Tag: #nataliehall

Hallmark Movie Review: Noel Next Door

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/noel-next-door

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s GGGRREEAAATT! I love throwback product slogans and I really liked this movie! Here’s a quick recap and my two cents 😉 

Quick Recap

After suffering a stroke, Jeremy has become Mr. Scrooge and is unable to enjoy life the way he once had. But Noelle is cheery and sweet to his Scroogey demeanor. She starts to chip away at his armor through a series of meetings and they develop feelings for each other until Noelle finds out Jeremy is the cranky man from apartment 224 the other neighbors have been telling her about.

My Two Cents

It feels like Christmas movies are starting earlier than ever. It’s not even Halloween yet. Yet I’m finding that I don’t mind. And Noel Next Door was a wonderful way to start Countdown to Christmas!

I was worried about this movie, because last year A Dickens of a Holiday with Brooke D’Orsay and Kristoffer Polaha was not one of my favorites. I struggled to make it through that movie. No worries though, Noel Next Door is much better!

I enjoyed Noelle and Jeremy meeting and forming a relationship while Jeremy and Noelle’s son, Henry, and neighbors are having disagreements and negative interactions. Noelle starts to bring out the good in Jeremy and see who he really is beyond how everyone else sees him.

There were several really good scenes. My favorite was the ice skating and campfire scene! I probably enjoyed this more than most, but I loved that Jeremy could skate where walking is difficult. AND they played Debussy’s claire de lune throughout the scene. I’m not gonna lie, I love that song for it’s connection to Twilight.

Just when Jeremy and Noelle are really hitting it off, everything starts to fall apart. I haven’t seen a guy stick his foot in his mouth as many times as Jeremy did when he finds out Noelle is the owner of apartment 202. Never insult a woman’s son unless you want Mamma Bear to come out and kick your butt!

Don’t worry, this is Hallmark, so we do have a happily ever after. And while I really enjoyed this movie, I know not everyone will. Some will find it slow and boring. Personally, I loved the speed and thought it was sweet, funny, and quirky. Definitely worth trying for yourself!

Did you watch this movie? Let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Road Trip Romance

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/road-trip-romance

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My mom is in town and I had the pleasure of watching tonight’s premiere with her! Yay! Sadly, I think she would give this movie 1 star. It wasn’t her cup of tea. However, I enjoyed it. Of the two of us, I’m definitely the cornier pun joke loving dork, which I think is necessary to enjoy this movie. I don’t think it’s going to appeal to all. A good portion of people will find it too corny and dull (Jeff and my family included). Here’s a quick recap and my full two cents. 😉

Quick Re-Cap

Megan is returning home to Wichita for her sister’s wedding. High school enemy Alden is returning home for his father’s retirement party. When the closest airport closes due to a baggage carrier strike, they team up to make it home in time for their events. Along the way, they begin to discover things they didn’t know about each other in high school.

My Two Cents

In truth I would give Road Trip Romance a 3.5, but like always I’m rounding up for the benefit of the movie. Lets hop into what it takes to be a road trip romance, because it seems there are a few rules to follow…

Rule #1 – lose the car you’re driving at least once and pick up an old jalopy that looks like it’s a hairs breath away from deaths door and/or drive the most wild and crazy vehicles possible. Remember that train, tractor, and wasn’t there also some sort of pet truck in Cross Country Christmas? Road Trip Romance doesn’t have vehicles quite as crazy as a tractor, but they aren’t normal by any means.

Rule #2 – you must stay overnight somewhere unexpected. Megan and Alden are forced to stay in Mckenzie during a renassaince fair. **Sigh** I love renassaince fairs! Seriously a dream come true! Unplug electronics and relax for a few days! Yes! Of course, I’m saying this while typing on a very non-renassaince device. 😉

Rule #3 – make it to where you need to be at the last possible moment and figure out why you can’t live without your road trip roadie. I’d say this is a spoiler, but it’s Hallmark. We know it has a happily ever after.

Road Trip Romance followed these three rules wonderfully. I also loved how sweet Megan’s sister was when her sister was late to all the wedding activities. That’s real love!

Look for the small awww moments and laugh at the punterific corny jokes and this movie might worm it’s way into your heart too. If not, then you might wind up snoring through half of it like the people I watched it with. LOL.

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Movie Review: Fit for a Prince

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/fit-for-a-prince

Rating: ⭐

If you follow this blog and you’ve read my other Hallmark movie reviews, then you’ll know I don’t normally tear apart Hallmark movies. I accept them for what they are…often repeatable plot lines that have feel good endings. But this movie? It missed just about every mark.

If you’re thinking to yourself, Jamie just doesn’t like Royal movies. Not true! I love Royal movies. I always wanted to grow up, meet a secret Prince and be whisked away to a life of luxury. Just ask my parents.

If I like royal movies, then why did this movie fail to make a passing grade? Lets start with the obvious…

The lead character’s name is Cindy. Cindy – a nickname for Cinderella. Cindy is the head seamstress, who is hired to design gowns for a royal ball. There are even two girls referred to as evil step sisters (Brooke and Julia) who try to sabotage everything Cindy does.

This is setting up to be a cute Cinderella parody. So why not continue the theme? Why not add an evil step mother, fairy god mother, dropped glass slipper, horse drawn carriage, or play with character’s names like they did with If I Only Had Christmas?

While I mostly missed it the first time, If I only Had Christmas was a parody of The Wizard of Oz. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Wizard of Oz, so I noticed a few of the nuances, but the second time I watched it, I noticed a whole lot more. And they were really well done! This movie? *SMH* HALLMARK you need to commit like you did with If I Only Had Christmas or give Cindy a new name.

That’s enough time droning on about Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz.

There were also several scenes that I’m sure were suppose to be funny, but they fell flat. There’s one where Cindy is trying to get into a building and the security man keeps asking her the same questions repeatedly. I’m sure it was suppose to be funny, but it was just ridiculous. He asked the same exact question repeatedly and she was talking perfectly clearly.

Maybe it would have been better if we had heard and saw what the security guy heard/saw? I’m not sure, but I guess he must have heard her eventually, because the next thing we see is Cindy walking down the hallway to meet with Gloria.

And that ending! UGH!! **Spoiler Alert** Partnership? PARTNERSHIP?! Cindy accepts a partnership when she could have her own brand/company?! Why??? I was really lost on that one. Plus, what’s going to happen when she’s whisked away to be with Prince Ronan?

Then there were the nit picky items like fake British accents, bra straps and bras showing way too often, and multiple awkward moments added to my already failing opinion.

Overall, I can’t recommend this movie. If Hallmark had fully committed to a Cinderella parody, it could have been great, but they didn’t. So, here we sit disappointed in what could have been. Hopefully next week’s movie will be better.

In the mean time, here are a few of my favorite Hallmark Royal movies that I hope you can find somewhere to watch: A Royal Christmas, Crown for Christmas, One Royal Holiday, etc. Happy movie watching y’all!!

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