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

[voiceover]

Thanks to @argrow for the explanation.  This certainly helps.  Erin Cahill’s mom shoulda been the giveaway as I spent time wondering about her hat and that purse.

I’ll need to rewatch it with a white board & different colored dry erase markers.

Y’know…This is Us did similar in its premiere, with Milo sporting the porn ‘stache, and a cigarette machine in the hospital.  But it was all clear after 52 minutes.  I agree about the year subtitles.  Too clever to pull a Big Reveal at the end, forcing me into an “Ah crap now I have to think about this???”

Props to Catherine Bell who looks damn good, and John Brotherton who charms me in spite of myself.

[anniebird]

Christmas on Cherry Lane is so bad it's not worth working this hard to figure out. Lizzie's parents are awful people and so is Conrad - anytime I hate characters this much I know I'm never going to watch the movie again. Also, a professional chef is upset that he can't BUY fresh cranberry sauce??? Every home cook I know makes their own -- I'm not even sure it's something you can buy. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by anniebird

[Mittengirl]

I think the chef was upset that his husband wanted to buy cranberry sauce. But maybe I misunderstood.🤷‍♀️

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

 Both of the rich guys flew the girl's mother in to comfort her.

Thanks but I'm still missing how that relates to the Cherry Lane movie. 

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

Even if you paid strict attention, I think it would be difficult to follow the 3 plotlines and figure out how they were interconnected.  Simply putting the year up as they showed each family would've been huge, IMO.

Usually, shows like this involve period music or distinctive costuming that Hallmark movies don't have the budget for.  The first season of Why Women Kill had a similar plotline of three different time periods  but it was much easier to tell apart.

[Mittengirl]

Just now, Irlandesa said:

Usually, shows like this involve period music or distinctive costuming that Hallmark movies don't have the budget for.

To me, the cop was the only person that looked, for lack of better word, dated.  I certainly didn’t get a ‘70’s vibe from the pregnant couple.

Hallmark movies simply shouldn’t require this much thought.

[anniebird]

9 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I think the chef was upset that his husband wanted to buy cranberry sauce. But maybe I misunderstood.🤷‍♀️

You made me rewatch this part (I may never forgive you 😉) - the chef was upset that the store was out of fresh cranberry sauce and the husband suggested he use canned cranberry sauce which caused him to become highly indignant. Fresh cranberry sauce consists of 3 ingredients - cranberries, sugar, and a liquid. I can't imagine a chef even wanting to buy it. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by anniebird

[absnow54]

9 hours ago, anniebird said:

Fresh cranberry sauce consists of 3 ingredients - cranberries, sugar, and a liquid. I can't imagine a chef even wanting to buy it.

I think the main issue was that his original dinner was ruined, and he had to remake it in a time crunch, in an unfinished kitchen. So he was probably limited on pots and burners. They should have just made the issue that the store was out of cranberries, since the movie already required way too much thinking. This movie definitely felt like Hallmark’s attempt at This Is Us, down to the anvil-rific reveal in the last 90 seconds. 

[anniebird]

29 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I think the main issue was that his original dinner was ruined, and he had to remake it in a time crunch, in an unfinished kitchen. So he was probably limited on pots and burners. They should have just made the issue that the store was out of cranberries, since the movie already required way too much thinking. This movie definitely felt like Hallmark’s attempt at This Is Us, down to the anvil-rific reveal in the last 90 seconds. 

Saying they were out of cranberries would have made so much more sense. I always wonder if the actors ever point out that what they are saying is either terrible grammar or just plain ludicrous.

[Orcinus orca]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Thanks but I'm still missing how that relates to the Cherry Lane movie. 

12 hours ago, Notabug said:

Oh, shoot, my bad. I was thinking of Magic in Mistletoe.  

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks for the summaries. I was just confused and didn’t even realize it was three timelines. I bailed, because I just didn’t care.

 

[EtheltoTillie]

Catch me if You Claus was adorable. And they can have a sequel. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[voiceover]

12 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Catch me if You Claus was adorable. And they can have a sequel. 

Honestly, begging for this.  Best thing I’ve seen Luke do, and I like all his performances.

[EyewatchTV211]

They did show the years briefly closer to the beginning of Christmas on Cherry Lane. But it was very quick and random. I actually stopped to rewind because I missed a little when they flashed the years on the screen. I haven't finished the movie yet because I started it very late and stopped it. Debating if I should finish based on comments here. None of the connections had started to be made yet at the point I stopped. 

[Notabug]

38 minutes ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

They did show the years briefly closer to the beginning of Christmas on Cherry Lane. But it was very quick and random. I actually stopped to rewind because I missed a little when they flashed the years on the screen. I haven't finished the movie yet because I started it very late and stopped it. Debating if I should finish based on comments here. None of the connections had started to be made yet at the point I stopped. 

Jeez!   I totally missed it and I even re-watched the first 5 minutes or so looking for it.  For the 70's timeline, I guess we were supposed to see the cheap wood paneling on the walls and realize that was a 70's thing.  However, the couple kept going on and on about how everything in the house was out of date and needed to be replaced, so it was easy to miss.  I guess production was too cheap to pay for some harvest gold or avocado kitchen appliances and formica  counter tops for the kitchen which would've been a big hint.

I won't be watching this one again.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Notabug

[Shelbie]

If I’m remembering correctly they showed the years about 15 minutes into the movie.
It could have been an interesting show but instead it was boring and confusing. When the 1973 couple announced the baby was called Ivy I had no idea who she was in the movie so thanks to the poster who paid more attention than I did.

[argrow]

Yeah they showed the years right before the first commercial break.

I started getting suspicious when the house numbers all said 7 when the characters were outside. Guess that's why I  was paying more attention than I usually do with these movies.

[Bronx Babe]

On 12/9/2023 at 1:06 AM, WendyCR72 said:

I hear you about facing mortality. My mom died in 2018, and it got me to thinking. Granted, I am only 51 now, but still.

But I admire your stance on enjoyment and moderation!

I hope the remainder of Hanukkah is happy for you, @Bronx Babe!

Topic: The more these movies air, the more they all seem to just blend together for me, but they are still useful when one wants to just turn their brain off.

Sorry about your own mom, Wendy.  Hey, you're still a baby!  51 is the new 31!  (but at my age -- I'm too shallow and vain to tell you the number, lol)

Thank you for those kind words.

I've decided to spend this Sunday evening with the Marx Bros. and then Woody Allen (Bananas)  I'll catch Round and Round another time.

The real thing that disturbs me about these Hallmark movies is the very fact you describe -- your brain gets turned off.  But it gets turned off forever when we all shuffle off this mortal coil, and that's what terrifies me -- I want to experience THIS life, even with its miseries, as long as I can.  What does Faulkner say. "Between grief and nothing I'll take grief".  If I want escapism I'll watch a Godzilla movie.  

Oh, I landed on Christmas on Cherry Lane earlier today -- It wasn't even two minutes in before someone mentions hot chocolate.  Who wants to spend the remaining time of their life watching and listening to this dribble?  LOL   Give me grit! Give me passion! Give me grief!  In other words, give me Life!!

Edited December 11, 2023 by Bronx Babe

[Artsda]

Once Christmas on cherry lane showed the years at the start I realized they were trying to do a This is Us type plot with the multiple generations going back and forth. 

I was a little confused once they brought in the friendly cop/Ivy but I did think it was different and pretty good.  

[izabella]

I liked Christmas on Cherry Lane, too.  I was very confused for a while, but once I saw the years on the screen, each with a different couple on the porch, it was easier to follow.  And it was different!  I love that they tried something new to shake up the usual story lines.  I want to watch it again now that I know who all the people are.

I like the older movies, so was happy to catch some favorites.  A Christmas Melody with Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott...single mom moves back home, and her adorable daughter turns to her handsome music teacher to help her adjust.  Mariah Carey makes an appearance as a bitchy PTA mom (she is not a good actress) who is competitive about the school musical. 

Good Morning Christmas! with Allison Sweeney and Marc Blucas is cute.  Two bickering tv hosts are sent to a small Christmas town, and start seeing each other in a new, Christmas light.  I like both actors, so this was fun.

The Christmas Train with Dermot Mulroney and Kimberley Willaims-Paisely is about a writer traveling across the country by train for Christmas, and a group of fellow travelers that bond during the trip.  There's some mystery and a few surprises, but best of all, it has Joan Cusack!

I also liked Time for Us to Come Home.  This one also has Lacey Chabert, who is mysteriously invited to an inn over Christmas, as are some of the other guests.  And there's a handsome owner, of course, and a mystery. 

A Country Christmas Harmony with Brooke Elliott was good.  I remembered it from last year, and it was worth a re-watch.  She's a singer who comes back to her hometown after a long absence to work on her career, and runs into her estranged high school sweetheart.  

[Irlandesa]

The annual Hanukkah movie delivers once again.  I really enjoyed Round and Round.  They had good chemistry and I thought the revelation at the end was nicely done.  The callbacks to different time warp movies were a lot of fun as well. 

 

[absnow54]

Round and Round was a winner for me. I’ve loved Bryan Greenberg since One Tree Hill, so I was glad to see him in this. He was such a charismatic and fun love interest. So much chemistry! My favorite moment was when she kissed him in the van and he asked if that was the first time. 

This one joins the top of my 2023 list along with Catch Me if You Claus. 

[anniebird]

I loved Round and Round - it was genuinely funny and the two leads were great together - except for two things: the actress who played the grandmother annoys me in every movie she's in, and the actress who played Rachel talked so fast I had to turn on closed captions. I will definitely watch this one again though.

[Acmeproducts]

2 hours ago, izabella said:

 

Good Morning Christmas! with Allison Sweeney and Marc Blucas is cute.  Two bickering tv hosts are sent to a small Christmas town, and start seeing each other in a new, Christmas light.  I like both actors, so this was fun.

 

I would love to see Alison play a bickering TV host. She is fun. 

[Woopwoopkitty]

20 hours ago, Acmeproducts said:

I would love to see Alison play a bickering TV host. She is fun. 

I love this one.  Their chemistry is wonderful.  My favorite line is when she insults him by telling him he’s “not crafty” (as in arts & crafts not as in deceptive).  Her delivery is fantastic.

And him defending himself about how she thinks he had it so easy when he sets her straight on how he grew up poor and how hard he had to work to make a Successful career out of an ort of natural talent.

Edited December 12, 2023 by Woopwoopkitty
Spelling matters

[Acmeproducts]

17 minutes ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

I love this one.  Their chemistry is wonderful.  My favorite line is when she insults him by telling him he’s “not crafty” (as in arts & crafts not as in deceptive).  Her delivery is fantastic.

And Jim defending himself about how she thinks he had it so easy when he sets her straight on how he grew up poor and hard he had to work to make a Successful career out of an ort of natural talent.

I looked it up. Looks interesting. Alison is good at banter. 

[Orcinus orca]

7 hours ago, anniebird said:

I loved Round and Round - it was genuinely funny and the two leads were great together - except for two things: the actress who played the grandmother annoys me in every movie she's in, and the actress who played Rachel talked so fast I had to turn on closed captions.

I liked it as well but totally agree on the fast talking!  Even with closed captioning I struggled to keep up.  

[EtheltoTillie]

Round and Round is now a new favorite for the year.  It's a good movie, not just a good Hallmark movie.  So many fun movie references, which might have been over the heads of many Hallmark viewers, but  I'm a comics/superhero geek, so I loved them.*   I liked their twist on the Groundhog Day theme, where the other characters are able to help solve the mystery. I loved the comic store nerds and the romance between Seth and the cousin.  Also, it starts with the mom as an 80s DJ and ends with the song "I Melt With You," the theme heard over the closing credits of another fave romance movie, Valley Girl.  (I might have watched it a time or two.)

Finally, for those who find the grandma actress annoying, I agree.  What gets me, though, is that she sounds exactly like Candace Bergen.  When I first saw a trailer for the movie and was not paying close attention, I thought they'd actually cast Candace Bergen. 

*my husband's a geek too, but he won't watch Hallmark movies.  He might change his mind if I tell him it's like Groundhog Day. 

I will seek out Good Morning, Christmas.  I see it was from 2020, and I obviously missed it then. 

[anniebird]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Round and Round is now a new favorite for the year.  It's a good movie, not just a good Hallmark movie.  So many fun movie references, which might have been over the heads of many Hallmark viewers, but  I'm a comics/superhero geek, so I loved them.*  

Except that she described Palm Springs as a Tom Cruise movie - it's Andy Samberg -  and again I wonder why they don't have someone, anyone, who picks up on these things.

[absnow54]

3 minutes ago, anniebird said:

Except that she described Palm Springs as a Tom Cruise movie - it's Andy Samberg -  and again I wonder why they don't have someone, anyone, who picks up on these things.

I missed the Palm Springs reference. When she said Tom Cruise, I figured she was talking about Edge of Tomorrow. I'll have to watch the movie again, because the pacing was so quick. At one point she mentioned it was the third time she was reliving the day, when I thought it was only the second.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, anniebird said:

Except that she described Palm Springs as a Tom Cruise movie - it's Andy Samberg -  and again I wonder why they don't have someone, anyone, who picks up on these things.

I completely missed that one!  Fact checkers, do your job! 

[ShelleySue]

16 hours ago, Artsda said:

Once Christmas on cherry lane showed the years at the start I realized they were trying to do a This is Us type plot with the multiple generations going back and forth. 

I was a little confused once they brought in the friendly cop/Ivy but I did think it was different and pretty good.  

As a regular view of This is Us I caught that too. It is now one of my favorite movies.

I've made this to show the connections in Christmas on Cherry Lane. 

Couple having baby: Lizzie, John, newborn baby Ivy

Engaged Couple. She has two adult children: Reggie, Nelson, Resentful Son, Singer Daughter, Dead Husband/Father (sorry, I'm bad at remembering names)

Couple Fostering Little Girl: Mike, Zi/Sam

In All Stories: Daisy

Connections:

- John and Dead Husband/Father become best friends.

- John's children (Resentful Son and Singer Daughter) call Dead Husband/Father "Uncle Ham."

- Dad Husband/Father delivers Ivy.

- Ivy was Zi/Sam's foster mother for a Christmas and was the reason he wanted to be a foster parent.

- Resentful Son has Dead Husband/Father's car.

- Singer Daughter sang at Mike's restaurant and Zi/Sam is her manager. That's how Mike and Zi/Sam met.

- John's garage turns into Mike's restaurant.

What did I miss? 

 

 

[geekgirl921]

On 12/9/2023 at 8:12 PM, argrow said:

I think these are all the connections.

1973- Erin Cahill and John Brotherton's first Christmas Eve in the house. His garage was broken into and he went and met the cop for the first time. Erin Cahill's character went into labour and gave birth to Ivy.

1999- Catherine Bell and James Denton. Catherine Bell's character was married to the cop from 1973 (who has died). Their kids  are Conrad and Winnie. Winnie is an aspiring singer. Conrad's best friend is Ivy (the baby born in 1973), whose family moved to Michigan when she was young (and that's when Catherine Bell's family moved in). Ivy is going to receive a foster child for a few days so he can experience Christmas.

2023- Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III. Moved in 6 months ago (i think). Winnie (Catherine Bell's daughter from 1999) is now a famous singer. I think Vincent's character works as her manager or something, and Jonathan's character works as a chef in a restaurant she owns (that used to be John Brotherton's character's garage from 1973). Vincent's character was the foster child received by Ivy in 1999.

Plus the neighbour who was the same in all three times. And that car. And of course, the same house.

Thanks! I was having a heck of a time trying to get all of the connections straight!

[Aliconehead]

56 minutes ago, geekgirl921 said:

Engaged Couple. She has two adult children: Reggie, Nelson, Resentful Son, Singer Daughter, Dead Husband/Father (sorry, I'm bad at remembering names)

Couple Fostering Little Girl: Mike, Zi/Sam

In All Stories: Daisy

Connections:

- John and Dead Husband/Father become best friends.

- John's children (Resentful Son and Singer Daughter) call Dead Husband/Father "Uncle Ham."

!

Johns kid is Ivy not resentful son (Conrad) and singer daughter (Winnie). Conrad and Winnie were cops son and daughter. Uncle Ham was John (John Hamilton)

[absnow54]

I think my favorite part about Christmas on Cherry Lane  was that they felt the need to give al the characters nicknames, so they wouldn't give away the ending. I'm watching 34213 holiday movies a season, I can't recall the names of the lead characters in the films I actually liked. I've watched The Nine Lives of Christmas a dozen times, and only know the character's names by the actors who play them (the character's name ends in a "lee" sound, I remember without Googling.)

The movie would have been easier to watch if they sprinkled bread crumbs throughout. The only time I was engaged was when I saw the dead dad's car all fixed up, and instantly realized the cop was Conrad's dad (speaking of. Can we talk about the family photo, where they used Microsoft Paint to merge younger photos of all the actors. It was exceptionally bad.)

[Mittengirl]

It wasn’t until I saw the restaurant that I made the connection.  I noticed the houses looked similar, but chalked that up to a neighborhood of houses all in the same style.

[ECM1231]

18 hours ago, anniebird said:

 and the actress who played Rachel talked so fast I had to turn on closed captions. I will definitely watch this one again though.

I'm glad to see that I am one of several who was bothered by the fast talking. In addition to that, it seemed to me that the actress didn't enunciate very clearly,  leaving me doubly confused. However, that could be a sign of my age, so not sure if it was me or her. 

I enjoyed the movie a lot as it was something different. 

[voiceover]

Watching Christmas Class Reunion and here’s something I didn’t notice last year (I’m sure somebody here did):

The Liberty Mutual guy (“Liberty-bibberty“), Tanner Novlan, is the love interest!

[GeorgiaRai]

I mostly liked Christmas on Cherry Lane but I bristle when movies romanticize foster care.  I'm rewatching Holly & Ivy right now and feel like it handled the subject much more realistically without being depressing and hopeless.  

I liked Round and Round, too, and will rewatch.  Didn't the guy correct the girl's Tom Cruise reference? I couldn't keep up! 

[EyewatchTV211]

4 hours ago, GeorgiaRai said:

I liked Round and Round, too, and will rewatch.  Didn't the guy correct the girl's Tom Cruise reference? I couldn't keep up! 

I'm rewatching. I took it to mean that he didn't recognize Palm Springs, so she started describing another movie (the Tom Cruise one) and didn't know the name, and he guessed Maverick as a Tom Cruise movie. After googling on my part, it looks like Tom Cruise was in a time loop movie Edge of Tomorrow, which is probably what she was thinking of. Since he didn't get either of those references, she gave Groundhog Day. I don't think she was saying that Tom Cruise was in Palm Springs like others thought. That's just my take, though.

[Daff]

17 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

What did I miss? 

When ‘73 mom is in labor and John’s new cop friend is willing to help deliver, he compliments the house. She’s so grateful for his help, she tells him if they ever decide to move, they’ll sell him the house. As another labor pain starts, she amends  it to say, “No, we will just give you the house.” As the cop was definitely the next owner, it’s implied that the great wife he raves about to John is Catherine Bell.

[anniebird]

8 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

I'm rewatching. I took it to mean that he didn't recognize Palm Springs, so she started describing another movie (the Tom Cruise one) and didn't know the name, and he guessed Maverick as a Tom Cruise movie. After googling on my part, it looks like Tom Cruise was in a time loop movie Edge of Tomorrow, which is probably what she was thinking of. Since he didn't get either of those references, she gave Groundhog Day. I don't think she was saying that Tom Cruise was in Palm Springs like others thought. That's just my take, though.

That makes sense - she talked so fast and didn't articulate that it was hard to follow what she was saying exactly.

[voiceover]

Just finished Round and Round, and I second/third/fourth/et al, all the previous praise.

The leads had great chem, and the little plot threads (esp the comic book store) worked.  I geeked out on the screenwriting references (“inciting incident”, bahahaha).  There was even a Rocky Horror joke.  I’d like to check the IDs of the writers for birth year info bc I’m getting “Millennials with Boomer parents” vibe.

Spun me (see what I did there) right out of my current sadz.

[Orcinus orca]

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

 I’d like to check the IDs of the writers for birth year info bc I’m getting “Millennials with Boomer parents” vibe.

As a Boomer I missed most of those references.  I did enjoy it, however, as long as I had closed captioning on.

[voiceover]

52 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

As a Boomer I missed most of those references.

Eh, it’s an 18-year stretch, so I guess it’s more of “those on the cusp w/Xers” 🤣

[chitowngirl]

As soon as the comic bookstore owner told her to take “a jump to the left”, I knew where it was going and I enjoyed the ride!!

[kirinan]

Hallmark is Paying Tribute to Jane Austen with February 2024 Movies

I'm so glad to see that Mallory Jansen is coming back. And with Will Kemp, no less! Also glad to see Alison Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres back together on screen. I loved the Chronicles Mysteries. 

[Acmeproducts]

6 hours ago, kirinan said:

Hallmark is Paying Tribute to Jane Austen with February 2024 Movies

I'm so glad to see that Mallory Jansen is coming back. And with Will Kemp, no less! Also glad to see Alison Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres back together on screen. I loved the Chronicles Mysteries. 

I have not seen the chronicle mysteries but I like Alison’s other hallmark movies.

[EtheltoTillie]

I was very disappointed in Heidelberg. What are the odds that all the glass would be delayed and then get broken?  As soon as I saw her buy the cut rate shipping I started fast forwarding. Idiot plot syndrome. 

[Lugal]

I was also disappointed by Heidelberg.  The scenery was amazing and it was fun to see the German Christmas customs, but our heroine was a bit much.  And I just couldn't ignore that no one ships thousands of dollars of merchandise overseas in cardboard boxes with packing peanuts.  That would be in a wooden crate with straw or paper.

[coffeebean]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:12 PM, argrow said:

I think these are all the connections.

1973- Erin Cahill and John Brotherton's first Christmas Eve in the house. His garage was broken into and he went and met the cop for the first time. Erin Cahill's character went into labour and gave birth to Ivy.

1999- Catherine Bell and James Denton. Catherine Bell's character was married to the cop from 1973 (who has died). Their kids  are Conrad and Winnie. Winnie is an aspiring singer. Conrad's best friend is Ivy (the baby born in 1973), whose family moved to Michigan when she was young (and that's when Catherine Bell's family moved in). Ivy is going to receive a foster child for a few days so he can experience Christmas.

2023- Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III. Moved in 6 months ago (i think). Winnie (Catherine Bell's daughter from 1999) is now a famous singer. I think Vincent's character works as her manager or something, and Jonathan's character works as a chef in a restaurant she owns (that used to be John Brotherton's character's garage from 1973). Vincent's character was the foster child received by Ivy in 1999.

Plus the neighbour who was the same in all three times. And that car. And of course, the same house.

Just finished watching Christmas on Cherry Lane. This was a bit intricate for a Hallmark movie. My bad......I spoiled myself before watching the movie so I knew there was a lot of figuring out timelines and such.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this synopsis. I will be watching the movie again, now putting all the pieces together.

Erin Cahill's character's family was absolutely boorish. How dare they force themselves on those two expectant parents when they had not even unpacked yet? I felt so sorry for those two and expecting a baby on top of all that chaos.

The renovation project in 2023 had me crazy. How can anyone prepare a meal when the refrigerator is still packed in plastic? Where was that turkey and all the rest of the food kept cold? That whole story line was just plain silly. And.......expecting a foster child to show up Christmas Eve? Yikes! That whole scenario was giving me indigestion!!!

I still enjoyed the movie very much and loved how all the story lines intertwined together. Very clever......for a Hallmark movie.