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

[norcalgal]

2 hours ago, ctlady said:

I do wish they'd branch out the female lead's profession other than interior designer, social media influencer, high-powered lawyer (at the tender age of 25!), ad agency exec, magazine editor in chief, etc, etc, etc.  I'd be perfectly fine with them showing a woman working a desk job as a bookkeeper, waiting tables, managing a convenience store, working in a daycare, the unglamorous ER nurse on the graveyard shift with her hair in a messy bun- things like that.  I personally feel the majority of viewers relate to those types of professions rather than a food & wine critic who struts around in 5 inch stilettos, designer clothes, airbrushed makeup and hair falling in beachy waves.  But....that's just me.

No, not just you. It's boring that the women in these movies - not just HM, but also Lifetime, Netflix, etc. seem to have the same kind of jobs. 

As for the bolded, no freaking way would the female lead have a blue collar/lower middle class type of job in these movies because they are meant to be aspirational - Hallmark esp. To me, it's deliberate that the set design shows everything shiny, glossy, new. Houses are large and modern. Cars are newer models (no beaters). Etc. etc. etc.

[ShelleySue]

2 hours ago, ctlady said:

Well, in all fairness, I do find the small town premise more compartmentalized.  I'm not a 'big city setting' gal.  I do wish they'd branch out the female lead's profession other than interior designer, social media influencer, high-powered lawyer (at the tender age of 25!), ad agency exec, magazine editor in chief, etc, etc, etc.  I'd be perfectly fine with them showing a woman working a desk job as a bookkeeper, waiting tables, managing a convenience store, working in a daycare, the unglamorous ER nurse on the graveyard shift with her hair in a messy bun- things like that.  I personally feel the majority of viewers relate to those types of professions rather than a food & wine critic who struts around in 5 inch stilettos, designer clothes, airbrushed makeup and hair falling in beachy waves.  But....that's just me.

The new mystery movie, which I am assuming will be a new series, Cut, Color, Murder looks like the lead is a hairdresser/beautician. Of course from the previews (which I've literally seen 50 times) it looks like she is working at a big pageant so she's not at you're corner salon. She's also the widow of a police officer which seems to have given her super observational skills.

 

[ctlady]

23 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

The new mystery movie, which I am assuming will be a new series, Cut, Color, Murder looks like the lead is a hairdresser/beautician

From the previews, I'm really looking forward to this movie.  Kind of like how I looked forward to North To Home until these nefarious family secrets of theirs turned out to be nothing but petty gripes

[Guest]

Looks like no more Hallmark movies with Jen Lilley for at least two years. Based on how she’s defending GAC on diversity they can keep her. 
Jen Lilley Inks Multi-Picture Overall Deal With GAC Media, Will Star In Four Movies

In related but old news, Paul Campbell is the best.
(FYI: his first tweet wasn’t about GAC but a site had a “nice list” of hallmark style movies without any suggestion of LTGBQ+ people)
 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Guest
Changed with to without

[Suzysite]

I know a lot of people here loove Paul Campbell, but I find his uber wokeness to be unappealing.  He can go take a flying leap.

[Cetacean]

Good for Paul Campbell!  And good for him for calling it out.

It's about time Hollywood in general took a sincere look at the lack of diversity overall.  Check out any film and see the lack of anything but lily white actors even in background scenes in a big city.  That's not America.  We are a diverse nation and movies should reflect that.  

GAC can keep its audience of evangelical, pearl clutching Hallmark Housfraus and its small minded actors.  Off my watch list for sure.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Cetacean
punctuation

[bankerchick]

3 hours ago, Suzysite said:

I know a lot of people here loove Paul Campbell, but I find his uber wokeness to be unappealing.  He can go take a flying leap.

I love, love Paul Campbell as a Hallmark leading man (my Hallmark husband.)  What I have found over the years is that it's best not to follow any of these people too closely outside the movies.  I don't necessarily agree with the politics of a lot of people in Hollywood and, let's face it, most of these people have no more education (or basic intelligence) than the rest of us and certainly don't live in the same reality we do, but they have a large platform and can sway a lot of other people while themselves living as hypocrites.  If anyone believes that Leo DiCaprio, who spends his summers motoring around the Mediterranean on his super-yacht, really thinks climate change is an issue, there's not much I can say other than I love him and will watch almost any movie he's in.  I also think most actors, probably including Paul Campbell, can talk a good game but will do what they have to do to work.  If Hallmark closed down tomorrow, am I expected to believe most of these actors would get a real job rather than be in a movie that doesn't have any gay people in it?  It's not like Hollywood is calling these people for jobs; there's a reason why they're on Hallmark/GAC in the first place.

On that note, no Jenn Lilley is a win in my book.  

[SusanwatchingTV]

5 hours ago, Suzysite said:

I know a lot of people here loove Paul Campbell, but I find his uber wokeness to be unappealing.  He can go take a flying leap.

Yeah, I'm not a fan. I've never found him very appealing anyway, so this just makes him one to avoid permanently.

[ctlady]

8 hours ago, Suzysite said:

I know a lot of people here loove Paul Campbell, but I find his uber wokeness to be unappealing.  He can go take a flying leap

Exactly!  Nothing against the actor's performance in a movie, but this just screams 'virtue signaling for the sake of showing my fans that I'm not close minded or racist'

16 hours ago, Dani said:

 

Exactly what does 'meaningful inclusion' mean?  Having a movie set in Alaska that has indigenous people as extras?  One about veterans that include disabled actors?  You know - featuring actors of different races, physical abilities, religious backgrounds, etc. that are pertinent to the plot - and not just tossing in a random black, latino or gay person so they can go 'neener, neeener,neener - see....we can be incusive too!' while ticking off the diversity checkbox?

[StaceyNotStacie]

On 1/24/2022 at 9:50 AM, ShelleySue said:

Wow!  It's Monday and I'm the first person posting on Don't Forget I Love You. Was it a busy weekend for everyone or are we still all burnt out from the Christmas movies?  I guess I'll start with a bunch of random comments.

This is going to show my age and shallowness, but I have never understood the dark roots with blond hair trend.  So you can imagine I really don't understand blond hair with six inches of dark roots.  Is six inches even considered roots? Her hair looked like hair during the depth of Covid when salons were closed.  I found her hair to be very distracting, especially when they showed the back of her head. Yes, I already said I was shallow.

On the positive side: I did appreciate a different plot though.  It was nice to have a woman who had flaws but was willing to admit and face them.  The wife's friend (forgot her name) wasn't evil or plotting.

Add me to the list of people who hated the dark roots. The fake mountains in the middle of nowhere we’re also annoying. Overall I did like this movie, and I could watch the goat yoga scene all day. 

[SusanwatchingTV]

1 hour ago, ctlady said:

Exactly!  Nothing against the actor's performance in a movie, but this just screams 'virtue signaling for the sake of showing my fans that I'm not close minded or racist'

Exactly what does 'meaningful inclusion' mean?  Having a movie set in Alaska that has indigenous people as extras?  One about veterans that include disabled actors?  You know - featuring actors of different races, physical abilities, religious backgrounds, etc. that are pertinent to the plot - and not just tossing in a random black, latino or gay person so they can go 'neener, neeener,neener - see....we can be incusive too!' while ticking off the diversity checkbox?

Yeah, they could set a movie in Maine and not have to worry about it. That's apparently the least ethnically diverse place in the US. lol

Of course, these movies are all filmed in Canada, which is not exactly known for its diverse population. In fact, the largest ethnic minority in Canada is apparently Chinese with 3.5 % of the population.  Has there been a Hallmark movie featuring a Chinese actor?
 

I've always wondered - is there a percentage of "inclusion" that would be classified as "meaningful"  I mean, if only 1.3% of the population is of "African origin" then what percent of the movie cast needs to be "African origin" for them to consider it meaningful?

Or does it have anything at all to do with the population of the area?

Who decides this stuff?

I strongly suspect that the reason so many of the Hallmark movies feature white actors is because that's the huge majority of actors available in that area.  Perhaps if the company started in Louisiana (where I'm from) or in Georgia, we'd see more "people of color" because they'd be around naturally.  

 

Where I'm from 60% of the population was black.  White people were the minority. haha.

 

[quickjessie]

Six states are already majority-minorty along with DC,  with 8 others hanging by a thread, soon to be.  As of 2020 minority children are the majority in the US.  All US territories are majority minority.  So recognizing diversity is hardly being "woke".  It's called being aware of reality.  Hollywood seems to be catching on and it would be nice if television could do the same.  I love Paul Campbell and I hope he means what he said.

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, quickjessie said:

So recognizing diversity is hardly being "woke".  It's called being aware of reality.  Hollywood seems to be catching on and it would be nice if television could do the same.  I love Paul Campbell and I hope he means what he said.

This. I enjoy these movies but the reality is that until very recently they did not put people who look like me on the screen. Old Hallmark and GAC would never tell a story about a family that looks like my Asian/white blended family or like any of the families that I know. My existence isn’t “woke”. For a growing number racial, sexual and spiritual diversity is simply life. Personally I appreciate actors who are publicly willing to stand up for inclusion even if they are not perfect. I appreciate that Hallmark is moving in a direction of better reflecting the world around us. Representation matters and I choose not to support actors or channels that make it clear that I am not welcome in their version of “family friendly.” 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Guest

[twoods]

14 hours ago, Suzysite said:

I know a lot of people here loove Paul Campbell, but I find his uber wokeness to be unappealing.  He can go take a flying leap.

Wanting diversity and inclusion does not make someone “woke”, but a decent human being. I’m thrilled that actors that look like me are finally in the movies I like, even if they are the best friend or a passing character. What’s wrong with that?

Oh yay, we don’t have to see Jen Lilley’s typical character on Hallmark anymore, or her “doe-eyed acting.” Very tiresome.

Edited January 27, 2022 by twoods

[Guest]

ER reunion in an upcoming movie. I’m excited for this one. Reuben and La Salle were great together on ER and I loved Alvina August in her Christmas movie. I don’t think I’ve watched Jarod Joseph’s Lifetime movies but I liked him in his small part on Once Upon a Time. 

Plus it doesn’t look like the standard romance which is always nice to see. 
‘ER’ Alums Gloria Reuben & Eriq La Salle Among Cast For ‘A Second Chance At Love’ On Hallmark Channel

Quote

In A Second Chance At Love, on the surface, Alicia (August) and Arnold’s (Joseph) marriage is picture perfect, however, there is something amiss. Arnold is ready to grow their family, but subconsciously Alicia is hesitant to the idea. Rather than face the problem head on, Alicia, the self-proclaimed “love doctor,” immerses herself in her divorced parents Jack (La Salle) and Brenda’s (Reuben) dating affairs by setting them each up on a blind date dating app.

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Guest

[Guest]

3 hours ago, twoods said:

Wanting diversity and inclusion does not make someone “woke”, but a decent human being. I’m thrilled that actors that look like me are finally in the movies I like, even if they are the best friend or a passing character. What’s wrong with that?

Exactly. Hallmark is becoming more diverse but their very nature is still very much anti-woke. You’re never going to turn on a Hallmark movie and see a discussion of consent. We’re not going to see a woman who keeps her own last name after marriage or a non-normative gender roles. We’re not going to see a proudly childfree by choice couple. We’re not going to see the woman who chooses to be alone at the end of the movie. Literally, there is nothing “woke” about these movies. 

Gay or straight, black or white these movies are and will always be (for the foreseeable future) depicting a very narrow and old-fashioned idea of happily ever after. I’m fine with that but I will never be okay with the idea that when it’s a  ________  (insert diverse adjective of your choice) person meeting someone and falling in love over three sexless, awkward, misunderstanding filled days it is somehow “woke” and not “family friendly”.

Personally I wouldn’t object to some amount of wokeness being included but that’s not even remotely what we are getting or what actors like Paul Campbell are arguing for. Truthfully, as a POC it’s hard not to get more than a little offended and hurt that people get so upset at the very inclusion of someone who looks like more like me or my friend or my gay cousin.

Enough is when anyone can turn on the television at any time and see someone who looks like them in a prominent and meaningful role. When we all can see aspects of our stories reflected back. Enough is when little kids don’t grow up feeling like there is something wrong with them because of their skin color, religion, disability or sexuality. When everyone can grow up with the feeling of belonging that historically very few groups have. So we are a very long way from enough. 

Sorry that was so long and I will get off my soap box momentarily but I am just now beginning to fully understand how much racism I have internalized from growing up in this world. I desperately want for kids today to not experience that pain.  Representation matters. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Guest

[norcalgal]

33 minutes ago, Dani said:

Exactly. Hallmark is becoming more diverse but their very nature is still very much anti-woke. You’re never going to turn on a Hallmark movie and see a discussion of consent. We’re not going to see a woman who keeps her own last name after marriage or a stay-at-home dad. We’re not going to see a proudly childfree by choice couple. We’re not going to see the woman who chooses to be alone at the end of the movie. Literally, there is nothing “woke” about these movies. 

Gay or straight, black or white these movies are and will always be (for the foreseeable future) depicting a very narrow and old-fashioned idea of happily ever after. I’m fine with that but I will never be okay with the idea that when it’s a  ________  (insert diverse adjective of your choice) person meeting someone and falling in love over three sexless, awkward, misunderstanding filled days it is somehow “woke” and not “family friendly”.

Personally I wouldn’t object to some amount of wokeness being included but that’s not even remotely what we are getting or what actors like Paul Campbell are arguing for. Truthfully, as a POC it’s hard not to get more than a little offended and hurt that people get so upset at the very inclusion of someone who looks like more like me or my friend or my gay cousin.

Enough is when anyone can turn on the television at any time and see someone who looks like them in a prominent and meaningful role. When we all can see aspects of our stories reflected back. Enough is when little kids don’t grow up feeling like there is something wrong with them because of their skin color, religion, disability or sexuality. When everyone can grow up with the feeling of belonging that historically very few groups have. So we are a very long way from enough. 

Sorry that was so long and I will get off my soap box momentarily but I am just now beginning to fully understand how much racism I have internalized from growing up in this world. I desperately want for kids today to not experience that pain.  Representation matters. 

The brouhaha about “wokeness” reminds me of something someone I follow on Twitter has tweeted: 

(paraphrasing)  it’s really something when people criticize *people who speak out against  racism* rather than criticizing actual racism itself 

so good on Paul Campbell for using his platform to advocate that the people on tv reflect reality in America 

[Pallida]

Meaningful inclusion is also important so that folks who think they live where there is no diversity actually see representations of all sorts of folks on tv. It's not about being demographically representative, rather, it's making sure that viewers see all kinds of people to offset all of the stereotypes or caricatures that so many groups get pigeonholed into on tv and film. 

[memememe76]

Canada has a much more diverse population than as stated above, particularly in our urban cities. Vancouver and Toronto, where the bulk of these movies are shot, have almost 40% visible minority population. Almost 15% of the nation is made up of visible minorities. Yeah, if you want to shoot in a remote rural area of Canada, by all means do so and hire our talented Indigenous actors and crew while you are at it.

[Guest]

Something about the whole proportionality discussion when it comes to diversity really rubs me the wrong way. It seems logical on the surface but it only really comes up when we are talking about racial and LGBTQ representation. Yes, I admit I want diverse characters to appear in a greater proportion than would necessarily be real world accurate. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that because nothing in the entertainment business represents real world demographics. If you take Hallmark specifically it is very much disproportionately upper middle class, small town, small business owners, widowed, orphaned, thin, etc. The list goes on and on. So yeah, I am arguing that meaningful representation is a higher number of Chinese or Colombian then is you would actually find in Alaska or Kansas. A woman can run a company that only makes candy canes but a Black family in Alaska is too unrealistic. Really?

22 hours ago, Pallida said:

Meaningful inclusion is also important so that folks who think they live where there is no diversity actually see representations of all sorts of folks on tv. It's not about being demographically representative, rather, it's making sure that viewers see all kinds of people to offset all of the stereotypes or caricatures that so many groups get pigeonholed into on tv and film. 

Very true. 

1 hour ago, memememe76 said:

Canada has a much more diverse population than as stated above, particularly in our urban cities. Vancouver and Toronto, where the bulk of these movies are shot, have almost 40% visible minority population. Almost 15% of the nation is made up of visible minorities. Yeah, if you want to shoot in a remote rural area of Canada, by all means do so and hire our talented Indigenous actors and crew while you are at it.

I really appreciate you posting this since it is really out of my area of knowledge. 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Guest

[dubstepford wife]

12 hours ago, memememe76 said:

Canada has a much more diverse population than as stated above, particularly in our urban cities. Vancouver and Toronto, where the bulk of these movies are shot, have almost 40% visible minority population. Almost 15% of the nation is made up of visible minorities. Yeah, if you want to shoot in a remote rural area of Canada, by all means do so and hire our talented Indigenous actors and crew while you are at it.

This is something that has always bothered me about WCTH.  In the books, there are actually a lot of First Nations characters, including some who are main characters.  But in the show?  Zero.  It almost felt intentional, like Hallmark was trying so desperately to *not* appear "woke" that they wound up taking out a really important component of the original stories in favor of the same bland romance stories they always feature.  And when you're so desperate to appeal to the anti-woke crowd that you make your stories whiter than not only reality but also your source material (which is plenty regressive in other ways -- the women in those books flat out say they're submissive to their husbands), it seems like you're taking it too far.

[Door County Cherry]

Talking about diversity and representation in Hallmark movies is fine but please keep the conversation closely connected to Hallmark's output.  

There are other places to discuss diversity and representation on TV in general and it has been veering a bit OT. 

Thank you

[Rootbeer]

On 1/26/2022 at 5:35 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

Yeah, they could set a movie in Maine and not have to worry about it. That's apparently the least ethnically diverse place in the US. lol

Of course, these movies are all filmed in Canada, which is not exactly known for its diverse population. In fact, the largest ethnic minority in Canada is apparently Chinese with 3.5 % of the population.  Has there been a Hallmark movie featuring a Chinese actor?
 

I've always wondered - is there a percentage of "inclusion" that would be classified as "meaningful"  I mean, if only 1.3% of the population is of "African origin" then what percent of the movie cast needs to be "African origin" for them to consider it meaningful?

Or does it have anything at all to do with the population of the area?

Who decides this stuff?

I strongly suspect that the reason so many of the Hallmark movies feature white actors is because that's the huge majority of actors available in that area.  Perhaps if the company started in Louisiana (where I'm from) or in Georgia, we'd see more "people of color" because they'd be around naturally.  

 

Where I'm from 60% of the population was black.  White people were the minority. haha.

 

By 'meaningful inclusion' I don't think he is referring to quotas.  I believe he is suggesting that casting be colorblind.  Not that there need to be X percentage of extras in the background who are people of color; but that actors of color be woven into the story in speaking roles just as would presumably be the case in real life.  That not all storekeepers or waitresses or neighbors have to be white as they had been for so many years in these films.  And that, yes, some of the romantic leads need to be non-white, too.  That is meaningful inclusion and it does seem like Hallmark channel has been trying to do it, albeit clumsily at times. 

As for representing any sort of diversity when it comes to storylines; well, we're not going to see any of that.  The female leads will be women who live in big cities and have sacrificed their private lives for their high powered careers.  They'll be confronted with contrivance and end up heading back to their childhood hometown where they will suddenly remember how much they enjoyed decorating the tree at Christmas and decide to give up big city life to sell hand made Christmas ornaments at the town Christmas festival while falling in love with the local lumberjack who sourced the wood she uses in making her very special decorations.  And they'll both move into a half million dollar fully restored Victorian home and live happily ever after.  And it won't matter if she is brown, black, yellow or green with purple spots.  That is the template.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Rootbeer

[Cetacean]

So, shallow note time. Tyler Hynes looks 1000% better with the new hairstyle and no beard. I actually thought it was a different actor when I saw him in the Christmas movie.  And I also think he's way better at comedy than drama as well.

[Fostersmom]

What fresh hell is this butler school movie? The main female can barely walk and chew gum at the same time. I don't have high expectations for the movies, but this one is just insulting. This was her dream, but she can barley set a table? 

[quickjessie]

18 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

What fresh hell is this butler school movie? The main female can barely walk and chew gum at the same time. I don't have high expectations for the movies, but this one is just insulting. This was her dream, but she can barley set a table? 

I've gotta agree with you on this one.  I'm ready to switch it off.  The male lead is actually doing a fairly good job with the material but this "actress" is only "acting" in the broadest sense of the word.  Horrible.  Ditto for the storyline.  

[MerBearHou]

I tuned in because I liked the butler school idea, but oh my Lord, the lead actress is impossible for me to stand.  She’s been studying, she’s been a waitress for years, and she can’t set a table or pour a glass of wine.  This is her longtime dream, she barely got admitted, but right away, she talks back and during the instructions by the head of the school.  She is so busy being snarky that she leaves an iron on a tablecloth?  I tuned out and won’t look back.

The lead actor is one of the most handsome I’ve seen on Hallmark.  In the short bit I watched, I liked watching the actor.  Who is he?  I found him to be interesting, even playing the legacy butler.  

Last comment:  the lead actress’ mom looks like she is two years older than her daughter.  They did not do a good job of aging the mom when 14 years had passed.  I seriously thought they were roommates or sisters but no…

Edited January 30, 2022 by MerBearHou

[bankerchick]

15 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

The lead actor is one of the most handsome I’ve seen on Hallmark.  In the short bit I watched, I liked watching the actor.  Who is he?  I found him to be interesting, even playing the legacy butler.  

I came here to say that I thought he looked like he could be James Dean's grandson.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Fostersmom said:

What fresh hell is this butler school movie?

Well put. 

What a waste of air time. I had it on in the background but it was so ludicrous right out of the gate I couldn't bear to watch more than a few minutes at a time.  And I have no idea in hell how it ended.  She "had an idea" but what was it?  The final scene gave no clue whatsoever. 

The lead may have been following the idiotic story line but she was a horrible actor on top of everything.  Just ugh.

 

[Chippings]

The lead guy (Corey Cott) was adorable, actually, and I did look him up.  He has some excellent stage credit, including following Jeremy Jordan in the lead of 'Newsies' on Broadway.  The story and lead girl aside, they did meet my criterion of new faces -- 

Have to admit I probably only watched only 35% of it, and missed the beginning, and I certainly see the points (above) about the story being really lame.  But, they tried.  No pumpkin festival or high school boyfriend, and Corey Cott is a great find.  If they can get him again for a better story (as they got Jeremy Jordan twice that I remember) I wouldn't mind at all.  

 

[MerBearHou]

I just went online to read about Corey Cott who played Henry.  He is married with 3 kids!  And tours with the New York Pops as a singer.  Big Broadway background.  I hope to see him again in something much better.

Edited January 30, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Irlandesa]

Corey Cott was also in the underrated soapy show about a TV Evangelist's empire called Filthy Rich on FOX last year. 

And actors like him are why I don't mind that Trevor Donovan or Jen Lilley are going over to GAC.  I find actors like Corey Cott and Hayley Osment to be upgrades. It's not just that Corey is good looking but he's also good. 

In fact, I'm going to come out and say that I actually enjoyed Butlers In Love more than I thought I would based on the title. Yeah, it was a little silly how she couldn't quite nail the culinary stuff but they explained that.  And she figured it out. The actress reminded me a bit of Sarah Drew. 

I ultimately enjoyed it.

2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

She "had an idea" but what was it?  The final scene gave no clue whatsoever. 

Based on the outside shot, it looks like they ended up working at a hotel.  If I remember correctly, working at an estate, a resort or a hotel were a few of the options for a butler graduate.  He was in charge of the kitchen and she does whatever a butler does at a hotel.

It was a little strange they were making out in the restaurant while servers were making up the tables but oh well, at least it looked like a more realistic kiss than most of these have.

[twoods]

I may have to catch parts of the movie to see the dreamy lead and Maxwell Caulfield! Now I want to watch Empire Records tonight.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Yacht butlers, six and seven figure incomes...a “butler academy”...LOL, is this for real? (OK, yacht butlers are probably 100% real since they go where the rich people are). I need to go Google all of this OMG!

[kirinan]

This is the first full Hallmark movie my husband ever watched with me. He wanted to see it because he remembered Maxwell Caulfield from the Dynasty shows and other roles. To my surprise, he gave it a 7 (out of 10), and said that it was okay; the Hallmark-ness didn't melt his brain like he'd figured it would and Maxwell Caulfield was the best part. Plus he learned the word "butling."

I also didn't care for the main character. I think the actress might be fine in something else, but I just didn't like the way she was written for a lot of the reasons stated above. The lead actor was very appealing, and reminded me of a young Robert Buckley (which is a huge positive in my book). I hope we see him again soon. And, of course, I liked Maxwell Caulfield, too. I wish they'd given him a subplot, but I suppose that would be too many stories for one of these movies. 

I was glad Emma didn't give up her career, just changed course, but all I could think of with the kissing in the dining room at the end was that it struck me as out of place. Maybe sneak a quick kiss—or duck behind a wall, if you're going to have a makeout session. (And I promise, I usually love romantic kisses!) Even my husband said, "Does that seem kind of inappropriate?"

Edited January 30, 2022 by kirinan

[rwlevin]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

I also didn't care for the main character. I think the actress might be fine in something else, but I just didn't like the way she was written for a lot of the reasons stated above

She was in Degrassi: the Next Generation back when it still had characters from the original Degrassi High series. She played Ellie, best friend/beard to Marco and all-around goth/edgy chick. She was one of the more interesting characters at the time, before she was flanderized.

[memememe76]

I have a soft spot for the actress as a Degrassi fan but why is her character so inept? At the same time, she gets criticized for things that are not her fault, ie the wine spill. 
 

But I truly hated hated hated the male. So obnoxious. So. Much. Mansplaining. Beyond how obnoxious he is, I hate characters who are just naturally good at whatever. I like to see characters work at it.

That said, the actors are good. Even the supporting cast. I find them all quite engaging.

[Artsda]

The Butlers in Love was horrible. They needed a different lead actress to remotely make that work.

The plot was basically she wanted to be a Butler because she liked the fake Downton Abby show. Who thought of this plot?

[Cetacean]

9 hours ago, Artsda said:

The Butlers in Love was horrible. They needed a different lead actress to remotely make that work.

The plot was basically she wanted to be a Butler because she liked the fake Downton Abby show. Who thought of this plot?

And she got the "job of her dreams", apparently set the table and served wine at one meal and then packed up and left.  The whole thing was stupid from start to finish.

[Luckylyn]

I’m extremely behind in my hallmark watching but I saw Corey Cott on Broadway in the show Bandstand.  He’s fantastic.   I like Hallmark adding Broadway talent to their casts and now am kinda hoping for a musical.   It could be cheesy fun.  

[SusanwatchingTV]

On 1/28/2022 at 3:37 PM, Rootbeer said:

By 'meaningful inclusion' I don't think he is referring to quotas.  I believe he is suggesting that casting be colorblind.  Not that there need to be X percentage of extras in the background who are people of color; but that actors of color be woven into the story in speaking roles just as would presumably be the case in real life.  That not all storekeepers or waitresses or neighbors have to be white as they had been for so many years in these films.  And that, yes, some of the romantic leads need to be non-white, too.  That is meaningful inclusion and it does seem like Hallmark channel has been trying to do it, albeit clumsily at times. 

As for representing any sort of diversity when it comes to storylines; well, we're not going to see any of that.  The female leads will be women who live in big cities and have sacrificed their private lives for their high powered careers.  They'll be confronted with contrivance and end up heading back to their childhood hometown where they will suddenly remember how much they enjoyed decorating the tree at Christmas and decide to give up big city life to sell hand made Christmas ornaments at the town Christmas festival while falling in love with the local lumberjack who sourced the wood she uses in making her very special decorations.  And they'll both move into a half million dollar fully restored Victorian home and live happily ever after.  And it won't matter if she is brown, black, yellow or green with purple spots.  That is the template.

I hope that's what he means, but I honestly doubt it. We'll see.  Really, I'm all for diversity, but I'm not big on criticizing others for what they do (or haven't even had a chance to really do in this case).  It's probably just me.

I've been really busy, but I finally sat down and took a look at the numbers for the movies on both networks.  Hallmark (just the main channel, not counting the others to keep it more apples to apples) had 27 Christmas movies, 6 of which featured a "person of color" in the lead (meaning black or some other clearly expressed ethnicity other than white).  That's ~22%.  GAC Family had 11 movies, one of which featured a black couple.  I didn't notice any ethnicity specified on any of the others (didn't watch them all, just going through the list and checking IMDB).  So 1/11 is 9%.  I guess if he's saying that Hallmark's diversity was "meaningful" then 20% is good enough. 

I was really just curious.  I've never really quantified it with any other channels, either, though.

I did think that this year Hallmark was trying to make all the "ethnic" characters more "ethnic" if that makes sense - not as generic.  Let me try saying that again... I'll put it this way, it seemed that the scripts were trying to play up their ethnicity, rather than being a role anyone of any color/race could play.

Again, I'm absolutely fine with that and personally enjoy those movies.  I just wondered about someone shouting that it must be "meaningful" without any clarity about what that really means.  That, to me, smacks of virtue signaling, but whatever.

 

Oh, and I didn't even bother to record the Butler movie. The previews for that just looked dreadful no matter what race the people were. lol

 

[luvthepros]

On 1/29/2022 at 9:02 PM, quickjessie said:

I've gotta agree with you on this one.  I'm ready to switch it off.  The male lead is actually doing a fairly good job with the material but this "actress" is only "acting" in the broadest sense of the word.  Horrible.  Ditto for the storyline.  

I looked up the male lead, Corey Cott, in Butlers in Love. He was in Newsies on Broadway as a replacement for the role of Jack Kelly. That role requires a strong singing voice but just a bit of dancing so this actor may not necessarily be a great dancer like the ensemble is but he is a singer.

[ShelleySue]

Maybe I just spend too much time in reality.  Maybe it's because I have three children who have spent a lot of time considering colleges (one with an MS, one in a PhD program, one currently getting an undergrad degree and looking at grad schools). Maybe it's because I tend to problem solve even when there are no problems to be solved.  But . . . If one of my children told me that he or she wanted to be a butler I would suggest an undergrad degree in something like hospitality or hotel management that would give a broader education and a lot more flexibility. Then if being a butler was still a dream it would still be a good foundation.

If you want to make six figures being a butler you shouldn't do it anywhere in the US. 

But back to the the actual Butlers in Love movie. Despite everything, it was better than I expected.  But then again I wasn't expecting much. Like just about everyone else, I was pleasantly surprised by Corey Cott.  I'm growing tired of the usual Hallmark leads and don't mind if they migrate to GAC.  I'm going to give Stacey Farber a pass because I remember her from the Degrassi. 

[Guest]

13 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Hallmark (just the main channel, not counting the others to keep it more apples to apples) had 27 Christmas movies, 6 of which featured a "person of color" in the lead (meaning black or some other clearly expressed ethnicity other than white).  That's ~22%.  GAC Family had 11 movies, one of which featured a black couple.  I didn't notice any ethnicity specified on any of the others (didn't watch them all, just going through the list and checking IMDB).  So 1/11 is 9%.  I guess if he's saying that Hallmark's diversity was "meaningful" then 20% is good enough. 

Hallmarks numbers were actually 13 out of 31 with a BIPOC lead. Approximately 42%. 

Boyfriends of Christmas Past, The Santa Stakeout, Christmas in Harmony, Coyote Creek Christmas, Christmas Sail, A Christmas Treasure, A Holiday in Harlem, A Christmas Together With You, Christmas CEO, Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, Sister Swap: Christmas in the City, Sugar Plum Twist, and The Christmas House 2.

Sugar Plum Twist may be debatable because it was actually a HMN premiere but even without it the percentage only goes down to 40. 

The last Christmas (2019) with the old CEO (GAC’s current CEO) it was 1 out of 23 with a BIPOC lead on the main channel. That’s 4.3%. So it is a significant improvement. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Guest

[ctlady]

Hallmark running commercials with the cast of The Wedding Veil Trilogy to tune in for a replay of the first one to lead up to the second one

Five words - Lose.The.Hat.Autumn.Reeser

[bankerchick]

20 minutes ago, ctlady said:

Five words - Lose.The.Hat.Autumn.Reeser

Haven't seen it yet but find it hard to believe it will be worse than wearing nothing but vintage because maybe your mom wore that dress one day long ago.  I love the vintage clothing, but the whole idea about why she wore it was ridiculous.

[quickjessie]

I'm already sick of this wedding veil trilogy and I've only seen the first one.

[bankerchick]

Maybe I'm just over the whole Hallmark thing.  I don't care for any of the new stars or any of the recent stories.  There were maybe 2 or 3 Christmas movies I would re-watch from this season whereas there are several from the last 5 years that I still watch regularly.  I went into On Demand last night to find a movie to watch.  Scrolled and scrolled, didn't recognize many of the titles then when I clicked on More Info, I thought, 'oh yeah, that one.  Horrible.  Next.'  I finally settled on Lake House, an oldie with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves (not a Hallmark.)  Cheesy and dumb, but I thought it was 100x better than anything Hallmark had on offer.

Tomorrow's movie is another Cindy Busby offering, this time with Christopher Russell, he of the wooden acting but almost guaranteed shirt removal. Tough call.

[KLovestoShop]

Just watched For Better or for Worse and all I can say is Lisa Welchel is a terrible actress with her five decibels above normal voice. She really stinks.  And the ingenue “bride” tries too hard to look like Meghan Markel.  
 

I still don’t see my people represented on Hallmark. I don’t count the Pena Vegas as Hispanic.  We call them Hispanic by name only.  And, Alexa can’t act her way out of a paper sack. She really is one of their worst actors. 

[bankerchick]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

Just watched For Better or for Worse and all I can say is Lisa Welchel is a terrible actress with her five decibels above normal voice. She really stinks.  And the ingenue “bride” tries too hard to look like Meghan Markel.  

What a waste of Antonio Cupo.