A nostalgic and Nordic Thanksgiving weekend...week SEVEN Hallmark Christmas Movie Reviews!
Buckle up for this extra edition, because we have EIGHT new movies to cover from the holiday weekend. We can all agree that this is way too much quantity over quality, and by Sunday evening I was BURNT OUT from the joy and miracles that unfolded over four days.
Overall, another mediocre week, which is becoming pretty standard for this year.
Christmas Under the Lights: 7/10 ⭐
If you’re a big reader of modern romance novels, you know that westerns have been a huge theme in 2024. This isn’t exactly a “western” but it takes place at a huge ranch filled with rescue animals, so it’s very on trend!
After her mother passes away, Emily returns home to her family’s rescue ranch to help her brother and his friend Luke put on the town’s annual Christmas Carnival. I really loved the ranch and the entire property (inside and out) was an A+ location, and the Christmas Carnival the last ten minutes was an absolute delight.
“Brother’s best friend” is another romance micro-trope that I typically love, and the chemistry between these two was solid. I’m docking it a few points because I was stressed out something would happen to one of the rescue animals, but otherwise this is a good movie!
Joyful Mrs. Miracle: 7/10 ⭐
I’m a huge fan of the Mrs. Miracle books and this is definitely one of the better movie adaptations! Three adult siblings return to their childhood estate after their grandmother passes away, bickering over who will take over the family business.
“Mrs. Miracle” shows up as an estate planner but is really there to sprinkle holiday blessings and magic on this family so they reconnect with the spirit of family and Christmas.
The estate is GORGEOUS, the siblings are all very well cast, and the romantic sub plot is a classic “old friends” story. Mrs. Miracle is a little irritating at times but this is a classic Hallmark movie with all the right feels.
A ‘90s Christmas: 7/10 ⭐
More magical realism! Lucy is a workaholic attorney who is celebrating her big promotion alone on Christmas Eve. A magical Uber ride home transports her back to 1999 where she is forced to reconnect with her family and friends. As she spends more time at home, her driver becomes a sort of “fairy godmother” ghost type who provides insight and guidance.
This is the “Christmas Carol” movie of the season, which we see at least once a year. It always works and this is a fun interpretation! I was not really feeling the love story between these two, but there’s plenty of ‘90s fun and nostalgia that makes this very watchable. Beware: the “12 Days of Christmas” song is featured HEAVILY in this movie.
Deck the Walls: 7/10 ⭐
When a charity home project hits the skids, Rose returns home to help save the day. The only problem is the contractor working on the project is her ARCH NEMESIS BRYSEN. Brysen is recently divorced and Rose has a fear of commitment, but the season of giving slowly brings them together.
There’s a little too much trauma dumping and therapy talk in this movie, but the town is cute and the supporting characters are a riot. Specifically, Aunt Gigi is my favorite minor character of the year. She’s very supportive and a shoulder to cry on but ALSO unabashedly single and mingling.
Believe in Christmas: 6/10 ⭐
Beatrice is reluctant to visit “Christmasland” with her friend Emilia, but finally agrees to the holiday excursion and meets handsome local man Ethan upon her arrival. Ethan takes her under his wing, showing her that small town spirit cannot be beat.
On the one hand, this movie has a lot going for it. “Christmasland” is the picture perfect Hallmark town, filled with beautiful boutiques and an Inn that I would move into tomorrow. On the other hand, this story is slowwwwww and the chemistry was all off. BFF Emilia is a secondary character, but she is WAY MORE FUN and I was way more invested in her romantic story. Cute background movie but nothing memorable.
Holiday Touchdown - A Chiefs Love Story: 7/10 ⭐
THIS IS IT FOLKS. The only movie we’ve been hearing about for MONTHS! The prime Thanksgiving Saturday evening slot. I have a lot to say. First and foremost, this is way better than I thought it would be. The previews were TERRIBLE.
Alana is a Chiefs superfan looking to win the “Fan of the year” contest for her family, and Derrick works for the Chiefs front office and is tasked with determining the contest winner. There’s some hidden identity early on, and then these two end up together about halfway through the movie. These are two of the best actors Hallmark has around, and I would go so far as to say Hunter King is the best woman on the roster. Their chemistry is so good and they are very believable as a couple.
There’s also a lot of big family traditions and sports superstitions which was very cute. Hallmark spent MONEY on the casting and production here and it shows. The final few scenes are some of the most heartwarming family moments I can recall.
BUT there is a fatal flaw that prevents this from hitting 9 or 10 territory. This is not a Christmas movie. This is a football movie. The Christmas elements feel very forced, like they had a hour long movie made and then needed to add 20 minutes of Christmas stuff for it to qualify for Countdown to Christmas.
All that said, this was still the best movie of the weekend.
The Finnish Line: 1/10 ⭐
THIS MOVIE FEATURES AN INJURED DOG NAMED CUPID GETTING HURT AND GOING TO THE VET DO NOT WATCH IT.
Cupid ends up fine BUT HALLMARK STOP MAKING MOVIES WITH ANIMALS. You are lucky I Finnish-ed this!
The Christmas Quest: 5/10 ⭐
Another movie that IS NOT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE. Having a movie take place in a cold climate (Iceland) does not make it a Christmas movie.
An archaeologist gets tapped for an expedition to Iceland, where she’s hoping to discover long lost treasure based on an old Icelandic fable. Her ex husband is a master of Norse languages, so he accompanies her to maximize their chances of success. They fall in love as they run around caves and ice
The actors are good, the setting is beautiful, but it’s simply not a Christmas movie, outside of the conversations around the Christmas Fable. I didn’t find it as heartwarming as Holiday Touchdown so we must max out at 5/10 here.