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

[absnow54]

I only caught Christmas Class Reunion this weekend, and agree with others. It was just fine. They were trying to make it an ensemble film, but the other storylines never really landed. Like the dorky-now-hot girl storyline felt so out of place, that I actually checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally changed the channel. I also felt like the company scandal and the extra love interest was tacked on and unnecessary. Holiday High School Reunion was better, even though it was a total Mean Girls ripoff. 

[FunnyFace]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

Holiday High School Reunion was better, even though it was a total Mean Girls ripoff. 

Totally agree, especially about the Mean Girls ripoff. Holiday High School Reunion was a bit over the top but the actors went with the style and made it fun.

[Bronx Babe]

The Hanukkah movie should be interesting.  I saw a neon Star of David on the wall of what I think was a diner in the trailer they ran, lol.

Oy!

[Bronx Babe]

19 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

Yup! I couldn't help but think that, if Hallmark ever decides to do a faux-Superman movie that focuses on the Clark Kent side of the character, Christopher Russell is their man...

Definitely, Giovanni!  I rarely, if ever, get, um, excited in a hubba-hubba way about a Hallmark male lead, but Russell is certainly an exception.....

[Bronx Babe]

Is My Christmas Prince Hallmark or Lifetime?

Worst Royal/Commoner story EVER. (which makes me think it's Lifetime)

The mythical kingdom is Maldevia.

I could not relate to anyone in Christmas Class Reunion, who were celebrating 2007, according to one character, "the good old days" 15 years ago.

I graduated high school in 1966.  

[Bronx Babe]

I'm on a roll, forgive me, lol.

Does anyone regard these movies as truly romantic?  I do realize the main characters "need" to be workaholic Scrooges in order to create a template/blueprint for dramatic conflict so they can achieve reclaimation or whatever, but even when the lead actor and actress "change" they are still somehow Type A personalities who incessantly babble corporate business lingo:  "I'll swing by", "We make a great team", even as they (or he/she) reject Big City Life and return to the Bucolic Small Town.  

[norcalgal]

3 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Holiday High School Reunion was better, even though it was a total Mean Girls ripoff. 

Where can I catch this movie?  Thanks!

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Where can I catch this movie?  Thanks!

If you Google the title, the results usually list off quite a few places where it can be streamed for free. It looks like a lot of places have Holiday High School Reunion.  You may want to Google it yourself to see which app is the most convenient for you. 

IMO, the easiest is FreeVee but lots of streamers have it that aren't subscription based. You may just need to watch ads.

I liked Holiday Sitter, especially for the comedy.  I just hate that my DVR cuts off the ending for some reason.  I also liked that the holiday play didn't become a huge production but was just part of the everyday  holiday mess.

[FunnyFace]

18 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Where can I catch this movie?  Thanks!

Try one of the free streaming apps such as Tubi or Pluto. I think I saw this recently on Tubi or it may have been the Holiday Lifetime movies on Roku.

[Cetacean]

47 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Does anyone regard these movies as truly romantic? 

Not for a hot second.  First of all, they all "fall in love" in milliseconds - half the time between December 21st and Christmas and that's being generous.  And, as you say, despite having "seen the light because of the magic of the season", they certainly didn't completely change personalities in a day or two without a big dose of drugs.

[FunnyFace]

I liked the acting in The Holiday Sitter. Messages were nicely delivered without being preachy Interesting how Hallmark recycled a plot from a non-Hallmark holiday movie  -- one in which the female lead is a career woman in a non-satisfying job because she can't use her creative talents and is the only person available to take care of her Momzilla sister's children when Momzilla and Daddums have to go out of town -- and the trope is still meh with a male protagonist. 

[Miss Bones]

On 12/10/2022 at 10:42 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

Earlier today I checked out Hallmark Now, and it’s so crazy but it seemed to have only older movies!  Not the current year.  

Some of the new ones are going straight to Peacock, if you have access to it.  It seems like they don't stay on there for long, though.

Sorry, I see @Makai beat me to that info.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Miss Bones
added more

[Bethany]

On 12/10/2022 at 11:30 AM, MerBearHou said:

One I’d personally add to that list is Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas.  I’ve now watched it 3 times and really enjoy the story and the cast. 

I'm watching this right now and really liking it but I am wondering one thing - what is the age difference between the two leads?  To me he seems much older than her but they seem to have been written as though they are about the same age.

[EtheltoTillie]

15 minutes ago, Miss Bones said:

Some of the new ones are going straight to Peacock, if you have access to it.  It seems like they don't stay on there for long, though.

Sorry, I see @Makai beat me to that info.

Yes, for me the DVR is better, as long as I check the schedules and record everything.  Then I can save them indefinitely and watch at my leisure. 

[MerBearHou]

14 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I'm watching this right now and really liking it but I am wondering one thing - what is the age difference between the two leads?  To me he seems much older than her but they seem to have been written as though they are about the same age.

I may be wrong but IRL, I think they're both 36!

[Bethany]

1 minute ago, MerBearHou said:

I may be wrong but IRL, I think they're both 36!

I thought she looked a lot younger than that but looking more carefully I can see that she's got to be in her 30s.  Very pretty young lady.

[Bronx Babe]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

Not for a hot second.  First of all, they all "fall in love" in milliseconds - half the time between December 21st and Christmas and that's being generous.  And, as you say, despite having "seen the light because of the magic of the season", they certainly didn't completely change personalities in a day or two without a big dose of drugs.

Everyone is a tight-ass.  And the scripts -- we can debate Canadian or American -- give me literal tension headaches.  I am not kidding -- all the contests, lists, competitions, the leads constantly asking each other "What's your favorite this and that?"  Nothing is spontaneous in Hallmarkland.  It's all so corporate.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Bronx Babe

[Miss Bones]

37 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I thought she looked a lot younger than that but looking more carefully I can see that she's got to be in her 30s.  Very pretty young lady.

She is beautiful, but they applied her makeup with a trowel.  It appeared they had lined outside her lips also, and filled them in to make them look bigger.  I found it distracting.

[Bethany]

13 minutes ago, Miss Bones said:

She is beautiful, but they applied her makeup with a trowel.  It appeared they had lined outside her lips also, and filled them in to make them look bigger.  I found it distracting.

This is so true of many of the women in these movies!  Fake eyelashes and far too much make-up.  I'd have thought Hallmark of all places would want the natural, unspoiled look for their leading ladies, but that is definitely not the case most of the time!

[SusanwatchingTV]

Since y'all are the Christmas Movie Experts I'm wondering if y'all could help me with something.

For the last three or four years I've printed out bingo cards for my family and we play "Christmas Movie Bingo"  The guys especially love it. They get a kick out of making fun of the movies and they get pretty competitive.

Every year I preview the movies to make sure at least one bingo is guaranteed.  I usually find movies that hit at least half of these, and usually a little more.

Question: Can anyone think of a movie that would have all 30?  I think they'd love it if they could all cover up their cards.  It doesn't have to be a current movie. It can be older.  It can be terrible.  The worse it is the better. That's the point. lol

Here's the list:
 

CHRISTMAS MOVIE BINGO

1.    A SNOWBALL FIGHT
2.    SIPPING HOT COCOA OR COFFEE
3.    DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE
4.    A TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
5.    SINGING CAROLS
6.    AN INTERRUPTED KISS
7.    A DISAGREEMENT OR MISUNDERSTANDING
8.    ICE SKATING
9.    BAKING/DECORATING COOKIES
10.    A CHRISTMAS EVENT (PARTY, FESTIVAL, ETC)
11.    AN ACCIDENTAL FALL INTO HIS ARMS
12.    A GAUDY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
13.    BUILDING A SNOWMAN
14.    GIVING OR GETTING A GIFT
15.    CARRIAGE/SLEIGH RIDE
16.    THEY DANCE
17.    A SHOPPING TRIP
18.    AN ADORABLE CHILD
19.    PICKING OUT A TREE
20.    RED COAT ON MAIN GIRL
21.    SNOW FALLING
22.    A FIRESIDE CHAT
23.    BUILDING A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
24.    A MAIN CHARACTER WEARING PJS
25.    A DEAD PARENT
26.    A GRINCHY CHARACTER
27.    A MILITARY CONNECTION
28.    AN UNSUITABLE OTHER LOVE INTEREST
29.    A MAIN CHARACTER WITH A SUITCASE
30.    MAKING CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 

[Miss Bones]

17 minutes ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Since y'all are the Christmas Movie Experts I'm wondering if y'all could help me with something.

For the last three or four years I've printed out bingo cards for my family and we play "Christmas Movie Bingo"  The guys especially love it. They get a kick out of making fun of the movies and they get pretty competitive.

Every year I preview the movies to make sure at least one bingo is guaranteed.  I usually find movies that hit at least half of these, and usually a little more.

Question: Can anyone think of a movie that would have all 30?  I think they'd love it if they could all cover up their cards.  It doesn't have to be a current movie. It can be older.  It can be terrible.  The worse it is the better. That's the point. lol

Here's the list:
 

CHRISTMAS MOVIE BINGO

1.    A SNOWBALL FIGHT
2.    SIPPING HOT COCOA OR COFFEE
3.    DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE
4.    A TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
5.    SINGING CAROLS
6.    AN INTERRUPTED KISS
7.    A DISAGREEMENT OR MISUNDERSTANDING
8.    ICE SKATING
9.    BAKING/DECORATING COOKIES
10.    A CHRISTMAS EVENT (PARTY, FESTIVAL, ETC)
11.    AN ACCIDENTAL FALL INTO HIS ARMS
12.    A GAUDY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
13.    BUILDING A SNOWMAN
14.    GIVING OR GETTING A GIFT
15.    CARRIAGE/SLEIGH RIDE
16.    THEY DANCE
17.    A SHOPPING TRIP
18.    AN ADORABLE CHILD
19.    PICKING OUT A TREE
20.    RED COAT ON MAIN GIRL
21.    SNOW FALLING
22.    A FIRESIDE CHAT
23.    BUILDING A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
24.    A MAIN CHARACTER WEARING PJS
25.    A DEAD PARENT
26.    A GRINCHY CHARACTER
27.    A MILITARY CONNECTION
28.    AN UNSUITABLE OTHER LOVE INTEREST
29.    A MAIN CHARACTER WITH A SUITCASE
30.    MAKING CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 

This is such a cute idea!  I'll think on it 😀

[Jenniferbug]

1 hour ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Since y'all are the Christmas Movie Experts I'm wondering if y'all could help me with something.

For the last three or four years I've printed out bingo cards for my family and we play "Christmas Movie Bingo"  The guys especially love it. They get a kick out of making fun of the movies and they get pretty competitive.

Every year I preview the movies to make sure at least one bingo is guaranteed.  I usually find movies that hit at least half of these, and usually a little more.

Question: Can anyone think of a movie that would have all 30?  I think they'd love it if they could all cover up their cards.  It doesn't have to be a current movie. It can be older.  It can be terrible.  The worse it is the better. That's the point. lol

Here's the list:
 

CHRISTMAS MOVIE BINGO

1.    A SNOWBALL FIGHT
2.    SIPPING HOT COCOA OR COFFEE
3.    DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE
4.    A TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
5.    SINGING CAROLS
6.    AN INTERRUPTED KISS
7.    A DISAGREEMENT OR MISUNDERSTANDING
8.    ICE SKATING
9.    BAKING/DECORATING COOKIES
10.    A CHRISTMAS EVENT (PARTY, FESTIVAL, ETC)
11.    AN ACCIDENTAL FALL INTO HIS ARMS
12.    A GAUDY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
13.    BUILDING A SNOWMAN
14.    GIVING OR GETTING A GIFT
15.    CARRIAGE/SLEIGH RIDE
16.    THEY DANCE
17.    A SHOPPING TRIP
18.    AN ADORABLE CHILD
19.    PICKING OUT A TREE
20.    RED COAT ON MAIN GIRL
21.    SNOW FALLING
22.    A FIRESIDE CHAT
23.    BUILDING A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
24.    A MAIN CHARACTER WEARING PJS
25.    A DEAD PARENT
26.    A GRINCHY CHARACTER
27.    A MILITARY CONNECTION
28.    AN UNSUITABLE OTHER LOVE INTEREST
29.    A MAIN CHARACTER WITH A SUITCASE
30.    MAKING CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 

I think A Christmas Movie Christmas has almost all. It might be missing 2 or 3, but I can't remember for sure. If you preview it, let me know how many it ends up having! 

[SusanwatchingTV]

36 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

I think A Christmas Movie Christmas has almost all. It might be missing 2 or 3, but I can't remember for sure. If you preview it, let me know how many it ends up having! 

We did that one last year!  It was a HOOT!  The acting is so over the top, particularly Brant Daugherty. He was hilarious.

It didn't have all 30, though, but you're right. It came very close.

[Cetacean]

2 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Can anyone think of a movie that would have all 30? 

The female character wearing multiple coats.

A town with an cutesy name.

A business with a cutesly name.

[Bethany]

I thnk the military connection is the deal breaker.  I can think of quite a few movies that hit almost all the others but when you throw in the military thing I draw a blank!  

35 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

The female character wearing multiple coats.

Multiple coats and at least one party dress all packed in the same small suitcase!

[Jenniferbug]

1 hour ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

We did that one last year!  It was a HOOT!  The acting is so over the top, particularly Brant Daugherty. He was hilarious.

It didn't have all 30, though, but you're right. It came very close.

Well shoot! That was the best I had come up with! I hadn't seen it till recently and thought it was pretty funny. 

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

The female character wearing multiple coats.

A town with an cutesy name.

A business with a cutesy name.

[twoods]

A grinch lead not knowing how to wrap a present 

A grinch lead thinking fake trees are better than real ones. 

[KaveDweller]

On 12/11/2022 at 7:41 PM, norcalgal said:

Like others here, I too thought Christmas Class Reunion was just ok. I so wish the leads had been Sam and her BFF James. I found them more interesting than the actual leads - and I really, really like Aimee going back to when I first saw her in a CW teen series called Starcrossed (which also had Hallmark regular Natalie Hall).  I wish those two would do a Hallmark movie together. 
anyway, I knew Hallmark wouldn’t do it but it would have been ballsy if the couple had stayed broken up. Couples just sometimes drift apart, and that’s just that. Am I supposed to believe one trip to the coat closet (or wherever their spot was in high school) cured whatever went wrong in their marriage!?  Yeah, sure.

My issue with Christmas Class Reunion was the little girl's father who was allergic to technology. And the daughter kept saying she could help cause she was young and a digital native. But this guy graduated high school in 2007. He is not exactly some ancient person who wouldn't know how to use a computer.

7 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I'm watching this right now and really liking it but I am wondering one thing - what is the age difference between the two leads?  To me he seems much older than her but they seem to have been written as though they are about the same age.

In Time for Him to Come Home.... they were both supposed to be 3 years out of college. I supposed he could have been a older student, but they acted like they were childhood friends or something.

He was too old for the part. They could have easily made them 10 years out of college or something.

[MerBearHou]

5 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

In Time for Him to Come Home.... they were both supposed to be 3 years out of college. I supposed he could have been a older student, but they acted like they were childhood friends or something.

He was too old for the part. They could have easily made them 10 years out of college or something.

I will agree with this — they needed to be a little further along from school and the car accident.  Only three years ago wasn’t the best choice, both for the oomph of the story and the ages of the lead actors who look and act like they’re in their mid-30s (which they are).  

But I still enjoyed the movie a ton.  Tyler and Holland’s chemistry was terrific and I was so fond of the older couple (played by Steve and Meghan) and their story.  

Edited December 13, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Makai]

14 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Is My Christmas Prince Hallmark or Lifetime?

Worst Royal/Commoner story EVER. (which makes me think it's Lifetime)

Lifetime. I’d go one step farther and say it’s in the top 5 of the worst Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movie ever. 

[redpencil]

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I liked Holiday Sitter, especially for the comedy.  I just hate that my DVR cuts off the ending for some reason.  I also liked that the holiday play didn't become a huge production but was just part of the everyday  holiday mess.

I've had this issue with so many movies this year, on both Hallmark and Lifetime. My solution has been to find the next movie on my DVR, and usually the ending will be at the very beginning of the recording (either because it was a double feature or they replayed the previous movie before the next one).

Edited December 13, 2022 by redpencil

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, redpencil said:

I've had this issue with so many movies this year, on both Hallmark and Lifetime. My solution has been to find the next movie on my DVR, and usually the ending will be at the very beginning of the recording (either because it was a double feature or they replayed the previous movie before the next one).

Oh I can adjust my recording to add a few extra minutes so that's not the issue.  I just forgot to do that Sunday so I'll have to catch the streaming version.

[absnow54]

14 hours ago, Cetacean said:

The female character wearing multiple coats.

My favorite example of this is Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas where Jesse Schram plays an amnesiac who is found with nothing but the clothes on her back. The hospital gives her some donated clothes, which includes a dozen brand new winter jackets. You can almost turn spot the new winter jacket into a drinking game for that movie. 

[Bethany]

10 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

In Time for Him to Come Home.... they were both supposed to be 3 years out of college. I supposed he could have been a older student, but they acted like they were childhood friends or something.

That must be what was making me wonder about the age difference!  She definitely could have been in her 20s somewhere but no way was he anything but knocking on 40s door!

[Daff]

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

If you Google the title, the results usually list off quite a few places where it can be streamed for free. It looks like a lot of places have Holiday High School Reunion.  You may want to Google it yourself to see which app is the most convenient for you. 

IMO, the easiest is FreeVee but lots of streamers have it that aren't subscription based. You may just need to watch ads.

I liked Holiday Sitter, especially for the comedy.  I just hate that my DVR cuts off the ending for some reason.  I also liked that the holiday play didn't become a huge production but was just part of the everyday  holiday mess.

My DVR has cut off quite a few of these movies on first run this season as well. Even though I have it set to add 1 min at the beginning and 2 at the end. A couple have started after the intro credits. After thinking about what’s different with the first runs-I’ve concluded that they’re cheating run time to show their “sneak peeks” without shorting their advertisers-but even some of those end abruptly! Terrible planning!

In other words, they aren’t staying within the guide’s 2 hour window. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Daff

[norcalgal]

Count me in as a fan of The Holiday Sitter.  I just gosh darned liked the characters - all of them, and felt real chemistry between the leads. I also liked there were no tropes  (that I can recall), or jerk characters (as so many of the pre-2020 movies had). Just a lovely gem of a movie to me. The plot was decent, made sense and played out on screen quite well.

I also liked that conversation between Sam and his sister about the realities of being an out homosexual and what life (including adoption) is like for gay people even in today's age. Good for the show to present that life is not all rainbows for gay people even in 2022 America.

P.S.  Robert Wisden, who played the dad, will always be Pusher from the X-Files to me. He really should have worn cerulean blue clothing!  😜

[anniebird]

21 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Since y'all are the Christmas Movie Experts I'm wondering if y'all could help me with something.

For the last three or four years I've printed out bingo cards for my family and we play "Christmas Movie Bingo"  The guys especially love it. They get a kick out of making fun of the movies and they get pretty competitive.

Every year I preview the movies to make sure at least one bingo is guaranteed.  I usually find movies that hit at least half of these, and usually a little more.

Question: Can anyone think of a movie that would have all 30?  I think they'd love it if they could all cover up their cards.  It doesn't have to be a current movie. It can be older.  It can be terrible.  The worse it is the better. That's the point. lol

Here's the list:
 

CHRISTMAS MOVIE BINGO

1.    A SNOWBALL FIGHT
2.    SIPPING HOT COCOA OR COFFEE
3.    DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE
4.    A TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
5.    SINGING CAROLS
6.    AN INTERRUPTED KISS
7.    A DISAGREEMENT OR MISUNDERSTANDING
8.    ICE SKATING
9.    BAKING/DECORATING COOKIES
10.    A CHRISTMAS EVENT (PARTY, FESTIVAL, ETC)
11.    AN ACCIDENTAL FALL INTO HIS ARMS
12.    A GAUDY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
13.    BUILDING A SNOWMAN
14.    GIVING OR GETTING A GIFT
15.    CARRIAGE/SLEIGH RIDE
16.    THEY DANCE
17.    A SHOPPING TRIP
18.    AN ADORABLE CHILD
19.    PICKING OUT A TREE
20.    RED COAT ON MAIN GIRL
21.    SNOW FALLING
22.    A FIRESIDE CHAT
23.    BUILDING A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
24.    A MAIN CHARACTER WEARING PJS
25.    A DEAD PARENT
26.    A GRINCHY CHARACTER
27.    A MILITARY CONNECTION
28.    AN UNSUITABLE OTHER LOVE INTEREST
29.    A MAIN CHARACTER WITH A SUITCASE
30.    MAKING CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 

A prince from a fake European country traveling incognito.

[norcalgal]

Thought The Holiday Stocking was just ok, but I did get emotional at the very end when RJ and his sisters all were hugging.  I got teary eyed and had to blow my nose.  I really  liked the sibling parts of the movie and wish there had been more of it, especially *with* RJ, but alas, he had to remain incognito throughout.  

[twoods]

Glad to hear that The Holiday Sitter was good- set to watch it on Friday night.

[FunnyFace]

18 hours ago, anniebird said:

A prince from a fake European country traveling incognito.

Actually, a prince with an English accent, from a fake non-UK European country traveling incognito.😁

[SusanwatchingTV]

On 12/12/2022 at 2:51 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

Since y'all are the Christmas Movie Experts I'm wondering if y'all could help me with something.

For the last three or four years I've printed out bingo cards for my family and we play "Christmas Movie Bingo"  The guys especially love it. They get a kick out of making fun of the movies and they get pretty competitive.

Every year I preview the movies to make sure at least one bingo is guaranteed.  I usually find movies that hit at least half of these, and usually a little more.

Question: Can anyone think of a movie that would have all 30?  I think they'd love it if they could all cover up their cards.  It doesn't have to be a current movie. It can be older.  It can be terrible.  The worse it is the better. That's the point. lol

Here's the list:
 

CHRISTMAS MOVIE BINGO

1.    A SNOWBALL FIGHT
2.    SIPPING HOT COCOA OR COFFEE
3.    DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE
4.    A TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
5.    SINGING CAROLS
6.    AN INTERRUPTED KISS
7.    A DISAGREEMENT OR MISUNDERSTANDING
8.    ICE SKATING
9.    BAKING/DECORATING COOKIES
10.    A CHRISTMAS EVENT (PARTY, FESTIVAL, ETC)
11.    AN ACCIDENTAL FALL INTO HIS ARMS
12.    A GAUDY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
13.    BUILDING A SNOWMAN
14.    GIVING OR GETTING A GIFT
15.    CARRIAGE/SLEIGH RIDE
16.    THEY DANCE
17.    A SHOPPING TRIP
18.    AN ADORABLE CHILD
19.    PICKING OUT A TREE
20.    RED COAT ON MAIN GIRL
21.    SNOW FALLING
22.    A FIRESIDE CHAT
23.    BUILDING A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
24.    A MAIN CHARACTER WEARING PJS
25.    A DEAD PARENT
26.    A GRINCHY CHARACTER
27.    A MILITARY CONNECTION
28.    AN UNSUITABLE OTHER LOVE INTEREST
29.    A MAIN CHARACTER WITH A SUITCASE
30.    MAKING CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 

In case y'all are interested, I'm way behind on watching my recorded movies, but so far Haul Out the Holly is winning with 18 of the items on the list (if I didn't miss anything).

I'm still hoping to find one that does better, but that one will do.  It's pretty funny, and seems to be making fun of the genre which I think the guys will enjoy.

Edited December 14, 2022 by SusanwatchingTV
clarity

[dubstepford wife]

3 hours ago, FunnyFace said:

Actually, a prince with an English accent, from a fake non-UK European country traveling incognito.😁

This always bugged me about The Prince and Me (which somehow got a theatrical release despite basically being a Hallmark movie) -- why does the prince of Denmark have a British accent?  To say nothing of the fact that if the crown prince were that attractive, single, and in his early 20s, he'd be in every magazine in existence.  There'd be no traveling anonymously. 

[absnow54]

1 hour ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

In case y'all are interested, I'm way behind on watching my recorded movies, but so far Haul Out the Holly is winning with 18 of the items on the list (if I didn't miss anything).

This was actually the one I was going to suggest! I thought it had more things off your list though, but I may have been misremembering. For example, I thought the precocious daughter may have been ice skating off camera at one point.

[Bethany]

Just saw We Need a Little Christmas.  A touch saccharine in parts, with a totally unlikely convenient plot point towards the end, but overall I liked this one.  Definitely not a Christmas romance - although we see the writing on the cards - more a family drama I guess.  Anyway it worked for me.   

[norcalgal]

6 hours ago, dubstepford wife said:

This always bugged me about The Prince and Me (which somehow got a theatrical release despite basically being a Hallmark movie) -- why does the prince of Denmark have a British accent?  To say nothing of the fact that if the crown prince were that attractive, single, and in his early 20s, he'd be in every magazine in existence.  There'd be no traveling anonymously. 

Dunno about the British accent, but I do buy that non-UK royalty aren’t covered in magazines, newspapers, etc.  After all, without looking it up, how many of us can name - let alone recognize by sight - the princes of the current monarchies in Spain, Belgium, Netherlands…?  presumably at one point, those princes were young and single (maybe ok in looks?)

Disclaimer:  I don’t know if those countries have princes at all, or just princesses, but I was using them as examples of other countries that have monarchies 

UK royalty get all the oxygen in English language media while non-UK one’s get little coverage if any at all. 
 

eta: true story involving a friend of mine who told me this story about a decade after the event:  my friend went to college and for a brief time, a prince from Norway attended her university.  She had no idea of his royal status until someone on campus told her. My friend told me the prince was hawt.  (Of course attractiveness is subjective)

Edited December 14, 2022 by norcalgal

[Bronx Babe]

On 12/13/2022 at 2:15 AM, Makai said:

Lifetime. I’d go one step farther and say it’s in the top 5 of the worst Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movie ever. 

Thanks, Makai.  Thought so but wasn't sure.  Really makes me appreciate Hallmark, lol.

[SusanwatchingTV]

6 hours ago, absnow54 said:

This was actually the one I was going to suggest! I thought it had more things off your list though, but I may have been misremembering. For example, I thought the precocious daughter may have been ice skating off camera at one point.

You know, I may have missed that, so thanks.  I tend to do other things while these are on, even when I have the checklist beside me. 

[Bronx Babe]

I've got The Holiday Sitter on in the background.  (it has Susan's Christmas Bingo card #11 -- Sam slips on the snow and into the neighbor guy's arms; why should Hallmark's gay audience be deprived of this silly trope, lol?)

The obligatory wtf moment:  apparently Sam and his sister have no problem with their divorced father (who would probably be, judging from the age of these "kids", at least in his 60's or possibly 70's) living most of the time alone in the family lakeside home according to the daughter "with no access to services".  I'm guessing this also means zero cell phone connection -- what happens if Dad has a heart attack?  Such concerned children.
   

Edited December 15, 2022 by Bronx Babe

[Bronx Babe]

Then there are the Bingo words and phrases:

Amazing, impressive, Christmassy, pitch, we make a great team, I sense a 'but', you/I got this, I will have you know, do you always, no no no no no we are not a couple, wait, what?, do you two know each other?, it's my favorite movie, I can't remember the last time I took a vacation, so how's the new plumber -- is he cute?, I don't do Christmas, this is the best (fill in food item) I ever had!

Edited December 15, 2022 by Bronx Babe