Its a Wonderful Movie - Your Guide to Family and Christmas Movies on TV: February 2023

UPtv will be premiering a new romantic comedy and uplifting, inspirational movies coming UP in March!

See all the details below...

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Something's Brewing

Original Air Date: March 5, 2023

Starring: Kristi Murdock and Jason Cook

Storyline: Jane Peterson, a marketing executive in the big city, loses her job and boyfriend both on the same day. Fed up, she vows to leave the city for good. Before she can though, she runs into a handsome and charming barista at a local coffee shop. As she rediscovers the city with him, it feels like something might be brewing!

Movie Review:

⛾ Something’s Brewing – Okay… something’s brewing, alright. In the first 5 minutes, Jane gets fired from her job, and she learns her live-in boyfriend, Aiden, is cheating on her. She arrives home early to their apartment, opens the bedroom door, and sees them together (if you know what I mean), but we see nothing, except for the two of them (the cheaters) walking out of the bedroom fully clothed. Not exactly the uplifting movie I was hoping to see. This movie is not family-friendly, based on those first few minutes. I watched the rest of the movie, which was fine, but it was rather slow and boring at times. Jane ends up meeting David, a single father, who works at a coffee shop. Overall, Something’s Brewing is not a keeper for me. ~Net

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*NOTE: Instead of a new movie premiere on March 12th, it appears there will be a marathon of the sitcom, Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen, for most of the day. Please stay tuned, in case there are any changes.

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God Bless the Broken Road

Original Air Date / UPtv Newtork Premiere: March 19, 2023

Starring: Lindsay Pulsipher, Jordin Sparks, Kim Delaney, Patrika Darbo, Andrew Walker

*This movie first premiered in theaters in 2018. It has aired on Lifetime and other sources, but this will be the film's network premiere on UPtv.

Storyline: While grieving the loss of her husband, a financially struggling widow meets a race car driver.

Movie Review:

🏁 Finally watched God bless the Broken Road. It's very emotional and heavy, a lot. But it also has a spectacular ending. Highly recommend! –Maria

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THE CONFESSION
UPlifting Musical

Original Air Date: March 26, 2023

Starring: Chondra Pierce and John Schneider

Storyline: In this musical adaptation of Beverly Lewis’ beloved novels, two worlds collide when a young Amish girl discovers she was adopted by a wealthy family. As she seeks her birth mother, she must overcome the obstacles of a lost fiance and a crafty gold-digger who seeks the fortune of her birth mother.

Movie Review:

🎵The Confession Musical – If you like musicals, then I suspect you will enjoy this one. I found it to be quite amusing and captivating, even though I already knew the story. In fact, I never thought it would be sooo funny, but it was, especially when the young woman pretended to be Amish. That was quite hilarious, and of course, comedienne Chondra Pierce brought a lot of humor and heart to her character. Well-known actor John Schneider played the bad guy in this, and while I’m used to him playing the nice guy, typically, he was fantastic in his role as the money-grubbing husband. Besides all the singing and dancing, The Confession Musical also had a heartwarming message about love, faith, and family. It is wholesome and family-friendly, if you don’t mind some of the Amish humor. ~Net

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These are the movies confirmed for March, thus far. Please be sure to check back in case there are changes to the schedule.

I am personally looking forward to seeing this Amish musical version of The Confession. I've seen Chondra Pierce perform her comedy routine and share her testimony of faith in person; she is fantastic! And John Schneider is one of my all-time favorites. My big brother loved Dukes of Hazzard as we were growing up, so we'd often watch that General Lee in those memorable car chases. It has also been encouraging to see John Schneider in some inspirational films that have important meaning for this time, such as: Roe v. Wade and To Die For. I also think he's great in the Lifetime Christmas movies: Poinsettias for Christmas and Christmas in Tune. I was sad to learn of the recent passing of his wife, Alicia Allain, due to her fight with cancer. My heart and prayers go out to him and their family.

Please note: I haven't pre-screened the UPtv movies listed above. If you'd like to post a review on whether a film is family-friendly, please share in comments.

Happy movie-watching, everyone! Net

Disclaimer: Please know when I share a movie, this is NOT an endorsement of any of the actors involved, personally or professionally, with their other TV/film projects.

Hallmark Channel's April Movie line-up, announced via ET, is filled with five more *Spring Into Love* movies, while Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will have two new movies in April, including an all-new DaySpring film that will premiere on Easter Sunday!

See all the movie details...

HALLMARK CHANNEL'S "SPRING INTO LOVE"
All premieres are at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Love in the Maldives

Starring: Jocelyn Hudon and Jake Manley

Premieres: Saturday, April 1, 2023

Storyline: Rae Parker (Hudon) has a very fabulous, single life that attracts thousands of readers to her monthly travel column, “Reservation for One.” Rae is surprised when her editor wants to send her to the world’s most romantic vacation destination -- The Conrad Maldives. She’s an adventurous spirit and staying at the luxurious Muraka makes it difficult for her to find the type of experiences she needs to write an article worthy of her column. It doesn’t help that Rae is terribly afraid of the open ocean and a hotel that floats in the middle of it. After a few failed solo attempts, Rae realizes she needs some guidance and support to undertake some of the challenges outside of her comfort zone. The Conrad’s guest experience expert, Jared Joseph (Manley), steps in and makes it his personal mission to give Rae the adventure she’s looking for…

Movie Review:

🌊 Love in the Maldives – If you enjoy the beach, ocean, swimming with the fishes sort of lifestyle, then you’ll probably enjoy this movie. Love in the Maldives is mostly family-friendly; however, the lead characters, Rae (Jocelyn Hudon) and Jared (Jake Manley), who are married in real-life, often wear beachwear throughout the movie. When he’s coming out of the water, Jared is often seen shirtless with long trunks, and Rae, when she’s at the beach, wears one piece swimsuits and bikinis. There’s also a scene when Rae gets a massage and her back is shown on the massage table. I thought the movie started off a little cheesy, but it picked up for me when Rae befriended Debra, a sweet widower who was new to vacationing alone. This added a heartfelt touch to the story that I really enjoyed. When Rae insists on searching for the long-lost Wandering Shipwreck treasure and Jared indulges her curiosity, the movie gave me a definite vibe of two previous Hallmark movies, Pearl in Paradise and Chasing Waterfalls. This movie was not a keeper for me, but the romantic attraction between Rae and Jared is very sweet; it felt easy and authentic. ~Net

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The Professional Bridesmaid

Starring: Hunter King and Chandler Massey

Premieres: Saturday, April 8, 2023

Storyline: Years ago, Maggie Bailey (King) realized she had a particular skill set for being an ace bridesmaid -- and she went pro. Now she uses her talents to help brides navigate the tricky emotional and social dynamics that go along with planning their big day in addition to the practical. Her latest client, Alexis Shepard (Francesca Bianchi), is the daughter of Columbus’ mayor who is up for re-election. Alexis’ wedding promises to be the event of the summer with lots of scrutiny, so the mayor’s team hires Maggie to join the bridal party and help keep everything on track. But no one can know that Maggie is a hired bridesmaid, so she is introduced as Alexis’ old friend Maisie. Unfortunately, Henry Whittington (Massey), an ambitious local reporter assigned to the society story is sniffing around hoping to get close to the mayor for a scoop on the pending development of local park land. To pull off her assignment, Maggie must coordinate three unhelpful bridesmaids and keep Henry focused on the wedding while hiding her identity, even as she begins to grow closer to him.

Movie Reviews:

🌼 My husband and I watched 'The Professional Bridesmaid'. Of course, it followed the same format that we have seen many times but it was a clean movie. Hunter King is becoming one of my favorite actresses. And, she had believable chemistry with Chandler Massey. There was a ease about their interactions and we could feel their connection. It wasn't perfect, but it was a sweet movie. :-) ~Joan

🌼 The Professional Bridesmaid is family friendly about a professional bridesmaid named Maggie Bailey is a wedding planner who uses her talents to help a Mayor’s Daughter named Alexis Shepard keep her wedding in track. However, things get complicated when an ambitious reporter named Henry Whittington snoops around to get close to Mayor Shepard for big scoop. Henry overheard Mayor Shepard talking to Maggie that she’s a professional bridesmaid. Maggie introduces herself to Henry that her name hs Maggie Marie Bailey at Alexis & Dylan’s Wedding Day. ~Anonymous

🌼 I also liked A Professional Bridesmaid. It was sweet with two meet-cutes, family friendly. ~Namegirl

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The Wedding Cottage

Starring: Erin Krakow and Brendan Penny

Premieres: Saturday, April 15, 2023

Storyline: A wedding guide creator (Krakow) must convince an uninspired artist and owner of a special wedding cottage (Penny) to renovate the rundown cottage to host a contest-winning couple for their dream wedding.

Movie Reviews:

💒 The Wedding Cottage was the perfect romantic comedy. Very sweet, funny, and CLEAN too. Loved Erin and Brendan together. Chemistry is through the roof. Erin is always so good with that. The movie was very well written and directed. It was entertaining and enjoyable all through out. Well done on this one, Hallmark! ~CH Mom

💒 The Wedding Cottage was another okay movie, not bad but not great. I just couldn't get wrapped up in the plot - you could predict where this was going right from the start. Also, Erin's character came across as a little too brash for me, especially at the beginning. And that's a cottage?? More like a mini-mansion! But I did enjoy the chemistry between Erin and Brandon, and Erin's scene with the leaf blower was hilarious! Good for a one-time viewing, but that's all. ~Mark 25

💒 I LOVED this movie!! Family Friendly! Brendan Penny is one of my favorites, but this was one of his absolute best. And Erin was great too! I loved how she was thoughtful of her clients, and had a sweet and funny personality. The two of them were perfectly matched and really connected with each other. I loved everything about this one. From the friendly and positive townspeople to the raccoon family in the attic. And the moose and leaf blower scenes. What a treat this one was. Made me hungry for sweets, so I finished my Hershey Easter bunny. 😂😂 I have a feeling this will be a trilogy series. I'll buy it when it's on dvd Hope you all get to see it, it was so lovely!! P.S... The man who played the carpenter normally plays the bad man in mystery movies, but it was so nice to see him play a friendly character for a change. ~Abigail

💒 The Wedding Cottage was my favorite movie so far of 2023 of any network. Pure enjoyment! ~Angie Ellington Author

💒 We finally watched 'The Wedding Cottage' and we LOVED it! So cute and fun. Of course, there was the 'contrived misunderstanding' but I could look past that when everything thing else was so good. Brendan and Erin were magic together. There were some sweet scenes and some gorgeous scenery. I recognized the house, from several other movies but I understand why they used it again. It is a lovely home. I think they shot 'The Summer Villa' and 'The Secret Garden' there. Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie. I could tell they enjoyed making it. ~Joan

💒 Just watched The Wedding Cottage and loved it! Brendan Penny and Erin Krakow were perfect together. And the way everyone treated the young couple getting married was so sweet. The house and scenery were beautiful. A nice, sweet movie to watch. ~ Jennifer R

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A Pinch of Portugal

Starring: Heather Hemmens and Luke Mitchell

Premieres: Saturday, April 22, 2023

Storyline: When a celebrity chef walks off his show, prep cook Anna (Hemmens) must step into the spotlight and make the show her own, with the help of her Aussie cameraman (Mitchell) and Portuguese location scout.

Movie Reviews:

🌼 "Pinch of Portugal" -- family-friendly. I thought this movie was perfect for Heather Hemmens! Her romantic interest was a different type for Hallmark, and I really liked them together. The Australian accent never hurts! Between the beautiful setting and a nice story, it's one I'd watch again sometime. ~Alicia

🌼 A PINCH OF PORTUGAL *May contain spoilers*

This is quite an interesting movie from Hallmark. It seems today the go-to theme is either cooking or dating apps - it's cooking here!

This movie had great potential in that had it been handled differently the love-triangle between Anna the prep mamager standing in as lead presenter on a cooking show, Russ her cameraman, an Australian and Lucas the local Portuguese market manager could have been a corker.

But as it's Hallmark we knew from the credits that Anna and Russ would end up together. In the past Anna had tried to kiss Russ but he made it clear they could only be friends. Now, there was chemistry between the two however to be honest in the first half of the movie my feeling was that there was even more chemistry between Anna and Lucas.

In fact at one point I got the feeling that there just might be something between Lucas and Brooklyn another member of the team. The scenery was great and there were some innovative situations such as cooking on the deck of a boat in choppy waters! You could see in Russ' face that he was jealous of the cameraderie between Anna and Lucas.

The just over half-way through they completely changed Lucas' character - it turned out that he had been using Anna for publicity to further his ambition to open a new restaurant - which hadn't even been mentioned before. The movie then slipped into regular Hallmark mode - missing head presenter returns unexpectedly, Anna gets fired but with help from Russ and Brooklyn makes a pilot for a new show etc,etc.

We get the expected ending but how anaemic was THE kiss? I was happy enough with the ending but had it been played differently I would not have minded had it been Anna with Lucas maybe branching out for a new and exciting life in Portugal.

Heater Hemmans as usual played her role well and Luke Mitchell was a different type of Hallmark hero - quite laid back with shaggy shoulder length hair which he often put into a ponytail and his fascinating Aussie accent.

I liked him. Overall I enjoyed the movie despite the eventual predictability - Florence's rating 7

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Hearts in the Game

Previous Title: The Spin Cycle

Starring: Erin Cahill and Marco Grazzini

Premieres: Saturday, April 29, 2023

Storyline: Hazel Miller (Cahill) is a top publicist in New York City looking to build her empire. Diego Vasquez (Grazzini) is a top MLB pitcher who froze during Game 7 of the World Series. He also happens to be the guy who shattered Hazel’s heart in high school. When Hazel is tasked with spinning Diego’s image, it might be her biggest challenge professionally, and personally, as she takes him back to their hometown in Ohio to deal with what they've both left behind.

Movie Review:

⚾ "Hearts in the Game" -- family-friendly. I was feeling cautious about this one, but there's nothing I found offensive in the story. As someone who doesn't do social media or follow entertainment news, I know nothing about the personal lives or views of any actors, in case that's a deciding factor for friends here. There were a few eyeroll moments (since when is grief a "mental health problem?"), but overall I enjoyed the movie very much! The acting was top notch, especially Marco, and it was full of believable emotion and sweetness. The reunited-loves type of story usually gets me, so this is one that I'll watch again. ~Alicia

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HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES
All premieres are at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

🌼🌸 *Click Here for Details* on Where to Find The Blessing Bracelet Seen in the New Hallmark Faith-Based Easter Movie! 🌸🌼

The Blessing Bracelet (DaySpring movie)

Starring: Amanda Schull and Carlo Marks

Premieres: Sunday, April 9, 2023

Storyline: Dawn Spencer (Schull) approaches the Easter holiday trying to balance being a single parent while working to get out of the debt left behind by her ex-husband. Feeling overwhelmed, Dawn unearths a bracelet she made years earlier and stored away. She created it using four beads with the intention of using each one as a reminder to count the blessings in her life. As Dawn begins to focus on the good, her faith is renewed, and her life takes a positive turn. Thanks to the support of Dawn’s church community and the encouragement by Ben (Marks), who recently came into her life, the blessing bracelets help take her down a path she never could have imagined.

Movie Reviews:

🌼 The Blessing Bracelet is a very lovely movie, and I'm glad DaySpring made this. Except, like with The Gift of Peace, it once again feels like this is a cheap move by Hallmark to 'throw a bone' out to the audience that they keep betraying. Movies like this should be a regular thing for Hallmark, not movies stuffed with woke politics or over the top humor that feels more cringy then funny, or even inappropriate TV shows that would never have been accepted on this network 4 years ago. I can't will myself to completely give up on Hallmark, because of the impact it had on me throughout my teenage years. But it's so hard these days to keep hoping that this network will 1 day reject it's bad politics and go back to the pureness it had 4 years ago when I keep hearing of 1 bad or lame movie after another! I hope that DaySpring continues to make movies for Hallmark, but I just wish they wouldn't feel so much like a cheap 'throw a bone out to that 1 specific audience we keep letting down' move. -Maria

🌼 Really enjoyed watching The Blessing Bracelet on Easter. It's family friendly, plus it's a heartwarming movie with an inspiring message. ~Allie B

🌼 I also really enjoyed 'The Blessing Bracelet'. It was a lovely movie with a great message about hope and prayer and it made my heart soar. I was so happy to see a faith based movie on HMM. I wish they would air more movies like this one. We all need movies like this in our lives. ~Joan

🌼 The Blessing Bracelet is family friendly and a very good movie. Acting was superb! Chemistry is great between the leads! ~Joyce in Carolina

🌼 The Blessing Bracelet was lovely! I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but it truly was very enjoyable :) ~Donna

🌼 Loved the Blessing Bracelet movie!! Very lovely and family friendly. ~Namegirl

🌼 The Blessing Bracelet – Wow! This movie is such an amazing story about faith, family, and forgiveness! Truly a beautiful, inspirational, Easter movie – that even mentions our Risen Savior in the Easter Sunday church service! Dawn is a single mother struggling to pay the bills after her husband leaves her. Even though she’s about to lose her home, she’s determined to find a way to make her payments, taking a second job. It’s empowering to watch Dawn hold on to her faith, even when things look grim. She prays for an answer and it’s exciting to watch a miracle slowly unfold. There’s an important turning point in Dawn’s faith when she learns the important lesson that God never moved, she did. When she returns to church, Dawn is surrounded by an incredibly supportive community of church family. I loved seeing Dawn’s close relationship with her sweet son and parents, and meeting Ben at the veterinarian office where she works, is really cute! It was an absolute joy to watch Dawn overcome so much hardship by turning to God, counting her blessings, and trusting in her faith. The Blessing Bracelet is such a powerful, uplifting film! I was truly blessed and encouraged by watching it, and I know it will have a ripple effect; The Blessing Bracelet will surely have an inspiring, spiritual impact on all who see it! ~Net

🌼 I LOVED "The Blessing Bracelet"! That movie captured my heart and still hasn't let my heart go. It was a moving, warm and all around special movie. It had a great message and did not shy away from faith and God. :-) Joan

Click on these Blessing Bracelets below for more information. 🔗 Amazon.

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Spring Breakthrough (Mahogany movie)

Starring: Keesha Sharp, Demetrius Grosse, Rhyon Nicole Brown and Akono Dixon

Premieres: Sunday, April 30, 2023

Storyline: Single mother Monica Rollins (Sharp) excitedly waits for her daughter, Vivian (Brown), to come home for spring break, their annual tradition. Days before, after years of tireless dedication to her job, Monica is unceremoniously fired. To make matters worse, Monica is dealt with a second blow when Vivian announces her surprise engagement to Shawn (Dixon), someone Monica didn't even know existed and travels to The Gulf Shores for the engagement celebration. En route, she meets Clark Randall (Grosse), who also happens to be Shawn’s godfather, at the airport and an unexpected flirtation ignites.

Movie Reviews:

🌼 "Spring Breakthrough" -- family-friendly. This was filmed close to home, which is always interesting. A one time watch for me, as the mom's character development got a bit tiresome. ~Alicia

🌼 Spring Breakthrough is family friendly about a single Mother named Monica receives the surprise of a lifetime when her Daughter announces her endorsement to Shawn. En route to the engagement celebration, Monica meets Shawn’s Godfather named Clark, and flirtation ignites ~Anonymous

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Hopefully, we'll find something to love on one of the Hallmark networks this April! I'm most looking forward to seeing the newest DaySpring production, The Blessing Bracelet, with its inspirational message. Do you have any movie picks for April? Please share in comments below.

Happy movie watching, Net

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

UPtv's New MARCH 2023 TV Movie Premieres! *SEE HERE:

🔎 Attention All Sleuthers - Something Sweet is Baking Up on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries! 🔎

Friday, February 24, 2023

🌼 Hallmark Announces APRIL 2023 Movie Schedule with Spring Into Love Films + an Inspirational DaySpring Easter Movie -- #SpringIntoLove 🌼 SEE DETAILS: