topic Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas. in TV and Movies

Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

J Town Girl — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 23:07:27 GMT

For those of you who watched this movie, what did you think of it?

I can't say that I liked it. At times it went from too dreary to too silly. The reviews called it a lighthearted romantic comedy. I didn't see too much lightheartedness. The female actress had such a perpetual frown on her face throughout the entire movie and while the male lead at times seemed somewhat upbeat it wasn't enough to lighten the movie.

What in the world has happened to the Hallmark Christmas movies? I've purchased many of them from past years and also have recorded many on my own DVD's. I was just telling my husband last night that I am so happy I have the movies from past years because there hasn't been one Christmas movie from last year, or so far this year, that I would be interested in keeping in my movie library.

I was hoping that the Great American Family movie channel would offer a better selection but so far, with the exception of one or two, I haven't been too impressed with either the movies or the choice of actors and actresses.

I guess I'll just wait until after Christmas and hope that when Hallmark's Mystery movies return there will be a good selection of them. I've always enjoyed them. Although I do miss the mystery series that started with the Garage Sale Mysteries

There were a few that ran last year and this year that had some potential to be a decent series if they can develop them right.

I liked the Curious Caterer with Nikki DeLoach and Redemption In Cherry Springs with Rochelle Aytes.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Black Cat Back — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 23:53:19 GMT

The best Hallmark Christmas movies IMO are "The Nine Lives of Christmas" and "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" with Brandon Routh and Kimberly Sustad.

Sweet and more realistic story than most of them. I could watch those two movies over and over.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

sunshine45 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:05:33 GMT

loved it and looking forward to watching it again!

i like that it was not a "typical" hallmark xmas movie.

i found moments of sadness and moments of fun.....all in the same movie.

also loved the new one on friday night.....NOEL NEXT DOOR.

2 strong enjoyable movies to start out the season.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Janey2 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:08:57 GMT

I thought it was terrible, and I am a "Hallmark Movie watcher." I could not get my eyes off Marisol Nichols eyebrows. They look like two giant caterpillars. The virtue signaling on the Hallmark movies are beyond subtle. It is so obvious and often distracting to the storyline. Maybe they are making too many movies instead of a few quality movies.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

code99 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:18:52 GMT

I lost interest in it about 45 minutes in and changed the channel, and I LOVE Kristopher Polaha! So that says a lot!!

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

mspatmac — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:22:20 GMT

I have it recorded but haven't watched it. I will watch anything with Kristoffer Polaha but I miss Jill Wagner with him in Mystery 101. The older movies and mysterys were so much better. Still can't delete the one with Henry Winkler

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

maisiebrook — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 02:36:35 GMT

I did not like We Wish You a Married Christmas at all except for the actor.

I watched two others: Noel Next Door and We Need a Little Christmas and enjoyed both.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be some good ones yet to air.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

stevieb — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 02:41:38 GMT

@Janey2 wrote:
I thought it was terrible, and I am a "Hallmark Movie watcher." I could not get my eyes off Marisol Nichols eyebrows. They look like two giant caterpillars. The virtue signaling on the Hallmark movies are beyond subtle. It is so obvious and often distracting to the storyline. Maybe they are making too many movies instead of a few quality movies.

They've jumped the woke shark...

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

labmommy1 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 04:38:18 GMT

This was a very depressing movie. Good grief I actually recorded to watch again because the previews seemed funny and sweet. So far not impressed with the hallmark line up of movies. Miss the old ones.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Foxxee — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 17:58:01 GMT

I don't watch Hallmark much anymore because of the direction they decided to go.

I did check in on this one and thought it was one of Hallmark's worst.

The last good movie I watched with Tyler Hynes and Bethany Joy Lenz, 2021, An Unexpected Christmas, surprisingly showed the direction Hallmark was going.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

riley1 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:53:58 GMT

I watched We Need a Little Christmas on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries last night - so slow and boring.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Kindaglitzy — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 17:08:11 GMT

I agree about watching “Nine Lives of Christmas” and “Nine Kittens of Christmas” over and over. Good actors and enjoyable storylines. Not much of a fan of the newer movies, actors just don’t connect with me. Another movie I watch every time I know it’s on is GAC’s “Christmas Angel’, on at 4:00am Thursday 10/27 and yes will get up and watch again. Good actors and great story. I wish the two younger actors would make a follow up movie. Problem as I see it is many of the more senior actors= better actors, become two expensive and networks prefer to keep their overall cost lower. Glad I have collected many of the movies I enjoyed over the years Christmas theme on DVD.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Spurt — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 23:18:12 GMT

@J Town Girl

What happened is Bill Abbott, Former CEO and
President of Crown Media Family left Hallmark (by some accounts--forced out---) over "creative differences". Bill Abbott then acquired GAC, originally Great American Country, in June 2021, it was rebranded into Great American Media and divided into two different brands--- GAC Family Channel and Great American Living. Many of the actors followed him from Hallmrk to his new enterprise.....

Heres how to watch the new channel---

https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/channel-finder/

Abbott was replaced at Hallmark by Wonya Lucas, she made changes which included adding a lot of reruns to Hallmarks lineup to improve their profitability. And many viewers have complained about the quality of the movies, both scripts and acting, since she took over.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

stevieb — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 00:15:15 GMT

@Spurt wrote:
@J Town Girl

What happened is Bill Abbott, Former CEO and
President of Crown Media Family left Hallmark (by some accounts--forced out---) over "creative differences". Bill Abbott then acquired GAC, originally Great American Country, in June 202, it was rebranded into Great American Media and divided into two different brands--- GAC Family Channel and Great American Living. Many of the actors followed him from Hallmrk to his new enterprise.....

Heres how to watch the new channel---
https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/channel-finder/

Abbott was replaced at Hallmark by Wonya Lucas, she made changes which included adding a lot of reruns to Hallmarks lineup to improve their profitability. And many viewers have complained about the quality of the movies, both scripts and acting, since she took over.

@Spurt The complaints are justified in my opinion. I was never a big Hallmark fan, though I have historically watched a few of the Christmas movies here or there and occasionally a mystery movie. The only reruns I find enjoyable are Golden Girls, which quite frankly could use a hiatus, Murder She Wrote (in small doses, and could probably also stand a hiatus), Diagnosis Murder and, of course, Lucy, which Hallmark no longer shows. Meanwhile, many cable channels, Hallmark included, is bombarding us with Reba... As for the movies, holiday and otherwise, there was nothing wrong with trying to make them a bit less formulaic and a bit more 'inclusive' but unfortunately, it appears the powers that be have failed to recognize there was a fairly predictable formula that, for better or wrose, led to their success and diluting it too much pretty much ensures many long term viewers will tune out. It's unlikely the changes will generate enough viewers to make up the loss, particularly as bad as the movies, overall, are proving to be.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Spurt — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 23:38:18 GMT

@stevieb wrote:
@Spurt wrote:
@J Town Girl

What happened is Bill Abbott, Former CEO and
President of Crown Media Family left Hallmark (by some accounts--forced out---) over "creative differences". Bill Abbott then acquired GAC, originally Great American Country, in June 202, it was rebranded into Great American Media and divided into two different brands--- GAC Family Channel and Great American Living. Many of the actors followed him from Hallmrk to his new enterprise.....

Heres how to watch the new channel---
https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/channel-finder/

Abbott was replaced at Hallmark by Wonya Lucas, she made changes which included adding a lot of reruns to Hallmarks lineup to improve their profitability. And many viewers have complained about the quality of the movies, both scripts and acting, since she took over.

@Spurt The complaints are justified in my opinion. I was never a big Hallmark fan, though I have historically watched a few of the Christmas movies here or there and occasionally a mystery movie. The only reruns I find enjoyable are Golden Girls, which quite frankly could use a hiatus, Murder She Wrote (in small doses, and could probably also stand a hiatus), Diagnosis Murder and, of course, Lucy, which Hallmark no longer shows. Meanwhile, many cable channels, Hallmark included, is bombarding us with Reba... As for the movies, holiday and otherwise, there was nothing wrong with trying to make them a bit less formulaic and a bit more 'inclusive' but unfortunately, it appears the powers that be have failed to recognize there was a fairly predictable formula that, for better or wrose, led to their success and dilutinf it too much pretty much ensures many long term viewers will tune out. It's unlikely the changes will generate enough viewers to make up the loss, particularly as bad as the movies, overall, are proving to be.

@stevieb

Yep, you're right! The story formulas were way too predictable...Actually I preferred to watch their mysteries on the Hallmark Movie and Mystery Channel....But the Christmas and other movies provided a nice change of pace and a break from reality that we all need from time to time which as you said has led to their success..............

Now much of their top talent has followed their old boss, and what we are left with is just BAD HALLMARK MOVIES! And boy the reviews on social media were bad: from slow and boring plot (and was it really important to show a tampon box) to bad acting, and too much focus on "an agenda" ........It was like when The Golden Girls "jumped the shark" when the emphasis changed to topical issues rather than the lives of the characters and good comedy writing....

Hallmark used to take painstaking care in pairing their leading characters, but now, it's like they draw random names from a hat and slap couples together. The newer movies featuring couples with no spark, or even a pulse.

Not only will the "new" Hallmark get competition from GAC but The Lifetime Channel has wasted no time in promoting their WONDERFUL LIFETIME MOVIE EVENTS perhaps in the hopes of capturing some of the viewing audience dissatsified with the quality of the new fare from Hallmark.......

Lifetime's been promoting "The Dog Days Of Christmas" on November 11th ....sounds much like an old Hallmark Plot---Interestingly some of the cast hails from Australia....

What is Dog Days of Christmas About?

While visiting her family during Christmastime, Annie Blake (Georgia Flood) decides to help three stray dogs get adopted before heading back into her career working for a global non-profit. But when she runs into local veterinarian, Dylan Hawkes (Ezekiel Simat), her old high school debate partner, they team up to save an animal rescue. Ultimately, Annie discovers that finding love, and making a difference in the world, can happen right at home.

It will be interesting to see if audiences move away from Hallmark and jumping to GAC and/or Lifetime this season.....

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

chickenbutt — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 22:42:31 GMT

Aren't all their movies pretty much the same? I haven't watched one in a while, so I haven't seen this one but what is currently bothering me is that now, and for months I imagine, they have nothing but these movies 24/7.

I was recording Cheers and enjoying watching those episodes, plus Frasier from time to time, and now nothing but those movies.

I'm curious if people really watch those movies 24/7 for months. It's just too much. They could do plenty of movies and have time left over for other shows and such.

/rant

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

stevieb — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 23:39:47 GMT

@Spurt Lifetime has been doing Christmas for a while now, but they're offerings are often easily as agenda driven as Hallmark is trying to become. My favorite holiday movie last year was actually one done by GAC. Also, Paramount (not Paramount Plus) does a handful of holiday movies. None of them on any of these platforms is exactly award winning, the acting has always been a bit iffy, but yes, the scripts and the actors appear to be getting worse. And frankly, there have got to be some better looking men out there than most of the ones they hire. Hallmark should now be focused more on their audience than on being oh so relevant. Relevant isn't going to see middle America tuning in en masse. On the contrary.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

stevieb — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 23:41:32 GMT

I would also suggest that 24/7 of those movies for months at a time, even were they uniformly good (and they aren't), is too much. They should include a few hours each day of their regular programming.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

Snoopp — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 00:43:30 GMT

I watched Holiday Hearts and We Need A Little Christmas. They were ok. I can’t watch anything with Lacey Chabert.

Re: Hallmark Christmas Movie - We Wish You A Married Christmas.

kindred cats — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 17:58:39 GMT

That movie is on again today and wondered if I should record it.

Think I'll skip it after reading what everyone said.

I agree the older movies are much better!

Thanks for all your input.