MOVIE REVIEW
Movie: A Christmas Love Story
Network: Hallmark Channel
Original Air Date: December 7, 2019
*a Hallmark Hall of Fame Production!
*Part of Hallmark Channel's 10th Anniversary of Countdown to Christmas!
CAST:
Kristin Chenoweth ... Katherine Clark
Scott Wolf ... Greg Scanton
Kevin Quinn ... Danny Scanton
Keith Robinson ... Brian
Lacey Caroline ... Mariah
Isabella Taylor Fommelt ... Nora
Keyon Shammare Pickett, Jr. ... Scott
Eric Close ... Shane
Maria Howell ... Carol
Eva Albright ... Emily
Jennifer Aspen ... Julie
Stephen Starkweather ... Pete
Shante DeLoach ... Gwen
Johanna Jowett ... Mariah’s Mom
Lucia Scarano ... Irene
Gordon James ... Wealthy Donor
Catherine Charlton ... Donor’s Wife
J’Nelle Joy York ... Driver
Scarlett Juniper Blum ... Emma
Terrence John Kapur ... Levi
Melina Milagros ... Female Elf
Anthony J. Police ... Cabbie
Maiya Ennis ... Young Girl
PLOT:
Storyline via Hallmark: Youth choir director Katherine discovers one of her student volunteers, Danny, has a golden voice and tries to enlist him for the big Christmas Eve show, despite his widowed father Greg’s resistance. When she shows up one night at Danny’s home to make a final plea for the teen to work with the choir, a snowstorm forces her to spend the night. While she is successful at winning over Greg, a budding romance also develops. However, Danny has a life-changing secret which affects both his father and Katherine and threatens to undermine this new relationship.
Movie Review:
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See or Skip:
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*images via: Hallmark Crown Media Family Networks
Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Brian Douglas
In Studio Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Michael Larsen
Net: I am really looking forward to this movie. I think it will be the highlite on Hallmarks schedule this Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThe Henry Ford Museum in Michigan has acquired a large collection of Hallmark ornaments from the Party Shop in Warsaw.
ReplyDeleteThe museum complex in Dearborn got more than 6,600 Hallmark Keepsake ornaments from the store after its owners retired and closed its doors earlier this year.
For 41 years, people from around the area visited the store to do their holiday shopping and to see the Hallmark Ornament Museum. It was a unique experience for customers as the store transported you to the Holiday season, no matter what time of year it was.
The collection will now have a second life at the Henry Ford as some ornaments will go on display this holiday season, and the rest will be shared with the world next year.
The vast collection include Christmas, Easter, and Halloween miniatures and lighted ornaments from over the years.
Since 1973, Hallmark has introduced more than 8,500 ornaments and more than 100 ornament series.
According to Patricia Mooradian, The Henry Ford President, “Hallmark’s Keepsake ornaments have become an essential part of Americans’ holiday traditions.”
Another good one to put on my calendar!
ReplyDeleteThe nice surprise was that both romantic interests handled the secret with respect and no more misundertanding than the secret required.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was nicely done... not your typical argument, but more of an understanding that things would be different. It was a great way to handle the situation.
DeleteFantastic movie! Loved every minute of it! Definitely my favorite Hall of Fame production they've done in recent years, and it's in the running for my favorite movie of this year's Christmas season. It had so much heart as well as romance and just the right amount of humor, plus a wonderful twist that I was not expecting. Some movies just "work," even if you can't quite pinpoint why. This was one such one for me.
ReplyDeleteHello Amy! I 100% agree... I loved it, too! Kristin Chenoweth absolutely shined in this role... She was definitely in her element! What an incredible movie and voice! This is one I know I'll be watching over and over again! Perfect choice for this years heartwarming Hallmark Hall of Fame!
DeleteTotally agree with you, Amy & Net, the "heart" and the "romance" and the "humor" were perfect. It's so refreshing to watch actors who know what they're doing and aren't just reciting lines off of a script. This whole cast was superb and felt natural, and Krisitin Chenoweth is an adorable whirlwind of energy and sweetness. Definitely keeping this one on my dvr!!
DeleteI felt it was basically family-friendly. I understand that some folks might not want younger tweens to watch due to the "twist" in this story. But in real life we're all flawed and we all make mistakes, and thankfully we have a Redeemer! I appreciate that in this movie (unlike some of those awful Lifetime movies I deleted from the dvr) sin was NOT glorified or accepted as right. Katherine had made a mistake in her youth, but then she did the right thing which resulted in the joyful outcome that one could only hope for when they make such a mistake. The conversation where she originally explained her situation to Greg when they were walking down the street was a little bit clunky and perhaps could have been worded more carefully for a younger audience(?), and also the whole ex-husband thing was a little vague and clunky. Other than that, I really enjoyed the movie.
~~Jane
SPOILER ALERT
ReplyDeleteI must say that I'm really shocked at the plot of this movie.
The heroine having had an illegitimate baby is not what I would expect from Hallmark and is not what I would call family-friendly and I had a lot of explaining to do when my 13 year-old daughter asked what had happened to Danny's real father.
Obviously they would have ruined the surprise had they mentioned this beforehand but wouldn't have let mu daughters watch this had I been aware of the content.
I really hope this hasn't opened the floodgates at Hallmark.
I completely understand your concern here with "A Christmas Love Story." This storyline was a little more advanced than your average Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.
DeleteIf it helps at all with your daughter, Kristin's character, Katherine, mentions she has an ex-husband in another scene with Greg Scanton (Scott Wolf) as they are decorating the tree. It's not clear if he was the father, but we are not told otherwise. I'm choosing to believe he was and abandoned them both.
Thank you for commenting and sharing your concern for this movie and the future of Hallmark. I completely understand your heart here, as I've had many of the same concerns.
Ratings were already down this year, and I believe if they proceed down the path of less family friendly entertainment, then those numbers will surely drop further.
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. Hope it's better than this past one. My favorite Michael Rady movie was Christmas in Homestead. I am still hoping for Return to Christmas Creek from last year on dvd. Don't know if anyone noticed, but they changed the movie Last Vermont Christmas to The Last Christmas Home. It's available through Amazon. Also hoping for Mingle all the way and a lot of the older Hallmark movies. Again Happy New Year to all and especially you Net for this wonderful Wonderful web site. RG
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