Hallmark Releases Two Instant Classics

         On November 9, 2024 and November 10, 2024, Hallmark Channel released two films that seem destined to become classics for the holiday based network, 'Santa Tell Me' and 'Tis the Season to Be Irish', which have received rave reviews from critics. 

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs

        In 'Santa Tell Me', "A design show host finds a letter from Santa promising to meet her true love, a man named Nick, by Christmas Eve. Meeting three Nicks complicates her search." The ensemble cast includes Daniel Lissing, Erin Krawkow, Benjamin Ayres, and Christopher Russell. Maddy Casale of Decider notes, "Our Call: STREAM IT! Embrace some seasonal silliness with the easy viewing and simple charms of Santa Tell Me. Because sometimes Santa Claus has nothing better to do than play matchmaker for one specific lady and you know what? That’s okay!" Adding, "When you accept that Santa Tell Me takes place in a some alternate reality where magical letters from Santa write themselves out of thin air (to much less shock and fanfare than I would have expected) and horse drawn carriages appear in your driveway exactly when you need them, you can have a really fun time with this movie. There may not be much logic or realism to this, but it’s a Hallmark Christmas movie, okay, it doesn’t always have to be that deep! Olivia is a winning leading lady (it’s also fun that she ends up being a bit of a player as she tries to sift through the Nicks to find The Nick To Rule Them All) and the guys end of being entertaining caricatures of leading men. The three Nicks are especially hilarious himbos once they all meet and interact with one another, making for some laughs and a dynamic that I certainly would want to keep watching. Admittedly Darcy at times just seems to serve as a vehicle to help push Olivia’s story forward, but even she has her pops of personality and hidden inner depths (like that little moment towards the end of the movie between her and a surprise arrival at the sisters’ door). Olivia and Chris have a nice build up to their own romantic connection and everyone in this movie seems to understand the assignment and commit to the roles they’re playing from top to bottom."

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Martin Maguire

        In 'Tis the Season to Be Irish', "Rose tries to flip a house in Ireland but is blocked by Sean, a handsome local who wants to preserve the historic cottage." The ensemble cast includes Fiona Gubelmann, Rowan Finken, Sophia Adli, Ali Hardiman, Rosemary Henderson, and Natalie Britton. Liz Kocan of Decider says, "Think of ‘Tis The Season To Be Irish as what would happen if Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday was not about a house swap but was only told from Cameron Diaz’s point of view as she visits rural England at Christmas. (And swap England for Ireland, of course.) There’s also the running gag with the rogue sheep that wanders around town that may or may not be a nod to Jenny the donkey from The Banshees of Inisherin. Probably not, but is a livestock cameo required for every movie set in Ireland? They tell you to dress for the job you want, but I have no idea what a person who makes up Hallmark movie titles wears. ‘Tis The Season To Be Irish?? What a name! It tells you everything you need to know about the movie (Ireland at Christmas) and lets you fill in the blanks everywhere else. If you hear me, Hallmark, you know where to find me and I’m open for title brainstorming work. (Looking forward to the sequel, Dingle All The Way, and the unrelated but also set-in-Ireland movie Four-Leaf Lover.) For serious though, this movie. Fiona Gubelmann and Eoin Macken are the reason this movie works; their characters are both “old,” as in, in their 30s, one assumes, but their life experience is what exposes their vulnerabilities. As Sean, Macken spends a lot of the movie drily poking fun of Rose, but his sarcasm is a mask to cover up the hurt he’s experienced after previous heartbreak. Rose, feeling abandoned by her father (and lonely after the death of her mother) uses her nomadic lifestyle as an excuse to not get close to others. Both characters are a little lost and lonely thanks to their parental issues, and romantically, they’re both slightly damaged goods, but the film never lets things get to dark and tortured. Instead, they realize that instead of fighting their feelings, love is a risk worth taking now that they’ve found one another."