Hallmark Gifts Two Holiday Treats

         On October 26, 2024 and October 27, 2024 respectively, Hallmark Channel gifted viewers with two holiday themed films that quickly won over viewers, 'The Christmas Charade' and 'The 5-Year Christmas Party'. But what did the critics say?

Photo Courtesy of Hallmark Media and Borja Moncunill

        In 'The 5-Year Christmas Party', which is "Told over the course of five years, two recent college grads find themselves drawn together year after year while working for a catering company that specializes in holiday parties." The ensemble cast includes Jordan Fisher and Katie Findlay. Mandi Bierly of TV Line says, "Anyone who loves the 2012 Danica McKellar-Dustin Milligan Lifetime classic Love at the Christmas Table might have a soft spot for our runner-up pick, The 5-Year Christmas Party (premieres Sunday, Oct. 27 at 8 pm on Hallmark Channel). It’s another heartfelt story about two friends taking years to become something more. Only this time, theater school crushes Alice (Katie Findlay) and Max (Jordan Fisher) acknowledge their feelings from the start, then choose not to date because he’s leaving for L.A. to pursue screen acting and she’s staying in Chicago to one day direct theater. Christmas season after Christmas season, jobs at his sister’s catering company bring them back together long enough to reconnect and grow closer before one of them pulls away again. Findlay and Fisher are a winning duo, equally comfortable in the banter-filled moments and in the quieter ones where twinkling or teary eyes do some of the talking."

Photo Courtesy of Hallmark Media and Vortex Media

        In 'The Christmas Charade', "Facing another dull Christmas alone, sparks fly when a risk-averse librarian accidentally gets wrapped up with a grinchy FBI agent in an undercover mission to save the Heart of Christmas." The ensemble cast includes Corey Sevier (who also directs) and Rachel Skarsten. TV Line writes, "We may never get to watch anyone but baker Hannah Swensen solve a murder during the holidays. So we’ll just have to settle for an elementary school librarian helping to thwart a jewelry heist at the Mistletoe Ball. Rachel Skarsten stars as Whitney, who was raised by two home security experts to believe adventure is best enjoyed in books and movies. Wanting to shake things up a bit, she agrees to a blind date — and accidentally sits down with undercover FBI agent Josh (Corey Sevier, also the director), who assumes she’s the new colleague posing as his girlfriend for a lunch date with the suspected thief and his wife. Once Whitney inadvertently talks her way into helping the wife plan the ball, where a $10 million necklace will be the centerpiece, there’s no turning back. The script (by Kate Pragnell, also Sevier’s wife) hits all the fun notes you’d anticipate. A training montage reveals Whitney has more skills than Josh thinks. Curmudgeon/lone wolf Josh gets roped into playing Whitney’s boyfriend for a holiday game night with her parents. They perform a tango to “Por Una Cabeza,” which you’ll recognize from Scent of a Woman, and a stunt that defies gravity. The best part: You won’t see the end twist coming. Should Sevier and Skarsten, co-stars in Jazz Ramsey: A K-9 Mystery earlier this year as well, want to partner for another sting, we’re in."