000 miles across the country anyway because Christmas!"  And he's all, "but it's our business!  someone has to keep it running!"  And then she sours on their entire relationship because he just "doesn't understand how important Christmas is to her!"

On top of that, it's not even Christmas yet. It's December 18th! I get that she wants him to be a part of some of her family traditions, but the full week before Christmas? Her niece should be at school!

[Luckylyn]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

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.'

Andrew Walker has been one of my tv boyfriends since I saw him years ago in a Lifetime movie Abducted where he’s a convict who kidnaps the warden’s wife when he escapes but then they fall in love.  It’s available on prime.

Paul Campbell is also a favorite of mine.  

[SusanM]

Just caught the last hour or so of The Christmas Promise.  It was a bit of a weepy one but well acted but wow when did Patrick Duffy get old enough to be the elderly old dear named "Pops"?!?!?!?

Edited December 3, 2021 by SusannahM

[DeafAngelboy23]

Just to keep up with the theme… obviously ladies for me so here’s the goat! 

[norcalgal]

1 hour ago, Luckylyn said:

Andrew Walker has been one of my tv boyfriends since I saw him years ago in a Lifetime movie Abducted where he’s a convict who kidnaps the warden’s wife when he escapes but then they fall in love.  It’s available on prime.

Omigosh  - I remember watching this, and it was long before I watched Andrew in any of these Hallmark movies.  Yeah, I too rooted for his character and the warden's wife.  And if I recall, Andrew's character abducted her to save her from her husband (the warden) who wanted to kill her for some reason  (was it because he would inherit tons of $$$ if he died?). 

[Luckylyn]

56 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Omigosh  - I remember watching this, and it was long before I watched Andrew in any of these Hallmark movies.  Yeah, I too rooted for his character and the warden's wife.  And if I recall, Andrew's character abducted her to save her from her husband (the warden) who wanted to kill her for some reason  (was it because he would inherit tons of $$$ if he died?). 

The warden was running for office while cheating with his campaign manager and thought a divorce would make him look bad during the election.  He thought having a dead wife would make him look more sympathetic.  So Andrew Walker pretends to agree to do the murder but then instead saves her. They had fantastic chemistry.  Plus there was a subplot about him ending up in prison because he was framed for a murder he didn’t commit.  

[NYGirl]

I'm watching A Christmas Carousel wherein Lila and her dad were hired by the King of Ancadia to restore a carousel that her great-grandfather built.  I do like the royal movies but the storylines are exactly the same in every one of them.  The Prince and the Commoner. A misunderstanding ensues and is settled at the Christmas Eve gala usually with the aid of the palace help who love the American girl.  I wonder why every pretend country has  a gala on Christmas Eve wherein the prince will announce his engagement to another royal.

That being said...I'm watching a lot of movies this year now that I am retired and it's becoming unnerving to see the same actors and actresses in several different movies, playing different characters.  Anybody else find this?

 

[norcalgal]

23 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

I'm watching A Christmas Carousel wherein Lila and her dad were hired by the King of Ancadia to restore a carousel that her great-grandfather built.  I do like the royal movies but the storylines are exactly the same in every one of them.  The Prince and the Commoner. A misunderstanding ensues and is settled at the Christmas Eve gala usually with the aid of the palace help who love the American girl.  I wonder why every pretend country has  a gala on Christmas Eve wherein the prince will announce his engagement to another royal.

That being said...I'm watching a lot of movies this year now that I am retired and it's becoming unnerving to see the same actors and actresses in several different movies, playing different characters.  Anybody else find this?

 

As to your first paragraph, eyeroll time indeed that the palace folks are rooting for the commoner. That's why I like A Crown for Christmas because there was one holdout who didn't immediately love Danica's character  (but of course, she too won out in the end).  This, and A Princess for Christmas are the only two "royal" Christmas movies I've watched more than once. Nowadays, I limit my "royal" viewing because:

1) I think it's ridiculous the Prince or Princess always comes from some vague and fake sounding European country, yet speaks with a British accent

2) the other lead is a commoner

3) that commoner is always from the US (why always the US?)

4) and as @NYGirl posted, there's usually a gala, which gets damn boring to see a million times

As for the second paragraph, it's hard not to think of the actor/actress in another Hallmark movie (or Lifetime/Up/Ion/whatever) since so many of them are cycled over and over. Luckily, there does seem to be some new blood in recent (very recent) years, but there are still ALOT of familiar faces.

 

 

 

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

That being said...I'm watching a lot of movies this year now that I am retired and it's becoming unnerving to see the same actors and actresses in several different movies, playing different characters.

Actually they aren't playing different characters.  Hallmark only has a couple of variations on their theme:  clueless or work obsessed boyfriend/girlfriend, widow/widower, small town man/woman in a big city that ends up back home in the sticks, single parent.   You can change the faces but the roles are all alike.  Just like the endlessly repetitive stories.

[Luckylyn]

8 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

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.

In the movie Let it Snow which is a favorite if mine, there are multiple mentions of a brother who moved to Australia. I always hoped we’d get a sequel In Australia featuring the brother just to have something different.  Christmas exists in places with warm climates too Hallmark.

[redpencil]

7 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

Andrew Walker has been one of my tv boyfriends since I saw him years ago in a Lifetime movie Abducted where he’s a convict who kidnaps the warden’s wife when he escapes but then they fall in love.  It’s available on prime.

Oh my gosh, same! I've seen that movie so many times. He looks sooo young to me when I watch it now.

[Bliss]

I am way behind... just watched a couple I'd taped. Christmas Edition? Okay... slow to begin (and shallow me dislikes Marie Osmond's face renovations) yet had some highlights - especially, the northern lights. A little too ivory-soaped for my taste, yet I watched to the end.

Of all the new ones I've seen, Unexpected Christmas rates highest. I enjoyed the characters' banter, energy, chemistry, and facial expressions. I'm not expecting the ultimate in writing - not from Hallmark - and yet this one had a few zingers. Yes, he lied too often and easily... and he also paid the price - that was the main theme of the movie. Tell the truth, peeps! It works.

[ECM1231]

I'm enjoying The Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, which I recorded earlier. I like hearing the Yiddish expressions and seeing the traditions. And of course the food. Kugel and latkes are yummy!

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

I'm enjoying The Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, which I recorded earlier. I like hearing the Yiddish expressions and seeing the traditions. And of course the food. Kugel and latkes are yummy!

This was probably the most romantic Hallmark movie in a while.  I thought the leads were so strong at creating characters who were rootable and a duo who legit felt like they fell in love a long time ago but didn't really realize it until recently.

There were so many moments of genuine chemistry, like the chess scene. 

The only drawback is that I was kind of hoping her assistant and her brother would hook up. 

And all the references to Hanukkah were a bit much.  Like yes, we got it the first time.  (No worse than with the Christmas movies but not as much of a respite as I might have thought it would be.)  They also were heavy handed in making sure we knew the professions of the family. 

I also wonder how the male lead got the last gift he gave the female lead.  Wouldn't they know he had it or wonder where the heck it was? LOL

But those are just nitpicks because it's truly one of the few movies this year that I wish were a little bit longer. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Irlandesa

[voiceover]

16 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

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

 

As a native of Kansas City, whence Hallmark sprung, I take those references as a giant inside joke as re: my hometown; where BBQ is the name of the game, and everyone will defend til death *their sauce as World’s Best.

[dubstepford wife]

These discussions of how Hallmark movies must always, ALWAYS feature snow remind me of one of my favorite Netflix Christmas movies, Christmas Inheritance.  It's a few years old and it's trope-y but less obnoxious than a lot of other movies.  But a gripe of mine is, it takes place in a town called "Snow Falls" which I think is implied to be in the Adirondacks.  And it makes me wonder how the residents would feel about that name in the middle of an upstate New York summer.  "Welcome to Snow Falls!  The current weather is 91 degrees with 92% humidity!"

19 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

Andrew Walker has been one of my tv boyfriends since I saw him years ago in a Lifetime movie Abducted where he’s a convict who kidnaps the warden’s wife when he escapes but then they fall in love.

Well this sounds amazing.  I know what I'm watching tonight.

Edited December 4, 2021 by dubstepford wife

[kirinan]

10 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

I'm enjoying The Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, which I recorded earlier. I like hearing the Yiddish expressions and seeing the traditions. And of course the food. Kugel and latkes are yummy!

As someone from a half-Jewish, half-Lutheran home that did the Hanukkah thing with my  mom's family and the Christmas thing with my dad's, I thought they did an excellent job on all the traditions and songs. It gave me goosebumps seeing some things and hearing words I remembered from my childhood. And I loved, loved, loved the family dynamics. And Daniel. I want more movies with him right now, please, Hallmark. He reminds me of Sebastian Stan (Bucky from the Captain America movies), and he had a really easy, comedic acting style while at the same time, he did a great job with the pining for Sarah.

Which leads to my only (minor, I guess) quibble with the movie. Inbar Lavi swung between really appealing to kind of lackluster to sometimes a decent actress to sometimes kind of stilted in the way she read her lines. (That's probably not a good explanation, but that's how she came across to me.) I've never seen her in anything else, so I have no other performances to compare her to, but her high, thin voice (which, of course, if that's her real voice, she can't help) seemed to get her lost among all the other actors. I did like the movie overall, though, so I'm sure I'll probably watch this again and I'll give her performance a second chance. 

[Kaoteek]

Christmas at Castle Hart was... what it was : the usual "Lacey Chabert gets Hallmark to pay for her vacations in a foreign/exotic locale, and shoots a holiday rom-com while she's at it" stuff, with a somewhat generic "liar lying" script, dreadful CGI, a melodramatic musical score, a good dose of forced (american) Christmas tropes and decor (no, Hallmark, this is not "refined NYC sensibility meets traditional irish esthetic"), but a fun supporting cast (the sister was a bit broad, but fun), and a likeable Stuart Townsend (though he should really do something about his hair, and I'm not really sure Chabert and him really had romantic chemistry anyway).

[bankerchick]

I am watching my third podcast with Tyler Hynes, who I think we all agree, is awesome.  I realize most people listen to podcasts but many of us watch them as well on YouTube and I have this one thing to say:  I don't care if you don't dress up, I don't care if you wear a hat to cover your bad hair (and let's face it, Tyler can have some pretty bad hair) but for the love of God, lose the damn toothpick.  In every single podcast I've seen him in, he has a toothpick that he sucks on, takes out of his mouth and waves around, then puts it back in and sucks on it again for a while.  Ugh.

Having said all that, he is very effusive in his praise for Paul Campbell's writing and everything about Andrew Walker (including his jawline.)  He also loves Bethany Joy Lenz, but I don't.

 

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

And Daniel. I want more movies with him right now, please, Hallmark. He reminds me of Sebastian Stan (Bucky from the Captain America movies), and he had a really easy, comedic acting style while at the same time, he did a great job with the pining for Sarah.

I swear I saw him listed in three holiday movie casts.  I remember because his name, Jake Epstein, kind of stood out to me how often it was repeated in a list of all the holiday movies.

I thought two were Hallmark but so far, the only other movie I can find with him is Candy Cane Candidate on Lifetime on 12/20. 

ETA:  I found it.  It was originally titled A Maple Creek Christmas and aired last year in Canada but it was titled A Christmas Village Romance and on Lifetime earlier this week.  I stopped watching half way through (but did like him).  I might go back to finish it.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Irlandesa

[absnow54]

11 hours ago, kirinan said:

And Daniel. I want more movies with him right now, please, Hallmark.

Jake Epstein played Craig on Degrassi the Next Generation, and has won a space on my “always stop to watch” list. He was in Mistletoe and Menorahs which aired on Lifetime a few years ago and was pretty good too. I think you can stream it on their website.

[GeorgiaRai]

Gah.  November Christmas makes me cry every. dang. year.  
And while y'all fight over Paul & Tyler & Andrew & Luke, I will claim Sam Elliot as my very own Hallmark boyfriend!  

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, GeorgiaRai said:

Gah.  November Christmas makes me cry every. dang. year.  
And while y'all fight over Paul & Tyler & Andrew & Luke, I will claim Sam Elliot as my very own Hallmark boyfriend!  

Double Gah! Now I’ve got wet eyes after just reading about it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Christmas

[oakville]

On 12/4/2021 at 12:02 AM, ECM1231 said:

I'm enjoying The Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, which I recorded earlier. I like hearing the Yiddish expressions and seeing the traditions. And of course the food. Kugel and latkes are yummy!

I loved this movie. I am a big fan of Inbar Lavi since she was on The Last Ship.

I hope they make a sequel to this movie.

[bankerchick]

1 hour ago, GeorgiaRai said:

Gah.  November Christmas makes me cry every. dang. year.  
And while y'all fight over Paul & Tyler & Andrew & Luke, I will claim Sam Elliot as my very own Hallmark boyfriend!  

I won't challenge you for calling him first, but I watched a terrible movie called Prancer the other night because it starred a 1989 Sam Elliott.  Wow.  As if he's not handsome enough, that voice could melt steel.

I watched A Very Merry Bridesmaid (terrible) last night but skipped Five More Minutes.  Nikki DeLoach pining after her dead Grampa.  I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.

[Cetacean]

29 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I won't challenge you for calling him first, but I watched a terrible movie called Prancer the other night because it starred a 1989 Sam Elliott. 

Oh, that voice.  Heavenly.  Different strokes, I guess, but I loved Prancer!

[GeorgiaRai]

27 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I won't challenge you for calling him first, but I watched a terrible movie called Prancer the other night because it starred a 1989 Sam Elliott.  Wow.  As if he's not handsome enough, that voice could melt steel.

I watched A Very Merry Bridesmaid (terrible) last night but skipped Five More Minutes.  Nikki DeLoach pining after her dead Grampa.  I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.

Despite years of mocking by friends and family, I actually love Prancer and watching it is an annual tradition!  SE is definitely the highlight, but I love the magical story line, as well.  And Cloris Leachman.

I put off watching Five More Minutes for the exact reason you stated, but when I did eventually give in, it was better - and less piney - than I expected.  If the commercials were meant to entice me to watch... epic fail.

[bankerchick]

43 minutes ago, GeorgiaRai said:

Despite years of mocking by friends and family, I actually love Prancer and watching it is an annual tradition!  SE is definitely the highlight, but I love the magical story line, as well.  And Cloris Leachman.

OK, I might have to watch it again.  In fairness, I didn't see the whole thing but will give it a try.  I did cry when the little girl said she only ran away so her dad would come find her and bring her home.  Speaking of mocking, why is it that people will mock you when you say you watch Hallmarks?  Yes, we all know they're all the same, but people who would have no reaction if you say you watch Walking Dead or Greys Anatomy or Survivor, seem to think it's ok to laugh in your face when you say you watch movies with handsome men who get the girl and end up living happily ever after (or at least did until Nine Kittens of Christmas came along?)

Nine Kittens is finally on tonight.  I tried not to read too many comments here but it seems like it wasn't quite the standout the original was.  I think I'll watch the original this afternoon just to warm myself up.

I'm going through the menu of movies on this week and I see that Jake Epstein is also in a movie from 2019 called The Plan for Christmas where he plays a nanny.

Edited December 5, 2021 by bankerchick

[kirinan]

I finally saw One December Night last night on HMM. I have to go back and look at the general reactions to it here, but it won't change the fact that I loved it. Maybe I was affected by some recent health concerns in my own family, but I blubbered like a baby for the last half hour. It reminded me of a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie in its inclusion of tougher issues like elder illness and alcoholism (even if they were only somewhat lightly touched upon). I like Eloise Mumford and Brett Dalton, so I knew I'd enjoy their performances, but the real standouts were Peter Gallagher and Bruce Campbell. This definitely will have a place among my favorites of the year.

[Cetacean]

56 minutes ago, GeorgiaRai said:

I actually love Prancer and watching it is an annual tradition! 

My sister has always been a Christmas nut and my mom used to compare her to the little girl in Prancer.  We watch it every year in mom's memory.

[Daff]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

but I watched a terrible movie called Prancer the other night because it starred a 1989 Sam Elliott. 

You probably hated it because of the film quality. It’s old, low budget, but a beloved story in its time because of the innocent faith of the child. At that point, those themes were fairly restricted to cartoon holiday features, or big budget classics. There’s a sequel, not as good. I think the big thing about Prancer is how the cold, damp, darkness of that time of year reflected and emphasized the stark situation of the family. They certainly needed some kind of miracle.

Despite the holiday festivities, I really suffer through the dark days of November and December (thank God for bright white twinkle lights). Every year, I wake up with a much lighter heart on December 22, knowing that we’re headed in the direction of longer, stronger sunlight! 

[Kaoteek]

Somewhat disappointed by Eight Gifts of Hanukkah. Not sure why, but I expected something more than a basic reskinned version of 2016's My Christmas Love, with everything Christmas swapped out for yiddish traditions and stuff.

Also, didn't help that aside from Jake Epstein, the male cast was mostly bland. Meh.

[DanaMB]

On 10/31/2021 at 10:06 AM, Cetacean said:

Coyote Creek Christmas - made it halfway through and gave up.  Ugh, so boring. 

Five minutes in and the heroine already bugs. Came here to see if I should keep trying. 

[Guest]

I ended up liking A Very Merry Bridesmaid mainly for the cast. The plot was so-so but Emily Osment is enduring. I wouldn’t watch it again but it held my attention throughout. 

I mostly loved Eight Gifts of Hanukkah. I didn’t like the way Daniel turned the gifts into a test and criticized her for not thinking it could be him. I also struggled to keep the men straight during the numerous “who could it me” conversations. The names are always so generic that I was never certain if the were taking about the tech guy, the chef or the ex. 

1 hour ago, Kaoteek said:

Somewhat disappointed by Eight Gifts of Hanukkah. Not sure why, but I expected something more than a basic reskinned version of 2016's My Christmas Love, with everything Christmas swapped out for yiddish traditions and stuff.

 

I kept comparing it to My Christmas Love while watching but for me it made me like it more since I hated nearly everything about My Christmas Love. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by Guest

[Clawdette]

Quote

I think the big thing about Prancer is how the cold, damp, darkness of that time of year reflected and emphasized the stark situation of the family. They certainly needed some kind of miracle.

Daff, I just used a similar description to describe One Magic Christmas a movie also from the 80s.  It stars Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Station and was a favorite of my kids and me.

[absnow54]

A Very Merry Bridesmaid felt exceptionally like Rich People Problems. More so than your average Hallmark movie. I wanted to like it because the tropes are usually up my alley, but all of her friends freaking out about her birthday got laborious, like take her out after the reception and chill people!

[NYGirl]

I saw Eight Gifts of Hanukkah last night.  It is the top contender for my favorite movie this year.  I loved everybody in the cast, the storyline was not mushy and I enjoyed all of the Jewish references.  I agree that he shouldn't have been angry she didn't know it was him as he never asked her out or shown any interest in her.  Also Bubbe gave him an awful lot of things for a non-family member.

I also saw A Very Merry Bridesmaid which I thought was ok.  The way the guy kept bringing up her birthday when nobody in her family even mentioned it was strange. And then they did a whole thing at the wedding?  I don't know of any bride that would appreciate somebody stealing their thunder at their wedding.  (I read too much Wedding Shaming on Facebook...lol).  Also....2 weeks to find the luggage???  I'm not sure that happens.  Anytime they lost something of ours we got it back the next day or 1 day later.

I got to see One Royal Holiday this morning and actually liked it.  I'm looking at you Aaron Tveit...yummy.  It was the usual Prince and American but there was a twist as it took place in the U.S.A and the Christmas Gala was actually here instead of in the fake country.  What a coincidence that she took care of his father in the hospital last year...right?

Edited to add:  I found my boyfriend Luke Macfarlane in Chateau Christmas this morning and watched again even though I had seen it before (before I realized he was my Hallmark holiday movie boyfriend). 

Whew...I watch too much TV

Edited December 5, 2021 by NYGirl

[norcalgal]

I have to say that overall, I have enjoyed this year's holiday movies more than I can ever recall, and that's due to two things:

1) the increased NON-TOKENISM diversity in characters and insertions of those characters' heritage; and

2) the stories and the characters so refreshingly mature, level headed and the portrayals by almost all the actors (leads and secondary) feel authentic.

Here's three that come to mind since I just watched them:

Lifetime: Match Made in Mistletoe: My above comments apply with two exceptions: I could have done without the "adorable tyke" trope since I didn't think the daughter was needed in the story (but she did have a lovely singing voice if that was the actress singing). Also, I think her character was supposed to be 8 years old but she came across older - like 11 or 12.  My second strike involved the two "villains":  Big Dan was an OTT villain and the embassy guy (Arvind?) was such a stick-in-his-ass pill. I never truly believed he just had the best interests of the Ambassador in mind, and didn't really buy his change of heart in the end. The mom character deserved a better crush.

Hallmark: A Very Merry Bridesmaid: I just found the interaction between the two leads honest and authentic. I liked the backgrounds each brought to the story because it was believable. I also liked that even though we had the 16 Candles theme (family forgot her birthday because the sibling was getting married) running throughout, the male lead made it a priority to focus on her and make her feel seen/appreciated. And her family at the end came through as well.

Gingerbread Miracle:  Boy, if I thought I liked the honest, real relationship between in the leads in Very Merry Bridesmaid, I loved it here even more!  No misunderstandings, nobody flounces off in a hissy fit, just feelings that ring true to me. I don't mind movies that have a magical element, but if that's a turnoff for others, here, the "magic" could realistically be viewed as coincidence with the context for those coincidences to be authentic. Loved the Mexican traditions and that secondary characters (the sister or the mom's event planning business) also got a chance to shine. 

I haven't seen the Eight Gifts of Hanukkah yet, but I too have liked Inbar Lavi since The Last Ship.  Check her out in Lucifer as well. I wish she had been made a series regular before the show was cancelled because I just loved her character.

Edited December 5, 2021 by norcalgal

[Artsda]

I really enjoyed The Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, nice to see Inbar Lavi. Really sweet story and characters.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Artsda

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, absnow54 said:

A Very Merry Bridesmaid felt exceptionally like Rich People Problems. More so than your average Hallmark movie. I wanted to like it because the tropes are usually up my alley, but all of her friends freaking out about her birthday got laborious, like take her out after the reception and chill people!

Like @Dani it was the cast that really worked for me in this one. I've always enjoyed Emily Osment and I'm a sucker for height differences so that dynamic really worked for me.

But I did find it laughable at how they spoke about how no one was focusing on her birthday, two weeks before her birthday,  when she's 30 years old.  It didn't suck that her brother was having his wedding on her birthday; it sucks that they're having it on Christmas Eve.  Who does that? 

And in "rich people problems," the lead was complaining about how she felt so far behind and not settled at 30.  WTF is she talking about?  She owns a store!

[Artsda]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

And in "rich people problems," the lead was complaining about how she felt so far behind and not settled at 30.  WTF is she talking about?  She owns a store!

And she owned her own house

[bankerchick]

8 hours ago, absnow54 said:

A Very Merry Bridesmaid felt exceptionally like Rich People Problems.

There have been two movies this season where the fiance randomly decides to buy a house without telling the fiancee.  Who does that?  And who can afford to do that without the other spouse on the mortgage?

I just finished Nine Kittens of Christmas and went back to read all of your comments.  I actually enjoyed it overall and was thrilled with the Paul Campbell cameo.  There were definite sparks between him and Kimberly.  I also enjoyed the other storylines, particularly the Fire Chief and his wife.  That was an incredible job everyone did on the antique fire truck, all in one afternoon!  Good thing there were no fires that day.  I also liked that Merilee was a little snarky with Zack at times.  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

There have been two movies this season where the fiance randomly decides to buy a house without telling the fiancee.  Who does that?  And who can afford to do that without the other spouse on the mortgage?

At least this one acknowledged what a stupid decision it was and it was a house they had wanted to buy. They were both doctors and bought custom designer wedding dresses in Paris so affording it didn’t appear to be an issue. There was nothing remotely relatable about anyone’s financial situation in this one. 

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

But I did find it laughable at how they spoke about how no one was focusing on her birthday, two weeks before her birthday,  when she's 30 years old.  It didn't suck that her brother was having his wedding on her birthday; it sucks that they're having it on Christmas Eve.  Who does that? 

The constant harping on her birthday annoyed me even in the previews. It felt like they were going for a Christmas Sixteen Candles but it doesn’t work with adults. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Guest

[twoods]

Eight Gifts of Hanukkah was super cute. I’ve liked the actor since he was in that Lifetime Hanukkah movie so it was nice seeing him again. He has great comedic timing and has such an easy demeanor. The actress was good despite her breathy voice, and I loved hearing the song Collide because it is one of my favorites and brings the nostalgia whenever it’s playing.

Edited December 6, 2021 by twoods