Hallmark Channel Premiere | November 26, 2021
This is one of my favorite storylines - two people pretend to be a couple for the sake of family at Christmas. Hijinks ensue, and somewhere along the way, they discover that they are actually in love. In this case, Jamie and Emily have been broken up for over two months, but Jamie failed to break the news to his family. Emily goes along with the farce because Jamie promises her some time with the Governor of Illinois for an all-important ad campaign. In addition, Jamie is writing the Governor's Christmas speech, but he can't find the right words until he learns about love and family at Christmas. (Apparently, the writers could not find the right words either, because they casually skip over the speech at the end of the movie. Don't worry, though, Emily is sufficiently impressed, so Jamie must have done a great job.)
I loved this movie at the beginning, and it was trending in the A/B range for a while. However, I kept dropping the grade as time went on, as the first hour is vastly superior to the second. In fact, if this movie were just one hour long, it would be perfect. Instead, it was stretched to include too much drama, and what was humorous at the beginning became just silly. In the end, it was a pretty average Hallmark movie with a below-average wardrobe. (I am referring to Jamie's sweaters here.)
Hallmark gets an A on: the Balsam Hill ad placement; our two leads; the humor; Jamie's family; Becca's she-shed
Hallmark gets an F on: Jamie's sweaters; the last 20 minutes
Grade: C+
* Note Grading Scale:
A = This is seriously a good movie. It will remain on my DVR for the season.
B = Totally exceeded my expectations. I'm happy to recommend.
C = This is an average Hallmark movie. Good holiday fun.
D = I'm disappointed... but I watched it. Why not?
F = I actually had a hard time getting through this one. And that says a lot.
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