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

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, Ele said:

Love by Chance is on tomorrow morning and I think it’s one of Ben Ayers’ first Hallmark movies. I remember him looking handsome in it. Brenda Strong’s character was very meddlesome. 

I like Brenda Strong as an actress so I think I wanted her to hook up with Ayres character.  I thought it'd be a nice change of pace for Hallmark.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Thanks for the heads up on Love By Chance. I enjoyed it, had the usual Hallmark  writing.  Yes,Brenda Strong  played the meddlesome Mom ,but she's such a good actress,she played her part so well.  In fact they all did, this could have easily been written as a comedy with everybody thinking that Brenda Strong's character was  trying to snag the younger Ben Ayer's character all the way through. 

21 hours ago, norcalgal said:

I really liked this movie!  A mark of how much I like a Hallmark movie is remembering the plot without reading up on it either in this forum, or generally on the internet.  The plot sorta reminds me of Because I Said So, the movie with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore. 

 

[Kemper]

I don't get the Hallmark Mystery Channel, so I was looking forward to "Dial 1 for Murder" on the regular channel tonight.   I really like Chris McNally; had never seen the actress before...Holland Roden. 

It was not good. To me, the actress was annoying (truly) and took me out of every scene she was in. Maybe in a different movie, different character.  It was also not particularly well-written. Just me? Was there more than one of these made? Like "The Crossword Mysteries"...the Hannah Swenson ones...., Aurora Teagarden,, et. 

[Ele]

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I like Brenda Strong as an actress so I think I wanted her to hook up with Ayres character.  I thought it'd be a nice change of pace for Hallmark.

I can’t unpicture this. I watched a little bit this morning before work and all I could picture was her asking him out when she first sees him in the bar. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Lol, well it had the whole scenario going there, older woman sitting in the bar , waiting to meet younger man who then shows up  thinking he's meeting a woman his age. 

[Ele]

20 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

Lol, well it had the whole scenario going there, older woman sitting in the bar , waiting to meet younger man who then shows up  thinking he's meeting a woman his age. 

I know! They had good chemistry too. Maybe they should make a movie together! 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Saw My One and Only last night, have to say what a shitfest.  The only good thing that kept me watching it was the beautiful scenery. Maybe it's just me ,but the ending was so ridiculous and left everybody wondering is that it??? The actors are better than this,  they didn't deserve this stinker. I'll pass on watching this one again.

[Fostersmom]

I watched Hearts Around the Table: Jenna's First Love last night and I have a serious question..... was this written by AI? The story was super weak, but okay, but the diaglog was clunky at best and weirdly generic. Like the random AI generated captions that pop up on You Tube or Instagram clips. 

[Orcinus orca]

1 minute ago, Fostersmom said:

I watched Hearts Around the Table: Jenna's First Love last night and I have a serious question..... was this written by AI? The story was super weak, but okay, but the dialog was clunky at best and weirdly generic. Like the random AI generated captions that pop up on You Tube or Instagram clips. 

I have a feeling this will be happening more often. Pour all of the plots and dialog from past movies of the same genre into a machine and press a button. Out pops a watered down version of a combination of past scripts.

[Chippings]

Oh gosh ..  that's kind of distressing, isn't it.  I'd been thinking of posting on this subject -- a few second level actors whom we see a lot in these movies.  It's kind of like watching several plays at a summer repertory company, and watching them do different roles.

My fave is Matty Finochio, who I first saw as "M" in Bridal Wave (the brother-in-law).  He had almost no lines.  But he's shown up often again, notably in Autumn Dreams, with better roles.  I hope he's having a good career.

Sometimes I mistake him for Erik Athavale, who played the lawyer in Love Strikes Twice.  I think he was also a hotel manager in another.  Always good to see him again.

And there's also Fiona Vroom (Autumn Dreams again) but more others than I can count.  Often she has barely any lines, but sometimes a bit more.  I think she was one of the women in Three Wise Men and a Baby ?

Do you all have others that you see often and like ?  

Edited March 23 by Chippings
spelling

[BuckeyeLou]

A couple of things I enjoyed about "Hearts Around the Table: Jenna's First Love" were the beautiful house they all lived in on a beautiful Lake(I read that it was filmed in Ontario)..how did the Foster Mom afford such a big house?!  But, I did enjoy Mindy Cohn(from "Facts of Life") as the Foster Mom, she was very loving and down to Earth.  The other Foster siblings were funny with their comments about Jenna's love life.  I read that this is the 1st of 4 movies of "Hearts around the Table", each of the Siblings has a story.

[Kemper]

"Hearts Around the Table" ... was not a very good movie. But sometimes the actors can overcome the usual tired dialogue and indifferent writing. But the lead actor - Jake Epstein? - was just snooze inducing. And it wasn't just this movie - I have seen him in other movies and he is just as dull. Monotone voice. 

Ashley Newbrough? Don't know - I have seen her in other Hallmark movies. She maybe isn't the strongest actress, but I think she is going to get a big "push" from the network. Other than the leads? The cast was not bad at all. 

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Kemper said:

But the lead actor - Jake Epstein? - was just snooze inducing.

No.  Jake Epstein got second billing but I think it's because he's going to be prominent in all four of the movies.  Or three?  He played the brother.  He's one of my favorite leads, actually, so I hope his movie is good.

Steve Lund played the lead love interest.

I don't love billionaires but I was a little more interested in the unexpected than the old high school flame.  Following one's own dreams at 18 is the only smart choice.

 

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I had a feeling the movie was going to be a stinker, I passed on it and watched something else Sat. night. Looks like I'll pass on the other  3 future  Sat. night movies. 

[Maelstrom]

This first Hearts Around the Table wasn't the best, but I didn't expect it to be - I mostly watched because I plan on watching next week's starring Mishael Morgan and figured I'd better start with the first. I liked the foster family aspect, which was a refreshing change from Hallmarks' usual "nuclear family" vibes. And I liked the male lead, and hope to see him in more (hopefully better) movies in the future. Ashley Newbrough has never impressed me, I find her... unengaging somehow, I never feel connected to or invested in her characters (and also, the tremendous amount of face work/fillers she's had done majorly puts me off).

Looking forward to the next one, since Mishael Morgan was one of the few bright spots on Young and Restless back in the day.

[Kemper]

I love Mishael Morgan, too. Ashley Newbrough? It is the eyebrows that get to me. Everytime I see her. But they didn't look so pasted on in this movie. I will now lap from my saucer of cream.

Seems the network is destined to search for the next Lacey C, Rachel Boston, Jennifer something who went to GAC (not one of my faves), Jill Wagner, the one who grins maniacally (I actually like her), and a host of others that I like but can't remember right now. So far....it is not going all that well. Just my opinion. Same with some of the actors. 

I did see that Brendon Elliot's wife passed away.

 

[Ele]

1 hour ago, Maelstrom said:

This first Hearts Around the Table wasn't the best, but I didn't expect it to be - I mostly watched because I plan on watching next week's starring Mishael Morgan and figured I'd better start with the first. I liked the foster family aspect, which was a refreshing change from Hallmarks' usual "nuclear family" vibes. And I liked the male lead, and hope to see him in more (hopefully better) movies in the future. Ashley Newbrough has never impressed me, I find her... unengaging somehow, I never feel connected to or invested in her characters (and also, the tremendous amount of face work/fillers she's had done majorly puts me off).

Looking forward to the next one, since Mishael Morgan was one of the few bright spots on Young and Restless back in the day.

Not a fan of Newbroguh either for all the reasons you mentioned. I skip her movies. 

Edited March 25 by Ele

[bankerchick]

On 3/23/2025 at 8:12 PM, Kemper said:

But the lead actor - Jake Epstein? - was just snooze inducing. And it wasn't just this movie - I have seen him in other movies and he is just as dull. Monotone voice. 

He reminds me too much of Mark Ruffalo (gag) to even consider liking him.

 

On 3/23/2025 at 5:16 PM, Chippings said:

My fave is Matty Finochio, who I first saw as "M" in Bridal Wave (the brother-in-law).  He had almost no lines.  But he's shown up often again, notably in Autumn Dreams, with better roles.  I hope he's having a good career.

He was great as the boss in Window Wonderland.  He draws his moustache on!  (or eyebrows.)

I saw very little of Hearts Around The Table but my eyes did roll back in my head when she walked 10 blocks in stilettos looking for the foster kid and didn't seem in any discomfort.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Finally got around to seeing Love and Jane. I actually enjoyed it and just went along with it. Loved the scenes with the group who would get together to discuss Jane Austen's works. 😀

[Ele]

https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/journey-to-you/about-journey-to-you
This new movie has the recycled, I’m going in a vacay bc I lost a promotion plotline, but the setting looks pretty. I’m not a l’m Erin Cahill fan, but the setting might get me to watch it. 
 

I haven’t watched any of the Hearts Around the Table movies, but Jake Epstein is the lead in next week’s. He’s a strong Hallmark actor. Kathryn Davis is in the final one and I like her too. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Ok, I'll give this Sat. Hearts Around The Table a shot since I passed on the other 2.  I watched The Chicken Sisters last night, not sure how it will turn out, will take it a week at a time. 

[ECM1231]

35 minutes ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

I watched The Chicken Sisters last night, not sure how it will turn out, will take it a week at a time

I was excited to see this airing on regular Hallmark last night because it was streaming on Hallmark Plus, and I refuse to pay for another channel. 

I quite enjoyed it, and Wendie Malick and Leah Thompson as rival 'sisters' was a treat. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I'll be tuning in for it next Sun night. Just noticed there's a Chicken Sisters thread over in the Drama catagory. :)

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

On 2/9/2025 at 4:18 PM, Ele said:

I thought the leads in The Wish Swap had good chemistry at least in the beginning as that is all I watched. 
 

Tomorrow night is Royal Matchmaker which is always good to rewatch. I remember there were posts about how likable the butler was. I don’t we ever saw that actor again. 

Royal Matchmaker was on earlier today, love it, have seen it a number of times . It's such a sweet movie, love the acting, so much chemistry between all the actors. Definitely one to watch. 

[Kemper]

The Royal Matchmaker is one of my favorite Hallmark movies. Right up there with the Danica McKeller one...A Crown for Christmas. 

[Ele]

Did anyone watch last night’s new Hearts Around the Table movie? I gave it a quick check-in while watching March Madness. I could be wrong but I thought I saw  actors  from the previous movies, plus next weeks, in it. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I watched it and since I passed on the previous two movies it didn't matter to me who was in the movie.  I tried to like this movie but had a hard time believing that all those people around the table ,except the foster Mom were foster kids she raised.  Do foster kids really go back and get together with their foster parent or parents after they get older??? Most foster kids I ever met couldn't wait to get on their own.  I'm passing on the next Sat. night movie. 

[Kemper]

It seems like Hallmark's "Trilogy" movies are not that great. Remember those "Veil" movies. With Lacey Chabert;  the actress who plays Hanna Swenson and... Autumn Reeser? They were  sort of "okay" - probably would have been worse without the cast. 

But this "Around the Table" series, to me, has been a sort of goose egg.  I liked the male lead in this week's movie. I am not familiar with the female lead but she was attractive and a decent actress. A little bit of Ashley Newbraugh goes a long way. 

[Notabug]

14 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

I watched it and since I passed on the previous two movies it didn't matter to me who was in the movie.  I tried to like this movie but had a hard time believing that all those people around the table ,except the foster Mom were foster kids she raised.  Do foster kids really go back and get together with their foster parent or parents after they get older??? Most foster kids I ever met couldn't wait to get on their own.  I'm passing on the next Sat. night movie. 

I think you're right, most foster kids cannot wait to get out of the system.  I do know someone who did fostering, though, who is a wonderful person and has kept in contact with several of 'her' kids; all of them were kids who were with her over a long term, though, some for several years.  They certainly talk several times a year, exchange greetings on holidays and Christmas and get together occasionally, sometimes for a casual lunch, other times for weddings and big events.  Most of her former foster kids have biological families, though, and spend much more time with their own parents and siblings than with her.  And she feels that is as it should be.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Thank you for your reply Notabug, so happy to hear that there are___ so really good foster parent  or parents out there with happy outcomes.  I'm such an idiot, I wasn't even thinking about those kids who actually do_ have parents who came upon severely hard times or death of  both parents and  the kids had to be fostered.  Sometimes relatives  can step end and raise the kids as an option to foster. Seems like a number of kids end up being raised by the grandparents,God Bless them all. 

[Ele]

On 4/7/2025 at 9:08 PM, Kemper said:

It seems like Hallmark's "Trilogy" movies are not that great. Remember those "Veil" movies. With Lacey Chabert;  the actress who plays Hanna Swenson and... Autumn Reeser? They were  sort of "okay" - probably would have been worse without the cast. 

But this "Around the Table" series, to me, has been a sort of goose egg.  I liked the male lead in this week's movie. I am not familiar with the female lead but she was attractive and a decent actress. A little bit of Ashley Newbraugh goes a long way. 

Even though this trilogy has aired on Hallmark Plus, they’re premiering on Hallmark Channel in May: Love on the Danube. Sarah Power and Brandan Penny are in one and I like them. Wes Brown and Dan Jeannotte are in the other two and they are definitely two of Hallmark’s better leading men. 
 

Also, Paul Greene is in a new movie. I haven’t seen him in a long time on Hallmark. 

Edited April 11 by Ele

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Watched The Baker's Son earlier today and I actually enjoyed it. Some parts of it were actually quite funny. This one could have even been spun to go as a trilogy? I think I liked the characters playing the townsfolk better than the two leads,but they were really good also. 

[voiceover]

On 4/7/2025 at 7:08 PM, Kemper said:

Remember those "Veil" movies. With Lacey Chabert;  the actress who plays Hanna Swenson and... Autumn Reeser?

Alison Sweeney is the last of the friends to find romance, and Autumn was the second to marry (the hot Italian; yum)

Edited April 12 by voiceover
freakin’ autocorrect

[bankerchick]

On 4/7/2025 at 10:08 PM, Kemper said:

A little bit of Ashley Newbraugh goes a long way. 

I'm sure I've liked or at least tolerated her in a past movie, but I think this sentiment is pretty accurate.

I'm anxious to see Paul Greene again, but honestly, can't think of anyone more bland and less able to interest me in a movie than Dan Jeannotte.

[BuckeyeLou]

I watched all of the "Hearts Around the Table" series, I thought it was a sweet set of stories, each one different & yet all inter-connected.  Each foster "kid" had their own back=story & love story.  I liked the addition of the 2 new young foster kids.  Mindy Cohn was lovely as the Foster Mom.  Of course, I enjoyed the "Wedding Veil Trilogy" also, so maybe I'm in the minority.  I enjoy shows that share backgrounds & characters.

[Irlandesa]

It was a pleasant set of movies that seemed to get less AI generated as they went along. 

I thought tonight's movie couple had the best chemistry but most of their movie was dedicated to the first couple's wedding which is a shame.

And I did get pretty irritated at Kiki for sending the sous chef home because she was mad at her love interest.  Fine, be mad at him not having your back but don't be so stupid you could ruin your sister's wedding.

[Ele]

29 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

It was a pleasant set of movies that seemed to get less AI generated as they went along. 

I thought tonight's movie couple had the best chemistry but most of their movie was dedicated to the first couple's wedding which is a shame.

And I did get pretty irritated at Kiki for sending the sous chef home because she was mad at her love interest.  Fine, be mad at him not having your back but don't be so stupid you could ruin your sister's wedding.

Tonight’s movie was the only one in the trilogy I’ve watched. I thought the couple had good chemistry too. They were also a good looking pair!  I agree their storyline should have been the main focus.

[Artsda]

I don't get asking the dad to walk down the aisle when haven't seen since toddler, I get working months on end but he made no attempt at a custody arrangement? He had no friends or family to communicate to his ex? He didn't try to find her?

Kiki was really annoying over the catering.  Trying to do it alone was stupid.

I did enjoy the series until we got to this one. 

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Glad I missed that one. Checked out 3 Rooms,2 Bath, 1 Ghost last night.  I saw it once before and loved___ it. Madeleine Arthur who played the ghost Ruby was perfect in her role. Loved the dance routines she did, wish they would have had more, so much fun!!! Will watch many more times. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[satrunrose]

On 4/13/2025 at 11:18 PM, Artsda said:

I don't get asking the dad to walk down the aisle when haven't seen since toddler, I get working months on end but he made no attempt at a custody arrangement? He had no friends or family to communicate to his ex? He didn't try to find her?

Yeah, I was confused by that too. Wouldn't Social Services have tracked him down after the mom died before putting the daughter in foster care? It didn't look like finding his identity or his location was in any way hard. 

[Ele]

Did anyone watch Erin Cahill’s new  movie on Saturday? Is it worth watching? 

[BuckeyeLou]

1 hour ago, Ele said:

Did anyone watch Erin Cahill’s new  movie on Saturday? Is it worth watching? 

I watched it, it made for a nice watch on the Easter weekend, but I thought it was a bit "by the numbers", it was predictable.  I did like the Teen son's storyline, he seemed like a 'real" Teen.  Erin Cahill was good as the young woman looking for purpose in her life, I did like all the scenes of the hikes.  It was Produced by Dayspring Productions so it had religious overtones but not 'preachy".

[Notabug]

21 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I watched it, it made for a nice watch on the Easter weekend, but I thought it was a bit "by the numbers", it was predictable.  I did like the Teen son's storyline, he seemed like a 'real" Teen.  Erin Cahill was good as the young woman looking for purpose in her life, I did like all the scenes of the hikes.  It was Produced by Dayspring Productions so it had religious overtones but not 'preachy".

It wasn't bad and the characters were better drawn than most Hallmark movies, IMO.  The scenery along the Camino de Santiago was beautiful.  I know several people who've done the Camino, so it was interesting to see it.

I, too, thought the actor playing the teen son did a very good job.

[Irlandesa]

29 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I know several people who've done the Camino, so it was interesting to see it.

I don't think it was filmed along the trial but definitely nice scenery.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I liked the scenery and it looks like it was filmed on The Camino de Santiago. It was a nice Easter weekend movie for the family. 

[ECM1231]

I really enjoyed "Journey to You", even though I'm not a huge Erin Cahill fan. I'm always curious about the secondary characters, and even IMDB doesn't list those cast members. I was curious about the film location and although filmed in Spain, most of the locations were not  along the Camino.

"The Hallmark movie "Journey to You" was filmed almost entirely in Spain, specifically in the town of Buitrago del Lozoya, an autonomous community of Madrid. While the movie's story follows a journey along the Camino de Santiago, filming took place in the picturesque surroundings of Buitrago del Lozoya. This marked the first Hallmark movie to be filmed in this location."

[bankerchick]

Watching Love On The Slopes.  It's terrible, but the lead actor is cute.

My advice for producers:  if you lead actress can't say her boyfriend's name - Barton - and she calls him Bar'in, maybe change his name to something else.  Or hire an actress who can pronounce English words.

[Miss Anne Thrope]

38 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Watching Love On The Slopes.  It's terrible, but the lead actor is cute.

My advice for producers:  if you lead actress can't say her boyfriend's name - Barton - and she calls him Bar'in, maybe change his name to something else.  Or hire an actress who can pronounce English words.

That's funny -- we in Connecticut have a thing where we swallow our t in certain words. New Britain becomes New Bri-uhn, for example.  The lead actress is from New Jersey, but I wonder if there's a similar dialect there. In either case, yeah -- maybe someone should have taken speech / dialect classes as part of their drama education.

Disclaimer:  I'm not saying every single person in Connecticut speaks this way. However, it's prevalent enough that it's regularly commented on by those who live here, pass through, or move in for school or other reasons. 

 

[bankerchick]

No worries, @Miss Anne Thrope  I was actually in Connecticut last weekend and while I did hear some of what you're saying, it's mostly the 'Boston-lite' that I hear.  And funny words like 'package store' and 'pocketbook.'