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The Single's Guidebook (2022)
Predictable
One or more leads being a social media influencer has become popular in these movies. In this movie, the script had strong similarities to ones where a reporter is sent to do a hit piece and becomes involved with the subject. That usually involves a tough and relentless editor or in this case Molly's boss. In this type of story, that almost always leads to the development of the conflict in the romance. And the resolution is almost always the same.
Despite Molly's rough start refusing help with the bookcase, Molly turns out to be decent enough. She has an upbeat personality with Jackson, but seems a little discouraged at other times.
Jackson thinks he is confident and attractive. He easily attracts first interest with women, but his confidence is really arrogance and he has trouble getting past the first conversation. That's where Molly comes in. I grew tired of the word "wingwoman" but she really helps him.
It is common, almost a prerequisite, that the leads deny their attraction to each other as long as possible. In Jackson's case, I didn't think the movie did a good job of showing him realize it or why.
I enjoyed the banter between Molly and Jackson. The inevitable conflict gets a little more complicated than usual.
A big flaw in this genre is a lead who expects the world and corporations to revolve around making good relationships. Money bad! That almost seems to be Molly's mantra. Interesting attitude for an influencer since so many of them can make obscene amounts of money for seemingly little effort.
The acting is mixed from fair to poor. The actor playing Molly's boss is poor and her character is one dimensional. The same is true of Alessandra Santos' Cara. Philip Boyd's performance as Jackson is mixed. Meggan Kaiser as Molly is probably the most consistent.
I was surprised to find myself a little past halfway in the movie and still interested despite the complaints above. But from the climax through the end I was a combination of annoyed and disinterested at least partly because of the predictability.
Hearts Around the Table: Jenna's First Love (2025)
Fell flat
I like another reviewer's comments about the continuation of the Unwrapping Christmas saga.
The story didn't flow well, but that could have been some bad acting by a fairly regular Hallmark star Steve Lund. He looked like he was suffering for playing the part. He didn't seem sincere or natural. I can't see how Jenna could love Andrew so don't even look for chemistry between Lund and Newbrough. Even right up to the climax, Andrew was acting like a loser.
Then there is Sheri. I'm sure she will turn out to be nice when it's her movie, but I thought she was beyond rude. Mostly to Andrew.
The kid, Rory, looked somewhere between asleep and comatose in early scenes at the dinner table.
I couldn't decide how Jenna felt about the way Tom was coming on to her. I wasn't sure she was picking up on it, or trying not to, but it was so obvious. Then a little later it almost seemed like she was giving him a chance, but like Lund, Newbrough didn't seem invested in her role as it related to Tom.
The whole movie felt off.
Sappy Holiday (2022)
You have to follow your heart
A reliable person is not good for a spouse. OK, maybe not just a reliable person. You have to follow your heart. These are typically Hallmark ideas and they reign in this movie.
We start out with Joy trying to get a promotion to executive chef, but her boyfriend goes behind her back and gets her time off for Christmas while her competition remains behind. Meanwhile James is struggling to keep his syrup farm going. His brother wants him to sell. Riley makes a wish that someone will show up and save the farm, and Joy seems to be that person. All of a sudden she comes up with a bunch of ideas to save the farm. Many of them are the same as we see in many movies with a similar premise.
Joy's boyfriend belongs to an uppity family with the Mayor for a mom. Gabe seems more involved with helping her next campaign than rescuing Joy when she gets stranded.
I am not a fan of stories where someone is in a committed relationship but gets her head turned by someone she just met. And Joy knows Gabe plans to propose. She waffles between joining Gabe and helping James.
Once Joy is away from her obsession with her job in the city, she is a very upbeat person ready to have some fun. (Another Hallmark mantra.) She laughs a lot while at the farm.
The acting is decent. Riley is a cute teen, or preteen and bonds with Joy. I enjoyed the way Joy she bonds with James and Riley and the whole family.
The movie is slow before the climax especially when Joy seems to get ignored by Gabe's family. So it's no surprise what she does next.
The ending is predictable.
Royal-ish (2025)
Fanciful
Take a look at Princess Sweet Pea and watch her in the formal Tea Party where she meets Prince Henry and the impression one takes away is that not only is this a fantasy story, but the people producing it don't expect any other impression. It's cute. It parodies a little what goes on at a famous theme park we know where there is a store that you can take you little princess to buy a dress and visit the beauty salon to get all made up. If you have never been, yes, there is such a place and I could easily see this scene playing out there.
But then the story leaves the fantasy castle and theme park and goes out into the world leading eventually back to Henry's mother's kingdom.
We have a fanciful story that has what you need for a carefree fun time. Lacey is so good with Sophie that if it doesn't bring a tear, at least you want to go "Ahh".
But there is a bit of darkness in the kingdom as well. Many of these Royal romance stories have a Queen who always gives off a serious vibe and often some chastising as well. But if that's not enough there is also a royal advisor who is even more depressing. Obviously a potential villain, but he is almost as bad as "he who shall never be named".
If ever there was a commoner who didn't belong in the prince's world, it is Lacey who ironically has a job as a princess in a fantasy world.
As often happens where a child is as important to the story as this one, Lacey's screen time is split between Sophie and Henry making it harder to see chemistry between Nichole Sakura and William Moseley. The real chemistry is between Sakura and Francesca Europa as Rose.
I often complain in this genre about a character completely changing personality instantly. Emily Swan does that in spades as the queen.
In general terms the story is predictable. The obstacle to the romance is just like it is in so many Royal romance movies. The reconciliation is a little cute.
Because of some of the unusual, even quirky aspects of this story, there are some highlights. I mentioned the sentimental and the fanciful.
Love at First Bark (2017)
Upbeat
I am a huge Jana Kramar fan and I like Kevin McGarry as well. They have good chemistry.
The character Julia is insecure and nervous. A big theme in the story is how Owen pushes her to be more assertive and confident. Julia's relationship with the dog, King, exemplifies her development overall. Owen stresses that the dog needs her to be confident in her instructions. I have to admit that I scoffed a little at her "lead with love" attitude as if any boundaries are unnecessary. I was a little surprised that there wasn't a scene where King destroyed her home, but it seemed that she at least had sense not to leave King alone.
By the middle of the story, Julia becomes more respectable and it starts to be reflected in her successes.
There seems to be a rival for Owen's attention. Julia jumps to conclusions which may be at least partially accurate and they lead to the conflict in the relationship which includes Julia's regression to much of her former insecurities.
King provides a draw for dog lovers, but King is not the most cuddly one I've seen in this type of movie.
Love Across Time (2024)
Ignore the plot holes
Oh, there are so many plot holes, but ignore them and go with it.
I did wonder where Charles got money while he was stuck in the present.
This movie reminds me of Kate and Leopold which was a feature film with more well known actors many years ago. And Hallmark did a similar story A Timeless Christmas which also used the Moon as a key to the time travel.
I was glad that this movie avoided putting the main characters in crazy situations trying to cover their secret. The story mostly avoids scenes where a lot explaining was required to cover the secret. I was also glad that the leads didn't start out with the usual blatant antagonism. And I was glad Chelsea's boss wasn't overbearing with constant interruptions.
There is some discussion amongst characters about time travel paradoxes but not a lot of geeky talk.
I think some viewers will find the movie a bit slow at times. It tries to make up for it with making the relationship appealing.
Aubrey Reynolds and Toby-Alexander Smith had some chemistry but not quite sizzling The acting was mostly OK. The Quinn character was supposed to be weird and quirky. The dialogue is also OK but not sparkling.
Christmas in Maple Hills (2023)
Holes and disconnects
This could have been a nice sentimental story that was more than the usual Hallmark Saturday night. Like some of their Christmas stories that involve a quest to uncover something from the past, it is a romance with a mystery attached. The mystery would be especially compelling as it involves Grandma and a mysterious relationship during World War II.
My first problem that I'll call a hole is that an unusually committed love affair is launched on basically one dance at a USO-like function where grandma is a hostess who admits she isn't supposed to get personal with the soldiers. From that beginning, the soldier writes her countless letters and she pines to receive them but some mix-up leaves him without her address and so apparently she never got them while he was gone. He is deployed several years. I don't want to give a spoiler, but let me just say that how this is resolved is equally spontaneous and hard to understand.
Meanwhile, the granddaughter Val and her newfound "friend" are searching for answers to a title issue for the ranch. How they proceed on the search is confusing. How and where they find clues is confusing. And where they find the biggest clues leave an obvious question - why did they wait to look there? The way it played in the movie, it seemed that there was no reason they couldn't have looked there first. In fact, it would have made more sense than at least one of the places they did look. It really was a disappointment.
There is a character Douglas who isn't really explained. All I can figure is that he is a red herring for the viewer.
The movie explores home, immediate family, ancestral family, love, and wanderlust.
The movie kept my attention because of the mystery, but my frustration level was high throughout because there were so many scenes that were hard to figure out. I wasn't particularly surprised by anything including the ending.
The acting was decent despite the story holes. There was chemistry between Marcus Rosner and the beautiful and winsome Emily Alatalo. There were many flashbacks as I alluded to above.
Passport to Love (2024)
Scenery
Based on the first sequence you might think you have the premise where two people are double booked and share a vacation rental. But they move on from that quickly, which already makes this story a little different.
The competition of the travel blogger with the magazine is also different but quickly turns into very similar to an editor sending a reporter to do a hit piece in the sense that Kade is keeping a secret from Nicole while supposedly working to sabotage her.
It isn't long before I lose respect for Kade. He isn't really trying to damage her, but he is lying to her and doesn't even seem to realize it. He does, but barely.
Hudson is another cardboard villain. He isn't subtle at all and he's stuck on himself.
Well you know the truth is going to come out and trash the relationship. What came next was a bit of a twist for me. From there the movie goes into exactly what you would expect.
I thought the acting was fair, with little spark. Chemistry between Shae Robbins and Mason Mac was comfortable but maybe a little too quiet. The dialogue was similar - fair with little spark.
Other reviewers have noted the scenery as the star of the movie and it is. Unlike some of these movies which focus on everything in one locale, this one hit several and showed each one.
Beauty and the Billionaire: Bali (2024)
Goes from awful to just bad
The worst cartoon beasts have nothing on this guy. Early on at the clinic he is looking to pick a fight with new born kittens and Ivy gives him one. She is pretty stupid and childish to do so when the clinic depends on him, but the Dylan character is beyond offensive. There was no reason for the writers and director to make him so over the top that I was cringing through all these early scenes. They could have toned him down several notches and still got the story set up they needed. Later at the villa he tells her she has to sit in a chair and watch the patient all night. When he discovers her asleep he yells at her. Not only is he rude and entitled beyond belief but he has zero common sense. In a scene soon after yelling at her for being asleep, he stops Ivy on the way to help Blake and wants her to play pool with him instead. Ivy's character is very unpleasant too but it's hard to tell how much is her basic personality and how much is reaction to Dylan.
Joel Bishop as Blade overdoes the woozy bit.
After all the ridiculousness is firmly established, the viewer gets a look at some double dealing.
I was hoping the movie would get better, especially the unlikable characters. The arguing and meanness eventually dies down but the script is still bad. In a rom/com the idea is to throw the leads together a lot but the excuses to do so are lame. Even the ending is unimpressive.
The acting is generally awful. The dialogue ranges from stupid to bland.
Savoring Paris (2024)
Carefree or lost or savoring
Ella is escaping from her boring life and job where she is just a cog in a big corporate wheel. She turns a two week vacation into a summer of finding herself. In Paris. She stumbles into a perfect sublet, and an internship at a fromagerie (cheese shop).
Ella is a little lost. She tells herself she is trying things out on the road to finding herself. When she meets Gaston and dives into a relationship with the "cad" it adds to the impression that she is a little too naive.
Meanwhile the owner of the shop, also known as the Grump starts treating her more like a special friend. The viewer can see Serge is jealous of Gaston and the viewer probably knows before Serge what he really wants.
I am never a fan of someone dating two people at once. Ella doesn't seem to realize at first that she is, in fact, dating Serge. That's when things get complicated.
Clotilde adds a little spice as her fun roommate and surrogate big sister. Mom adds some judgmental attitude.
The Makeover (2013)
Hannah is an awful person and doesn't get better
I came to this move because of C. J Cox who does the Teleplay. One of his latest Hallmark movies in 2025 is one of the better scripts I can remember. I looked up his resume and found that I rated some other of his previous works highly. I guess he improved in over a decade because this is awful and how it was written is a big part of why.
The formula is that the two leads meet and are antagonistic with each other. Then miraculously and instantly one or both change their personality completely. Well Hannah remains stuck up and mean and can't stop insulting people, late into the movie. I will admit, I forwarded quickly through some of the middle and caught her doing the same old crap at the end. I have no idea why either of them might think they are in love.
Another reason I disliked this movie is because of the silly political idealism.
The Reluctant Royal (2025)
Mixed feelings about this one
I did not like the tone of this story. The commoner coming in and saving the day might have been a nice story. And he does keep triumphing in almost everything he does including showing up an experienced horseman even though his only riding experience seems to only be riding a mechanical bull. That was a little too much.
The son of a Duke is automatically a Lord and I think has the title Marquess. Yet the cousin constantly insults him. Would he get away with that in front of a group?
The story goes about how you'd expect. The cousin who is the alternate heir becomes the villain. Two relationships develop. The potential romance is rushed because of everything else going on. The story makes a point of a potential problem there and also rushes dealing with it.
The acting is OK, but not great. The dialogue is mostly bland with maybe one or two good lines.
Like the movie, The Royal We, from the previous week on Hallmark, there is an epilogue where the three royal movies of March 2025 are tied together. It was clever in that one, but seemed forced and abrupt in this one.
The Royal We (2025)
Well done
I feel bad for Mallory Jansen. Her very first appearance in this movie was ghastly as the character Bea has been mourning a very recent breakup by abusing herself with ice cream and sweets. It truly was a memorable look and not flattering. The first of many laughs.
While Bea's BFF, Chloe is played by Rae Lim a little over the top, Mallory is an excellent comedic foil while still being the main protagonist. The dialogue between them and between Bea and the prince's party is sparkling and funny. The dialogue between the elders (mostly the Kings) of the two families is supposed to be funny, but the sarcasm has more bite to it.
Mallory also does a good job switching between her two personalities. There is the transplanted Bostonian (but with a more neutral American accent rather than a Boston one). And there is the educated multilingual Princess whose sentences always use the royal We.
This premise is really unusual. Two Royals building a relationship, not one. Bea is coerced into being courted by Prince Desmond as a prelude to engagement to allow a chance for peace to be negotiated between the two countries.
What follows, that is the courting process, is entertaining. There is more good dialogue. Mallory appears to be enjoying her role as she tries to loosen up the Prince.
I found a quick scene between Bea and her mother interesting in the way it turned the common theme of the sacrifice of royal responsibility in reverse. Bea is seen convincing the Queen that it was necessary for Bea to sacrifice her previously simple life for the good of the kingdom.
The story evolves in ways you might expect but with plenty of fun and laughs. Even the climax is properly irreverent.
And one final clever addition at the very end, while our couple discusses invitations for a coming gathering, they just happen to incidentally introduce the main characters for the coming Hallmark Royal movies in March.
I have to add that I am usually condescending about Royal movies, but this is one of the best ones I can remember. It is simply well done.
Added one week later: I often say one of the real tests of how much you like a movie is if you watch it again. I've watched this completely twice more and enjoyed it all three times.
Someone Like You (2024)
Several problems
Karen Kingsbury wrote the book this movie is based on and is credited as one writer with the movie. KK is a Christian writer. God is an important part of this story.
So the first problem I had with this movie involves faith. Early scenes make a big deal about Dawson discussing London's lack of faith. For me the saddest thing in the world is when an unbeliever dies. One of the last things London says is "I asked him" and "I asked him to catch me." Does that mean she believed? My problem is that the movie should have made this very important plot point more clear. I guess they tried to address it subtly. Dawson and Andi discuss it and Dawson says that at the end "she might have found her way back." To me it is the most important point in any person's story.
Problem 2 - as they were in the hospital I thought - they can use her kidney after she dies. Yet the movie doesn't address this at all because they can't given later story developments. All they would have needed to do is have someone discuss organ donations and say hers were damaged.
Problem 3 - Andi has a boyfriend who is about to propose and their relationship appears solid. It makes me wonder how she could so easily turn him away after meeting Dawson. She makes it sound like she never felt the same, but it still bothers me. Also, there are all kinds of red flags with this relationship, Andi and Dawson. And it is way too fast, even more so than the usual rushed relationships in romance movies.
Problem 4 - Andi overreacts to her parents not telling her sooner. Her mother gave birth to her. That is not a casual relationship and much deeper than a typical adoption. Andi is clearly a Christian. Yet she is actually cruel to her "adopted" parents and definitely should be quicker to forgive.
Problem 5 - I can't believe Andi never questioned the motives as to potential conflict of interest regarding the kidney.
The movie is well done. There are many scenes that are really deep. There are thoughtful moments often with a words in a song. The viewer gets to see into the hearts of all the major characters including both of the girls families. There are some great discussions about difficult subjects including Louise encouraging Andi to reconcile with her parents. There's when Jenny says to Louise "Now you're giving her to me again... A second time." That one needs some Kleenex.
Sisterhood, Inc. (2025)
Random
I don't think this movie, or the people involved with it, takes itself seriously. It is certainly different despite a few common tropes.
The biggest thing that makes it different from the usual Hallmark rom/com is that the typical romance progression that lead couples usually follow is instead the "romance" progression of the sisters. Antagonism. Cooperation on a project. Grow close. Conflict because of an offence by one of them. Grand gesture. Reconciliation.
There is a traditional romance between Megan and Dominic but it totally secondary to the story. It really makes no sense because it is rushed too much with too little screen time together.
There are a lot of random gags. Some are funny. There is nothing realistic from start to finish. It has a parody feel to it, but I'm not sure what it was making fun of. Perhaps it was a parody of a typical Hallmark rom/com.
If you are after lovable characters, you have to be patient. Megan is pathetic and shallow. Izzy is pathetic and irresponsible. Dominic is likeable and doesn't really have any faults.
Glad this isn't a miniseries or a longer movie.
Love and Chocolate (2021)
Not well done (mild spoilers)
For starters the general flow of the story is pretty much the same old stuff. There's a contest. Aria needs a partner. So she and Ryan are working together to become a team for the contest. Aria breaks up with her now-ex at the beginning, but he shows up wanting her back and that causes the conflict between Aria and Ryan just before the end.
There are pieces of the story that don't seem to fit, or at least don't flow together smoothly.
Rhiannon Fish and Jesse Hutch almost have chemistry, but they just miss looking comfortable together.
Acting is bad in a few cases. The actor playing the ex is terrible. The whole scene where he is trying to win Aria back is a disaster.
The woman announcing the contest is overdoing it and lame. Aria's sister's boyfriend isn't great. The woman who pops up right at the end from the network comes off like an acting student saying her lines for the first time.
This is one I will not watch again.
Field Day (2023)
New friends
Jen and her daughter move back to where her parents live after her husband dies. He went quickly from cancer. Jen is struggling with a couple things as a result and doesn't want to move on.
She finds out late about a PTO meeting at her daughter's school and is stuck on the Field Day Committee with two other moms with similar bad luck. Neither of them seems nice nor is either one happy to be there.
This is both a rom/com and a three way sistmance. I thought both stories were a little rushed, but maybe the girls' story not as much.
Jen meets Dan, a teacher at school. Both Jen and Dan seem interested but both are also reluctant because of their pasts.
Rachel Boston and Ben Ayres have decent chemistry. Their relationship immediately starts to seesaw. The three girls have great chemistry.
As the Field Day arrives and with it the climax, things get messy both metaphorically and because it rains.
Lost in Tomorrow (2023)
Not Sci-Fi in the usual sense
I expected Sci-Fi and got existential meaning of life mumbo jumbo. I have no idea what the message is.
The different lives don't seem to have any progression until maybe the last couple and even then I'm not sure what that progression is. The rules seem to change, or is she growing? If the latter, I don't really buy it. And a couple of the lives are disturbing, one in particular. What gets left behind when she moves on? How does that person cope?
In the beginning of her "journey" she flits between lives quickly and it is boring. Finally she starts getting invested a little, and more each one following. I liked the one with the old man where she, as he, confesses everything to the man's wife. I talked about rules changing - now she says she can remember some of the old man's life. That definitely wasn't true in earlier ones.
I was very annoyed when she went to the church. The only message I clearly understood in this movie was to say Christians are total hypocrites and don't care about anyone else. Here is a lost soul screaming for help and all of them just want to get rid of her.
I wasn't real happy with the ending either.
An Unexpected Valentine (2025)
Uber Adventure
The story is not important in this movie. The allure is in the time spent on screen between Lacey Chabert and Robert Buckley. The chemistry is great and the two of them are completely in sync. There are great lines. There are great moments. There is a little physical comedy, but not in a big way.
Mostly it is just two people who never met before on a quest in downtown New York City to find the owner of the engagement ring that was left behind in Finn's car. Along the way, they make a lot of stops. Some are in hopes of finding the owner. There are others involving deliveries. And a couple of rest stops.
If there were any of the usual check-off items for a rom/com, there were barely noticeable. Oh, there were the main character's close friends egging them on to pursue love, but I really didn't notice anything else cliche. Unless you count the inevitable.
Return to Office (2025)
Mostly well done
This movie is a clever take on the popular premise of "You've Got Mail". And the actors do a good job with it. It follows some of the same themes where the two build a relationship both face to face and only by text. Then the texters want to meet. And one of them learns the other's identity. Besides sharing a desk on every other day at the same company, there is also a fresh twist in that two retirement home ladies start meddling.
Just when you think the relationship story and the obvious secret are about to climax, there is a major development on the business side. And this leads into the climax of the romance. I thought the climax at the restaurant made a little too much of a leap. Both characters were expressing thoughts and emotions that hadn't quite been fully developed, at least not for the audience. And the ending was almost squished into the climax.
Janel Parrish and Scott Michael Foster have good chemistry and the acting is good. The dialogue is good. I loved the line "Am I the last one to the Bach party?"
Walter, the head boss, and Chad, the HR guy, were not only annoying, but their characters were way too stereotyped and one dimensional.
The Idea of You (2024)
Pleasantly Surprised
For context, I have watched literally hundreds of Hallmark-like TV rom/com movies and of course this is very different. But I see a lot of things in terms of exactly what's different.
The story is fresh for me. More than that, it is well done. Once you know the setting, things are very predictable until they aren't. While all the Hate focused mostly on Solene is predictable, I was still disgusted by it. And when Izzy is verbally attacked, it was harsh. I had no idea what to expect for an ending, and it worked for me.
There is a lot of sex, although it's clumped mostly in the first half. I know Parental guidance is a separate category, but I think it is relevant to the review for two reasons. First, at times it almost seems like their relationship is about sex. But then they go deeper with emotional conversation getting to know each other that way. Second, you shouldn't expect it to be a lot of nudity. I didn't notice any visible private parts albeit their were scenes in lingerie, bikinis and strategically covered nudity.
Anne Hathaway has to play an extremely emotional role and she does it well. I mentioned the Hate. The attacks on Solene are disgusting and are not limited to the media.
There is a lot of music, singing. We get to see the boy band does performances including at least one complete number. Both singing and dancing in Boy Band style. Nicholas Galitzine does some solo singing including a complete number. And another surprise for me, as a Senior citizen, I found a lot of the music entertaining.
I think I could enjoy watching this again knowing what's coming. There really is a lot of entertainment value.
The Wish Swap (2025)
No real surprises, but enjoyable
The wish swap premise is clever. Two birthday parties at a restaurant but one family didn't have a cake, so they shared. And when birthday boy and birthday girl blow out candles together, their wishes get mixed. He wants a farm. She wants to be on a TV dance show. She inherits a farm and he gets on the show. So they kind of rent out their wishes to one another and presto, they are thrown together for the rest of the movie.
We find out pretty quickly that Casey didn't really have A wish, but a list of three wishes. And she won't tell what the third one is.
I like this type of movie best when the two leads have a lot of screen time together and this movie ranks way up there in that category. Emily Tennant (of whom I am a huge fan) and Jake Foy have excellent chemistry. I thought their dialogue together was good. There were some good laughs even if maybe a little cheesy, but they humor didn't fall flat for me which isn't always the case.
Most viewers can probably guess what will be the conflict in the romance.
Love on The Danube Royal Getaway (2024)
Best of the three
I am not usually a fan of Royal movies. This one had some notable differences from the typical ones.
For starters, the royal movies typically emphasize the differences between the worlds of the two leads repeatedly showing how much the prince's world would be difficult for the commoner woman. Those differences were obviously there, but it seemed the movie went out of its way to minimize them.
Another is typically there are repeated efforts by the prince's parents, the king and/or queen, to keep the prince away from the woman, or even sabotage the relationship. Here, the king and queen seemed neutral on the woman and more focused on the prince's decisions about his future. Once it was obvious how much the prince cared, mom and dad were actually supportive.
Perhaps the biggest difference was that it was Ava who initially rejected the prospect of a royal match, perhaps more out of trust issues, but it had nothing to do with the differences between their worlds. Typically the pressure comes from the royal family to see how to couple's respective worlds are too far apart.
Having said all this, it doesn't give enough credit to how well the story shows the relationship develop between Dan Jeanotte's Joe and Jessica Sipos' Ava. They have good chemistry, far better than either of the couples in the other two Danube movies.
Catherine Disher appears as Betty, the elderly widow, in all three movies. She is an unusual character apparently having been on at least 10 of the same cruise. In each movie she has a temporary relationship of her own, a fling. (Betty is nothing like Mayor Martha Tinsdale.)
Prince Joe's secret is obviously going to create a conflict between the two at some point.
Love on the Danube Kissing Stars (2024)
Hansel and Gretel
There are echoes of common tropes in the premise. Savannah gets laid off at the start. (I'm glad the movie didn't waste a lot of time making that happen.) A movie star needs an advisor/publicist. And like so many Hallmark movies, there is some great travel scenery.
The movie allows plenty of screen time between Brendan Penny's Tripp and Sarah Power's Savannah so the viewer gets to see plenty of interaction between them, and some chemistry. Liam's demands throw some tension into this part of the story.
It is interesting to see Catherine Disher as a totally different character from her Good Witch role. I haven't watched the other episodes of this Danube series so I'm not sure what her bigger role is here.
There is a funny sequence with torn pants, as cliche as that is.
The requisite conflict between Tripp and Savannah is blown up a little, especially given Savannah's profession. Personally, I didn't care for the way that and what followed was handled. Beyond that, I didn't think there was enough in this movie to set it apart. I enjoyed the two leads, but not enough.
The Christmas Checklist (2022)
Surprised me
On paper the outline of this movie could easily be "all the same old stuff". A Christmas checklist by Emily - very common. A reporter, Noah, needs a Christmas spirit newspaper story to get a promotion. A common plot device for the newspaper reporter is a betrayal of some sort, like a broken promise. Emily has a pushy but supportive best friend, Kat. And there is Emily's currently distant boyfriend, both physically and emotionally.
So where is the hook, or what sets this story apart?
For one thing, the movie does a good job of establishing Emily's grief. The checklist grows out of that because it is her late mom's last request. The grief element and how Emily works through it is a strong thread throughout the movie. There is good character development of Emily, better than so many movies where one of the lead characters has an unappealing personality established in the beginning but then it changes 180 degrees instantly. Here the negative trait is her totally debilitating grief and you can see her work through it rather than change instantly. Sarah Power does an excellent job. (Also I didn't know she had such a good singing voice.)
There are a couple of other diversions from the usual plot threads, mostly minor. This movie has a little more going on than the usual TV Christmas movie, but the running time is also a bit longer.
The romance between Emily and Noah shares the spotlight with the other threads, so the slightly reduced screen time saps a little from any chemistry between Power and Jarod Joseph. The requisite obstacle to the relationship involves the usual type of misunderstanding.
As to the reporter's broken promise, Noah comes clean well before the climax. This thread plays out with a lot of similarities to the most common of these stories.
When I watched this, I had been binging Good Witch. Power's Abigail is not the most appealing character. Through the series she is up and down in that regard. Power's Emily is sympathetic and becomes appealing. Emily is so different from Abigail which is interesting in its own right. (A good actor can play different personalities, but in a particular genre they tend to be similar, at least by the end of the movie.)
So this movie has a lot of very common Christmas story plot threads, but the way they are woven together, and the performance by Power overcomes that to give a movie worth watching.