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

[geekgirl921]

15 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

I enjoyed Paging Mr Darcy - Will Kemp makes everything  better

i tolerated the Alisom Sweeney movie.  I didn’t like her character, the aforementioned footwear choices, her costuming, Ben Ayers’s hair styling, and lack of chemistry.  The only memorable part for me was the brief recreation of the Colin Firth emerging from the pond in the wet white shirt. Disappointed for Alison and I generally find her delightful.

American in Austen looks like it might be fun.

Sense & Sensibilty looks stupid. 

I have been wondering what the heck has happened to Ben Ayers' hair lately. It was also like this in his Christmas movie!!

[LegalParrot81]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

I was disappointed in this, because I loved Alison and Ben together in The Chronicle Mysteries and was excited about seeing them again. It felt like this one misfired on so many levels

My thoughts exactly.  Sweeney and Ayres worked so well together in Chronicle Mysteries, I had high hopes for this one.  It fell horribly flat.  Alison doesn't do  wimpy characters well and her character was just blah and, to be, came off a little whiney.  Also am not a fan of Ben's curly top.  I think the biggest thing was the script just wasn't very good.

[Lugal]

Not an Austen fan, but I enjoyed Paging Mr. Darcy, which brought in enough Austen tropes to be interesting and Will Kemp and Mallory Jansen worked well together.

Love and Jane, however, was somewhat less than the sum of its parts.   It was fun to watch Alison Sweeney play quirky for a bit, however a whole movie was just too much.  I also expected better after seeing her and Ben Ayers in the Chronicle Mysteries. (Can we get more of them?)  The whole aspect of a famous writer guiding our main character could have been interesting, and I'm sorry it wasn't.  And I was jokingly expecting a twist, like Ayer's character revealing the real reason he spends so much time in the bookstore is because if he spends too much time in the office, Franz Kafka won't leave him alone.

[Acmeproducts]

“And I was jokingly expecting a twist, like Ayer's character revealing the real reason he spends so much time in the bookstore is because if he spends too much time in the office, Franz Kafka won't leave him alone.”

That would have been fun!
 

I’d like to see Alison play a quirky character too, but one that is more suited to her. 

[ehall1052]

Re Love and Jane: I disliked the smoky, hazy look in the rooms. I kept wiping off my glasses because I had a hard time seeing! 

[Mittengirl]

Is that Sarah Ferguson in tonight’s Austen movie?!

[Ele]

15 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Is that Sarah Ferguson in tonight’s Austen movie?!

I know! I wondered too. 

[Irlandesa]

I recently watched Lost In Austen which clearly inspired An American In Austen and, dare I say it?  I liked An American In Austen quite a bit more.

Having Harriet be some weirdo from America made sense as why so much she did didn't make sense to them.  I got a lot of laughs from her reactions ("I can't with you" to Wickham) and the cracks at her over-30 age.  And I appreciate that they didn't change the ending the way LIA did.  

Plus, 2 hours of this is the perfect amount compared to a 4 hour miniseries.  I'd watch this one again.

Edited February 18 by Irlandesa

[Nacos for Rufus]

Huh. I never considered myself to be an Austen purist. An American in Austen changed that. 

[Shelbie]

I really enjoyed An American in Austen. Enough humour and twists to make an interesting story.

[Notabug]

I enjoyed it, too.  The lead was good and there was actually some humor that worked in it.  It probably helped to be familiar with Pride and Prejudice, but Harriet provided enough exposition as she tried to make sure everyone got their happy ending that I think even those unfamiliar with the plot could follow.

Her commentary on Regency fashions including corsets was pretty funny, IMO, as were all the mentions of her advanced age being a hindrance to finding a husband.

Edited February 18 by Notabug

[sheshark]

That had to be Sarah Ferguson. She was a producer, and who else looks like that.

[Ele]

14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I recently watched Lost In Austen which clearly inspired An American In Austen and, dare I say it?  I liked An American In Austen quite a bit more.

Having Harriet be some weirdo from America made sense as why so much she did didn't make sense to them.  I got a lot of laughs from her reactions ("I can't with you" to Wickham) and the cracks at her over-30 age.  And I appreciate that they didn't change the ending the way LIA did.  

Plus, 2 hours of this is the perfect amount compared to a 4 hour miniseries.  I'd watch this one again.

I appreciated the ending too. I thought it was interesting they hired a Brit to play Harriet and have her use an American accent. I liked Eliza Bennett and hope to see her in another Hallmark movie. 
 

Spoiler

Although the ending wasn’t changed, like in LIA, I thought it was a pretty quick turn around for Darcy: proposing to Harriet and ending up with the other.

 

[Notabug]

9 minutes ago, sheshark said:

That had to be Sarah Ferguson. She was a producer, and who else looks like that.

Multiple reviewers have confirmed that it was her.

https://www.thefunaticsblog.com/2024/02/08/sarah-ferguson-the-duchess-of-york-makes-an-appearance-in-hallmarks-an-american-in-austen/

[ECM1231]

3 hours ago, Notabug said:

It probably helped to be familiar with Pride and Prejudice, but Harriet provided enough exposition as she tried to make sure everyone got their happy ending that I think even those unfamiliar with the plot could follow.

Yep. I've never read Pride and Prejudice or any of Jane Austen's works, but I was able to easily follow it. Really enjoyed this one. 

[DanaMB]

An American in Austen was super cute. I’d definitely watch again. Loved the humor. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

6 hours ago, Ele said:

I liked Eliza Bennett and hope to see her in another Hallmark movie. 

I did a double-take when I saw the name in the credits and wondered what kind of meta-twist (even with the two t's) was going on.

6 hours ago, sheshark said:

That had to be Sarah Ferguson. She was a producer, and who else looks like that.

I saw her name in the opening credits and even so when they were talking about the ball I shouted WHAT DUCHESS?

19 hours ago, Nacos for Rufus said:

Huh. I never considered myself to be an Austen purist. An American in Austen changed that. 

I knew I was probably going to be mad when the library had Pride & Prejudice in the Romance section. I am also always annoyed when these period dramas have young women going everywhere with their hair down, so it lost points when Lizzie went everywhere with her hair down without comment.

I did not get the business with Mr Darcy "plagiarizing" She Walks in Beauty, especially since it seemed like nothing came of it (and also Byron didn't publish it until 1815 when they had specified Harriet was in 1813).

It didn't feel like Harriet knew Pride and Prejudice at a very detailed level, or at least the story glossed over or omitted a lot of details. I was hoping when Harriet chased after the guy she thought was Ethan that he would be more present throughout the story, but I did enjoy her ending even though I prefer more analysis in time travel/alternate universe stories.

[andromeda331]

Love & Jane- She didn't ask Jane any questions about herself, her life or books. I'd have so many questions for Jane Austen. And show her movies about her books and see what she thinks of them. 

[Acmeproducts]

On 2/18/2024 at 2:24 PM, Notabug said:

Multiple reviewers have confirmed that it was her.

https://www.thefunaticsblog.com/2024/02/08/sarah-ferguson-the-duchess-of-york-makes-an-appearance-in-hallmarks-an-american-in-austen/

Interesting. Sarah played herself on Friends back in the day. 

[coffeebean]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:09 PM, Mittengirl said:

Is that Sarah Ferguson in tonight’s Austen movie?!

The opening credits list Sarah Ferguson so.....yes, that was her.

[Daff]

On 2/18/2024 at 8:49 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

I did not get the business with Mr Darcy "plagiarizing

His response (excuse) was offhand: “Well, I haven’t written it down yet.” I thought this was funny (flippant, sarcastic exchange). I think she may have been implying that Darcy and Byron had crossed paths or, worse, Darcy hadn’t the literary nor imaginative chops to create that himself.

[Trini]

A couple of articles about the new S&S adaptation:

'New Adaptation Of Jane Austen Classic ‘Sense And Sensibility’ Illuminates Black History Of The Era'

 

'Hallmark’s Old-School ‘Sense and Sensibility’ Makes Perfect Sense for 2024'

 

[Orcinus orca]

Hallmark really needs to stay in its lane and not take on something as complicated as Sense and Sensibility - especially when the latest film version was nominated for multiple Oscars.  This was just painful to watch.  Absolutely no chemistry between characters, no development of relationships, Marianne pops up from her deathbed like she's on springs, they couldn't even do a decent bad guy.

Just awful.

[FunnyFace]

Watching the DVR for Hallmark's Sense and Sensibility. The locations and the costumes are beautiful. The acting, however, is flat, with the exception of the actress playing Fanny, and there is zip, zilch, nada chemistry between Elinor/Edward and Marianne/Willoughby. I'm just not invested in these characters as they are portrayed in this adaptation. I had high hopes but alas am disappointed.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Watched about 20 minutes of it and got bored, unfortunately least favorite of the Feb. Jane Austen movies. 

[Trini]

An American in Austen -- Funny! Had some cute twists.

[Irlandesa]

I liked this better than the first two Feb Austen movies but nowhere near as much as last week's movie. 

The acting of the leads left much to be desired but I liked a lot of the deep supporting characters.  At least it had a solid story to go off of. 

I'd be curious to see how it does in the ratings and if it draws people outside of the normal Hallmark viewers.

[Ele]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I liked this better than the first two Feb Austen movies but nowhere near as much as last week's movie. 

The acting of the leads left much to be desired but I liked a lot of the deep supporting characters.  At least it had a solid story to go off of. 

I'd be curious to see how it does in the ratings and if it draws people outside of the normal Hallmark viewers.

I didn’t watch it, but their social media channel had viewers saying they liked it. 
 

Hallmark Channel has their new March movies listed under the “movies” section and they look dull and repetitive.

[Chippings]

I've been thinking all day about impressions of Sense & Sensibility, and the reactions to it here.  I agree that I saw no real chemistry between the romantic couples, for sure.  The word that keeps coming back to me is 'cluttered.'  It's just too many stories and too many people to cram, in any comprehensive way, into two hours of TV minus 20 minutes or more for commercials.  

Too many locations, too much doo-dad-ery on the costumes (Sorry, Kara Saun), 'way too many characters, to be comprehended.  And step-siblings, half-siblings, who can keep track.

Coming to specifics, the "cottage" the Dashwoods were reduced to was incredibly grand, with wide open spaces and high ceilings &c.  (Of course I'm comparing it to the cottage in Emma Thompson's film,  and I looked too at the description in the book.)  Also I listened closely to the offer that Col Brandon has Elinor make to Edward Ferrars -- she speaks of "a house."  Since he's been disinherited entirely, it was a mistake to omit that he also offered him "the parish", i.e. the 'job' of being the cleric at the church.  But, in all the clutter, who can worry about that.

I read the articles and saw the video of the team responsible for the piece.  They're very proud.  They mention, btw, little "Easter eggs" in it for the finding, but didn't say what they were, except the portraits on the walls of prominent Black persons of the period, and one poet.  It'd be nice to know what the others were.  

Lovely countryside, though.  

 

[kirinan]

I didn't watch Sense and Sensibility last night, and after reading the reviews here I don't think I will. I want to leave my memories of my beloved Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman version intact.

But I just discovered something related via Dan Jeannotte that surprised me. I was curious what part he played, so I looked it up on IMDB. I wasn't surprised to see he played Edward. What DID surprise me? He plays Sam Kirk, Jim Kirk's brother, on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I can't believe that, as much as I like the actor, I've been watching that show and didn't realize it was him!

[chitowngirl]

In an interesting programming twist-Hallmark and MGM+ had competing Sense and Sensibility airing at the same time today!

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Chippings said:

The word that keeps coming back to me is 'cluttered.'  It's just too many stories and too many people to cram, in any comprehensive way, into two hours of TV minus 20 minutes or more for commercials.  

 I did see that in another review--that one of the other Austen books, like Emma, might have been a better choice for the time constraints Hallmark movies operate under.

2 hours ago, Chippings said:

I read the articles and saw the video of the team responsible for the piece.  They're very proud. 

I think they can be proud even if the adaptation left a bit of something to be desired in comparison to other adaptations that had a bigger budget or were longer. For Hallmark, it's quite a feat if its worst crime is some lack of chemistry that puts it on par with other Hallmark movies. 

But if this is someone's first experience with S&S and they liked it, I'd recommend checking out some other adaptations, especially the Thompson/Winslett/H. Grant and Rickman version. 

Edited February 26 by Irlandesa

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

I didn't watch Sense and Sensibility last night, and after reading the reviews here I don't think I will. I want to leave my memories of my beloved Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman version intact.

Trust me, you do not want to watch it - it is a horrible insult to your beloved version (and mine as well).  All I did for the entire time stare in horror at the travesty Hallmark made of the story.  

4 hours ago, Chippings said:

The word that keeps coming back to me is 'cluttered.' 

Excellent description.  Pour umpteen characters with a mishmash of relationships into a blender and this version is what poured out.

[Artsda]

Sense and Sensibility was nice costume and castles but rest was mess and all over the place.  I think they were trying to also copy Bridgerton and ended up disaster.  

I kept thinking they were going to do Brandon and the Elinor. They had more scenes together than him and Marianne and more scenes.  

 

[DanaMB]

18 hours ago, Artsda said:

 I think they were trying to also copy Bridgerton and ended up disaster

They definitely were. 

[Trini]

Sense and Sensibility:

Yeah, they just had too much to cram into the runtime, and what suffered most was building up the relationships.

And of course, if you've seen the version with Emma Thompson it pales in comparison. Speaking of -- I kinda felt sorry for the actor playing Edward who had to do a Hallmark version of Hugh Grant.

I did like that they went colorful for the costumes; although I thought simpler might have been better in some cases.

I don't know if these were the "easter eggs", but I did get a kick out of the 'Regency instrumental' versions of "Kiss From a Rose" and "Weak".

I do appreciate that Hallmark attempted something like this. While they are definitely trying to get in on the costume/period drama trend, I don't think they were copying Bridgerton (there would be way more sex, and that just isn't their brand).

[KLovestoShop]

Quote

 

I really enjoyed Guiding Emily.  Good story and the performances were top notch. The actress who played Emily did a fantastic job portraying a visually impaired woman. 
 

BTW, Ryan Paevey IS gone from Hallmark.  He did an hour long chat on Instagram this afternoon, and said he did his last movie for the channel.  Didn’t reveal why they’ve parted ways, but he’s now putting all his creativity into his Fortunate Wanderer company.  Very sad to see him go. 

[DanaMB]

I thought Guiding Emily  was really good. I felt like it went deeper than most of these movies. It probably helped that romance wasn’t the main storyline. The acting was also very good. Would definitely watch again. 

[Artsda]

On 3/3/2024 at 10:57 PM, KLovestoShop said:

BTW, Ryan Paevey IS gone from Hallmark.  He did an hour long chat on Instagram this afternoon, and said he did his last movie for the channel.  Didn’t reveal why they’ve parted ways, but he’s now putting all his creativity into his Fortunate Wanderer company.  Very sad to see him go. 

Maybe GAF will scoop him up.

[coffeebean]

On 3/3/2024 at 10:57 PM, KLovestoShop said:

BTW, Ryan Paevey IS gone from Hallmark.  He did an hour long chat on Instagram this afternoon, and said he did his last movie for the channel.  Didn’t reveal why they’ve parted ways, but he’s now putting all his creativity into his Fortunate Wanderer company.  Very sad to see him go. 

I wonder what has happened since this article was written in May 2023...........

https://www.wideopencountry.com/is-hallmark-star-ryan-paevey-leaving-the-network-for-great-american-family/

 

[Daff]

They must really be trying to tighten the belt. They’re promoting already aired movies as “premiers”. Apparently, they can’t produce new advertising, either. In February, I heard an announcement for “new mystery every Friday”, not specifying the month. When it didn’t come to pass, I just assumed they meant March. That’s not happening either.

[Irlandesa]

Technically, it's a premiere for Hallmark.  Guiding Emily originally aired on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. 

[DanaMB]

Is Come Fly with Me one of the “premiers” that actually aired on HM&M first? Is it worth checking out?

[Notabug]

4 hours ago, DanaMB said:

Is Come Fly with Me one of the “premiers” that actually aired on HM&M first? Is it worth checking out?

Yes, it's about a woman who flies with the Air Force Thunderbirds drill team.  She's a single mom with a daughter.  Her daughter befriends a kid being raised by her single father. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

The story is not that great, no surprises and the usual Hallmark bending of reality to fit the story.  I didn't think the leads had great romantic chemistry.  If you like watching jets fly and do tricks, that part is interesting.

[Clawdette]

Here's a list of Hallmark's Spring into Love movie lineup that begins March 23rd.

Spring into Love

[kirinan]

16 hours ago, Clawdette said:

Here's a list of Hallmark's Spring into Love movie lineup that begins March 23rd.

Some of these look kind of promising, and in a slightly different way from the usual Hallmark storylines (IVF single mom? A female mechanic? Okay, I'm interested). Plus, Tyler Hynes, Robert Buckley, and Sarah Drew are three of my favorites.

[Orcinus orca]

Just substitute a business or location and none of these are new.

After female mechanic Jess (Barrell) reluctantly agrees to participate in a car restoration show, she is shocked to learn that her ex-boyfriend, Luke (Hynes), is her main competitor.

Been done with cooking competitions

A young gardener Amanda (Teegarden) sets out to save her family farm by entering a floral competition for Easter. 

Been done with all kinds of family businesses

London-based antiques expert Amelia (Burnett) is on the hunt for a long-lost antique locket that legend says will grant the wearer true love.

Been done – a found bracelet

After her fiancé leaves her before their wedding, Madeline (Hudon) goes to Niagara Falls to honeymoon without him.

Been done – substitute Niagara for Hawaii.

With the help of a DNA test, Amelia learns that Ruby’s father T.J. Cota (Di Pace) lives nearby.

Semi been done with finding a DNR match at Christmas.

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Just substitute a business or location and none of these are new.

After female mechanic Jess (Barrell) reluctantly agrees to participate in a car restoration show, she is shocked to learn that her ex-boyfriend, Luke (Hynes), is her main competitor.

Been done with cooking competitions

 

And gingerbread houses and Christmas lighting and chocolates.

Quote

A young gardener Amanda (Teegarden) sets out to save her family farm by entering a floral competition for Easter. 

Or winning a harvest festival competition or Christmas decorating contest

Quote

London-based antiques expert Amelia (Burnett) is on the hunt for a long-lost antique locket that legend says will grant the wearer true love.

And with lost Christmas ornaments or tree toppers or extra special department store Christmas decorations or necklaces.

Quote

After her fiancé leaves her before their wedding, Madeline (Hudon) goes to Niagara Falls to honeymoon without him.

Been done – substitute Niagara for Hawaii.

Or a ski trip at Christmas

Quote

With the help of a DNA test, Amelia learns that Ruby’s father T.J. Cota (Di Pace) lives nearby.

This seems to be their newest cliche.  I wonder if the DNA match company will be as incompetent as the one in the Christmas movie.

There are a lot of movies in which someone meets up with a long lost relative, usually a parent.  It's just the DNA matching that is new.

There is the Christmas movie where the poor waitress saves a woman's life and ends up losing a locket in the process; only to discover that her grandmother, heretofor unknown to her, has the key that opens it.  Other coincidental family reunions have also occurred in many of these movies.  One of the writers heard about 23 and Me and decided to use it in place of the lost jewelry or old photo or special Christmas star.

[Orcinus orca]

It's actually quite sad that Hallmark is incapable of coming up with one single new idea.  Just recycle the business, lost/found article, honeymoon venue, etc.  No wonder they are so boring, we've seen it all before.  I've even heard them reuse music from one movie to another.

[Mittengirl]

If you have access to Hoopla through your local library, they have added a “Bingepass” to Hallmark Movies Now.  It gives you “seven days unlimited access” to HMN.  I don’t know how often you can “borrow” the pass, but I know I have used the magazine pass more than once.
 

Screen grab from my library’s Hoopla page:

Edited March 15 by Mittengirl