Tag: Hallmark Original

Crown for Christmas – 17th December

The third of the Hallmark Christmas Trio. This film however does not star Lacey Chabert but Danica McKellar the other Hallmark Christmas star. She has starred in more Hallmark films than Chabert but as she is older so has different roles. This film reminds me of Maid in Manhattan because the main character is a maid but the film then evolves into A Christmas Prince where an American stranger becomes the governess to a European princess.

Firstly, I thought that the King looked a bit young to have a 10 year old daughter and his prospective wife hardly looks 30 but apart from this the film was quite enjoyable. If you love the Netflix Original Christmas films or Hallmark ones then this definitely would hit the spot.

The basic premise is that Alison who is struggling to pay bills works as a maid at a hotel. She finds a watch just as she gets fired and hands it back to its rightful owner, King Maximilian. As a thank you, she is hired to go to Europe and be his daughter’s governess. The King must re-marry soon and his people are arranging a marriage with another royal but he wants to marry for love. Alison becomes like a mother to the princess and becomes closer to the King.

A particular highlight was the snowball fight with the princess and all the staff. I enjoyed this film but thought it very predictable and not as good as the other Hallmark Christmas films I previously reviewed. Another thing is that everyone sounded British when they were meant to be from a European country. American films often do this such as The Princess Diaries or A Prince & Me. It is as if they think all Europeans sound the same. Overall 3/5.

A Christmas Melody- 16th December

Lacey Chabert has dominated the Hallmark Christmas film market and this film is no different. I have coupled the Hallmark films together with the third one coming out tomorrow. I think these films have had a bit of a bad press as cheesy and predictable but I think they make great Christmas films and I haven’t been exposed to them as they aren’t shown on UK television. I think its great that Amazon Prime are showing these films as I think they are modern classics.

In this film, Lacey Chabert is Kristin Parson, a fashion designer living in Los Angeles. Then she gets an opportunity to move back to her home town, Silver Falls in the Mid-West with her daughter Emily. Her aunt’s house becomes available so after her fashion boutique goes under she makes the move. She reconnects with an old school pal who is Emily’s music teacher.

The focus of the story is the talent show that the elementary school are putting on. Mariah Carey also stars as a mother of one of the popular girls and the head of the PTA. Other actors in the film I didn’t recognise but I thought they all did a great job.

I would say that this was a family film, as all Hallmark films are and it is not set around the big day so one to watch in the lead up to Christmas. I give this film 3.5/5.

A Wish for Christmas – 15th December

This Hallmark Original Film is one I found on Netflix. I was expecting it to be cheesy and overly romantic as Hallmark films are stereotyped to be. I thought that apart from the fairytale premise of a wish being granted by Santa Claus, the rest of the film was quite enjoyable. In the film, Sara wants to be more confident in her workplace as her superior always steals her ideas and passes them off as his own. After getting a Secret Santa gift at her work Christmas party, Sara has the power to have one wish come true for 72 hours. She wishes to be more confident at speaking her mind. This leads to her having a go at her manager for stealing her idea and ending up on a work trip with the CEO.

They go to Seattle a couple of days before Christmas to land an account. The CEO has already left for his holiday so they follow him to a town in the hills which just so happens to be her CEO’s hometown. She meets his family and learns about his aversions to visiting his family. With only 2 days to help him, secure the account and get back to her mother and sister for Christmas Day, Sara needs all the courage her wish can grant her.

I enjoyed the film, a very cosy Christmas film that showed positive images of women in the workplace that evolved into a romantic Christmas adventure. Some parts became quite predictable towards the end but I thought the setting and the acting was good enough for the genre. The ending was a good one as can be expected and this film is perfect for all ages. More of a soppy rom com than anything else so be careful who you watch it with.

Overall 3/5. Lacey Chabert is always a great actress and I’ve been a fan since her Party of Five days. Most of the other actors are regulars in Hallmark Christmas films. I probably wouldn’t watch this again as there are other more re-watchable films in the Countdown.