Jen Reviews Hallmark Christmas Movies Part II

Last week, I did a post on watching Hallmark Christmas Movies for the very first time. Thanks to my friend Karen @ FWIW reviews for the inspiration, and all of you for your enthusiastic support of this project -- you can read Part I here. 

I'm pleased the present part II and, if I can withstand the relentless mockery of my family, there may be a part III...

Review of Hallmark's My Christmas Dream (2016)

Starring Danica McKellar, David Haydn-Jones and Deidre Hall

I loved The Wonder Years and had high hopes for this one. Danica looks fantastic and seems like a cool girl IRL, what with her math degree, so Hallmark should have given her a good script. 

But as I watched My Christmas Dream, my mind kept drifting. Danica plays Christina, a department store manager. 

You know how every town has the good mall and the sad mall? Well, poor Christina is the boss of the sad department store in the sad mall. 

In the part where I was still paying attention, the love interest spills paint on Christina's dress and then she fires him. Or doesn't stop someone else from firing him? He's a divorced dad with a adorable kid, and she wants some kind of promotion from Dr. Marlena from DOOL. 

There's probably more to the plot than that, but I kind of zoned out.

Jen's Rating: DNF

Review of Hallmark's A December Bride (2016)

Starring Jessica Lowndes and Daniel Lissing

A December Bride was sheer cheesy Christmas perfection - my favorite HCM yet! It had better developed characters and a real plot, plus a sweet and charming romance. 

Layla is an interior decorator who toils thanklessly for her mocha latte-loving boss. Layla's also undergone terrible heartbreak when her cousin stole her fiancé. 

When Layla is asked to decorate some corporate offices for the holidays, she runs into Seth, the man who introduced her fiancé to her man-stealing cousin. She's not thrilled to see Seth, but makes it clear that the least he can do is accompany her to her cousin's wedding so she's not dumped and dateless. 

(Layla should feel better that the wedding seems to take place in the rec room of a nursing home, with the most half-hearted decor ever.) 

At the wedding, Seth feels so bad for Layla that he tells everyone they're engaged and ... a fauxmance is born. 

This couple's chemistry was adorable. Seth is clearly crazy about Layla, but she's too oblivious to see it. I also loved the fact that the man-stealing plot was actually fully developed, exploring the cousins' relationship so that the whole thing wasn't just a stereotypical catfight. For you HGTV fans, there's also a subplot where Layla competes in a Christmas decorating contest with her boss.

Jen's Rating: 5/5 Chocolate Santas!

Review of Hallmark's Broadcasting Christmas (2016)

Starring Melissa Joan Hart and Dean Cain

Can Sabrina the Teenage Witch really be 40? 

Melissa Joan Hart was cute and relatable in this show about Emily, who competed with her boyfriend for a big network job in New York, lost out, and resigned herself to being a local TV reporter in small town Connecticut. 

Dean Cain, whose boyish charm has turned a little bland, plays Charlie, the now-ex-boyfriend who beat Emily out for the job. 

When a sidekick spot on a popular morning talk show (think Live with Kelly!) opens up, these two (along with a couple of other contenders) audition for the job and have to face up to their failed relationship. 

Okay, so this movie wasn't romantic at all, but it was fun. I didn't feel any spark of chemistry between these two, but it was entertaining to watch Emily and Charlie try to one-up each other to impress the show's host and win the promotion. 

This movie also had the funniest HCM line so far: "You're my 100 year old fruitcake."

Jen's Rating: 3/5 Chocolate Santas

For more Hallmark movie reviews, check out Holiday Movie Showdown!