#hallmarkchristmasromance Archives – Page 5 of 5

Movie Review: Heart of the Holidays

Movie Review:

 4/5

This is a solid movie. Okay, review over. Haha! Kidding!

Movie re-cap:
Sam is starting a job at a new company and when she shows up, she finds out her boyfriend, Will, took over the new company and terminated many employees, but kept her.

Sam decided she doesn’t want to work for him. Instead, she heads home for the holidays to regroup.

At home, Sam reconnects with her past boyfriend Noah. Sam and Noah start a project to help people in need.

This movie had so much that I love! Second chance romance, small town location, great supporting cast, and helping other people were a few of my favorite things.

Beyond that, these two leads were adorable together, and that final kiss…W-O-W! I’m giving it an extra half star just for that kiss.

I wish I could have given this movie a full 5 stars, but there was a lot of sadness in it. I felt sad for Sam and Noah’s past. Also, the premise of the town losing so many businesses due to a recession hurt my heart for all those people without jobs. I prefer when Hallmark stays light and uplifting. There were too many underlying sad themes here.

Also, the last scene with Sam and Noah running was giving me flashbacks to 50 Shades of Grey, but they had better music. At least this running culminated in that kiss. Best part of the whole movie!

If this movie is on, give it a try. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it though. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Good Morning Christmas!

 5/5

There was so much about this movie that made me say “awww…” From the hotel room decorations to the tv show’s name, “Bright and Merry,” (another Hallmark Christmas movie) I couldn’t get enough!

A quick movie re-cap before I fawn over this movie more:
Melissa Merry and Brian Bright are co-hosts on a TV show. Brian wants to quit and the network finally gave him the okay after several attempts. For their final week taping, Melissa and Brian go onsite in Mistletoe. While in Mistletoe, they participate in local holiday events and realize there’s more to their relationship than just being co-hosts.

This is a great movie. It’s probably going to hold a place in my heart next to some of my other favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. I loved soooo much about this movie!

I could spend hours talking about the decorations alone. The decorations in the hotel, around the town, etc. I wish my bedroom looked like Melissa and Brian’s rooms!

Beyond the decorations, I enjoyed that Hallmark did this as a friends to lovers romance. I don’t think they were quite friends, but there were definitely a lot of feelings between them from the beginning.

The producer must have seen the tension building and the feelings that were under it, because she orchestrated Brian and Melissa finally coming together. She signed them up for all the events and was overseeing their budding relationship to the end. Smart woman!

Did I mention there was a horse drawn carriage? I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I can’t say it enough…I LOVE HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES! This carriage ride was instrumental in the ending that hit me hard in the feels. Seeing these two stubborn people come together was a delight.

Give this movie a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! Happy movie watching y’all!

PS: I feel like I need to mention this…I’m not taking off a star for it, because I feel like it’s petty, but I prefer when they do filming in actual cities/towns and it looked like most of this movie was done on a set. I would have liked to see them spend more money on the set or do more on scene filming.

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Movie Review: A Godwink Christmas

 3.5/5

I’m really frustrated with this movie. I wanted to love it, but I just couldn’t. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. I have a feeling that if I don’t write this review right now, I’ll forget most of this movie by morning.

So, let’s start with a quick synopsis. Pat is a divorced Dad who returns to his hometown of Boise from Hawaii. Margie is the woman he left behind about twenty years ago.

That was quick, right? Haha, it’s late and I want to tell you all my thoughts before I go to sleep.

I’ve mentioned before that I LOVE second chance romance movies. Pat and Margie are exactly the type of couple that makes my romantic heart say “aaawwww…” They broke up when they graduated, because Pat got a job in Hawaii and Margie wanted to go to college and stay local. Now they’re both in the same city at the same time.

Next, I LOVE fate movie themes. I consider godwinks a form of fate. The thought is that God keeps giving you a nudge in the right direction. Pat and Margie keep accidentally meeting where ever they go. Also, Pat keeps finding Margie’s jewelry like he’s a jewelry magnet/metal detector. Pat and Margie just can’t help being together.

Finally, I loved all the actors and actresses in this movie, but I really loved the two leads. Sam Page, who plays Pat is handsome and delicious. They could keep showing him in his pajamas (or shirtless) all day please! Let’s not forget Brook D’Orsay. She’s beautiful and played Margie with such sincerity. She was fantastic.

With all these wonderful things, I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t LOVE this movie? This is going to sound nitpicky, but the godwink sound really annoyed me. I don’t remember watching the other godwink movies, so I don’t know if this is a thing or if it’s new to this movie? Either way, it wasn’t for me.

More than the godwink sound, there wasn’t really a climax per se. Yes there was a part where it sounds like things aren’t going to work out, but you can tell from the very very beginning of the movie how much Pat and Margie like each other. They literally could have stopped the movie when they reconnected for the first time. The looks they gave each other made it clear where that relationship was headed. And that first hug?! Did you all see that?? In real life they would have ran for a hotel room.

Overall, this is a decent movie. It stresses the importance of finding the person you can’t live without and not settling for someone, which definitely connects with my romantic heart. If you watch it, I hope you enjoy it. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: The Christmas House

 4/5

Wow! This movie had so much going on! There’s a few minorish spoilers listed, so read at your own risk. I try not to give away too much, but for this review, I need to give you some details to explain myself.

I feel like Hallmark tried to do too much in one movie.

- Mom and Dad selling childhood home
- Mom and Dad potentially separating
- Mom retiring
- Mike possibly losing his job
- Mike’s love interest in Andi
- Brandon and Jake trying to adopt
- Brandon and Jake are opening a bakery

Is it real life? Yes. Do I get why they did it? Yes. But do I want real life in a Hallmark Christmas movie? Not really.

Don’t get me wrong. They did this really well. All of it, except for maybe Marvelous Jim, was real. You know, because he was magical. Haha! – We will blame this lame attempt at humor on the late hour I wrote this.

There was so much to enjoy about this movie.

- The brothers little contests. Racing to the rental car. Racing to get the most boxes into the moving truck. They perfectly captured sibling contests.
- Mike’s promotional video for Andi’s business with Noah. It was sweet that Mike embraced Noah so openly.
- Mom with the whistle going over the plans for the Christmas House – this made my type A heart pitter-patter.
- The Dynamic Duo of Majestic Mike and Awesome Andi. It was sweet watching the flashbacks with the magic scenes.
- The Dad jokes!
  - What do you call a spruce tree that knows kung fu? Spruce Lee!
  - Here today, gone tamale
- The final Christmas House. It was so amazing! It’s like every child’s Christmas dream come to life. I wish every town had a house that did this. Maybe even a travelling Christmas House, so each family could put their own spin on it.
- That ending! Oh man, the ending is like waking up on Christmas morning and having all your wishes come true. It’s Hallmark Gold.

This movie took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I was feeling really glum around the middle of the movie when it felt like everything was going down hill for everyone, but this is Hallmark! I should know by now, it’ll all work out.

I’m giving this 4 out of 5 stars because I really felt like Hallmark tried too hard to put too much into one movie and they tried to hide too much, e.g. selling the house, parents separating, the adoption, etc. This is still a great movie and I think it’s well worth watching. Give it a try! Happy movie watching y’all

Movie Review: The Angel Tree

 5/5

Oh Angel Tree, Oh Angel Tree, let me sing about how much I love you…

You should all be happy you can’t actually hear me singing! Haha!

Instead of singing and making up some really bad rhymes – honestly worse than Matthew’s dad/uncle jokes – I need to start by saying that Matthew continuously scaring Rebecca was by far my favorite part of the entire movie. I cracked up every time.

Since I don’t think you want me singing anymore or scaring you, let’s recap the movie a bit.

Jill Wagner plays Rebecca, a girl who’s wish to forever stay in Pine River was NOT granted in the same year, Matthew, played by Lucas Bryant, had a gala (super big) wish granted to save his family’s diner. Rebecca wound up moving. Her and Matthew grew apart. Rebecca grew up, became a writer, married, had a daughter, and lost her husband. She wrote an article about the amazing Angel Tree, and asked to write a follow-up article to expose who the wish granting Angel is in Pine River.

In coming back to town, Rebecca reconnects with Matthew and sparks start to ignite. Rebecca realizes that her first article about the Angel tree created more people making wishes and she decides she needs to help Angel grant the wishes.

Recap over, so lets get back to what I loved!

This movie hits you in all the feels. It has helping homeless pets, military families, taking care of elderly, and so much more. But more than all that, it hits deeper with the sentiment that kids have “a magical world, but as adults, we need to make a little magic of our own.”

In the end, we see the magic of Rebecca unknowingly becoming an Angel and helping fulfill a gala wish. Further, we see that Angel’s are all around us. It’s not just one person, nor a group of people. It’s the magic across the world of people doing good and helping others. Angels are everywhere.

I won’t ruin the ending for y’all, but I was in tears. It was so sweet and sentimental. I love movies with Christmas magic and this movie had it in spades. I hope you give this movie a try. Happy movie watching y’all!!

Movie Review: A Nashville Christmas Carol

 4.5/5

I fell in love with Jessy Schram a few years ago in Harvest Moon. Watching her in A Nashville Christmas Carol further cemented her on my favorites list.

I absolutely love how expressive Jessy is by nature. Hallmark loves to put her in roles where she shows these talents. Remember when she fell in the mud in Harvest Moon? There was a similarly expressive moment when Jessy’s character, Vivienne, meets her dead boss, Marilyn. Her shock was palpable! She’s such a joy to watch.

Now that I’ve covered my girl crush on Jessy, let’s go over the movie a little.

Vivienne is a slightly different version of Scrooge who – like most people – needs to learn how wonderful she is. She isn’t a mean person to begin with; she just needed to see what (and who) was right in front of her, but Vivienne is so focused on her career that she was missing the true joy in life…living.

Marilyn is Vivienne’s guide through the past and present. She explained to Vivienne that she requested this intervention because “When it comes time to roll the credits on your life, it’s the names that matter, not the shows.” This is so true in life. Time is fleeting, concentrate on the people in your life and make memories with those you love.

Speaking of those you love…Gavin, played by Wes Brown, was a childhood friend of Vivienne’s. We get to see lots of flashbacks of how Vivienne and Gavin grew together and apart over the years.

In the end, Vivienne learns that it’s the people in her life that matters. She rights the mistakes she’s made and we get a wonderful Country Christmas concert with the perfect ending.

I loved most of this movie. There were some slow parts in the middle, but overall this was very well done. I especially liked the music that was woven throughout the movie and the way it tied to each moment. After all, “every song has a memory,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Thank you Hallmark for finally delivering a kiss under a mistletoe!! I’ve been waiting all Christmas for this scene. This almost makes up for all those other movies missed mistletoe chances.

If you like the Christmas Carol plot, then give this movie a go. It was enjoyable! Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: Deliver by Christmas

 2/5

I’m so sorry everyone, I really really tried to get into this movie. I even tried watching it twice, but it’s a no go for me.

Josh and Molly meet on a Christmas tree lot when they’re looking for trees. Their first meeting is where they reach for the same tree, but instead grab each other’s hands.

This is where the story started to go downhill for me. The acting in this particular scene wasn’t that great and it looked like they were purposefully grabbing for each other’s hands. I mean you don’t reach your whole arm into a tree to test the needles. They should have had her trying to pick up the tree or something. It was weird and awkward like several other scenes later on. However, I did enjoy the jokes about splitting the tree only to find out the tree was already sold.

As the movie continues, Josh needs cookies and he arranges to have Molly bake them, but doesn’t know it’s Molly who is the baker. The cookie arrangement was done by website and phone. Don’t you think they would have recognized each other’s voices?

Overall the plot is cute, but there was just something lacking in this movie for me. It just couldn’t keep my interest.

The video at the end of the movie with Charlie reduced me to tears with it’s sweetness. A special shout out to military families and all they do to keep everyone else safe!! Thank you!!

I can’t recommend this movie. There are much better Hallmark movies. See some of my other reviews on here. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: A Timeless Christmas

 4.5/5

Oh Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. I could really watch and listen to you all day. We need more summer movies of you on a beach shirtless. And I wouldn’t mind taking that portrait from the Whitley mansion and hang it in my house.

Stop drooling Jamie! Write your review! Ugh, fine…here we go…

Have you ever seen Kate and Leopold? If not, you totally should. It was better than this and has the same concept. A man who was about to marry someone he didn’t love comes to the future to meet his real love.

Ryan plays Charles, our time travelling man, who abandoned his fiance, Eliza. He comes to the future where he meets Megan, played by Erin Cahill.

Charles and Megan had great chemistry throughout the movie. I loved watching them fall in love, because they were so believable. I especially loved that Megan was Rosie’s (Charles’ housekeeper’s) great great grand daughter.

I also need to give a shout out to Megan’s parents. I think Megan’s mom literally swooned when she met Charles. I can totally sympathize with her reaction to him! But beyond her initial reaction, I loved how Megan’s family treated Charles as part of the family immediately.

I would have given this movie 5 stars, but the ending irked me a little. To be honest though, if the ending had been different, it would have probably irked me too. I don’t think there’s ever a perfect way to end a time travel romance movie. I feel like someone always loses. The people in the past will lose Charles without knowing what happened to him or Megan’s family will forever miss her and not be able to see her anymore. I’ll let you watch it to see which way this movie went.

If you’re a Ryan Paevey fan, I think you’ll enjoy this, because he was absolutely swoon worthy with all his 1900’s manners and such.

**SIGH** Ryan kissing my hand as he meets me for the first time, then that blue gaze meets mine…Ryan’s scruff rubbing…JAMIE!! Get back to the review!

Anyhow, if you don’t like fantasy / time travel romance, then I don’t think this is the right movie for you. Otherwise, give it a shot! There’s so much more to like than the basics I included here. Happy movie watching y’all!!