Hallmark Channel Provides Viewers with Two Holiday Treats

         On October 18, 2024 and October 19, 2024, Hallmark Channel begins to unveil its newest class of holiday centric films starting with 'Holiday Crashers' (October 19th) and 'Twas the Date Before Christmas' (October 18th) for those not in favor of the Halloween fare on other stations. But what did the critics say?

Photo Courtesy of Hallmark Media/Photographer: Johann Wall

        Mandi Bierly of TV Line was my personal favorite reviewer of the holiday themed films last season, so it came as no surprise to me that the reviewer once more is knocking it out of the park in 2024. In regards to 'Holiday Crashers', she writes, "So you’re not quite ready to lean into the sentimental side of the yuletide? This more irreverent flick, about two friends crashing holiday parties and the totally preventable mix-up that ensues, is for you. Longtime pals Toni (Lyndsy Fonseca) and Bri (Daniella Monet) are stuck in limbo: Harvard law grad Toni fears a future following in her personal-injury lawyer father’s footsteps and walked out of the bar exam; Bri lives in survival mode and hasn’t dreamed that she’s a born event planner. They work together at a card shop, and Bri suggests they raid the printed invitations shred stack and crash seasonal soirees, pretending to be different people (a doula, Olympic skier, medium). It’s harmless escapist fun until Toni meets dashing venture capitalist Justin (Chris McNally) and, long story short, gets roped into being a consultant on his next acquisition — and fails to inform him that she’s not a licensed attorney. Lucky for her, Justin isn’t in the mood to work when he invites her and Bri to his company retreat at his Vermont lodge. Will you spend time debating your position on McNally’s longer hair and whether he’s pulling off Justin’s relaxed turtleneck-and-blazer combos? Yes. (The hair grows on you.) Mostly, however, you’ll be reminded how refreshing it is when Hallmark does a holiday movie in which the central relationship is between two friends whom we get to know equally well. And unlike in 2023’s Never Been Chris’d, these women don’t chase the same man. Bri has her own crush, in-demand valet Vinny (Jag Bal), who’s harboring a teensy secret himself. Both ladies may find love, but, even more satisfying, each finds her way."

Photo by Hallmark Media/Photographer: Peter Stranks

        The reviewer was less excited over the latter, stating, "Last year, we crowned The Santa Summit scene-stealer Amy Groening “Most Ready to be a Leading Lady.” So cheers to her headlining our runner-up pick, ‘Twas the Date Before Christmas (premieres Friday, Oct. 18 at 8 pm on Hallmark Channel), opposite Robert Buckley, who can charm the tinsel off a tree. Inspired by the true story of a woman using an app to score a (first!) date to her family’s fun-filled Christmas dinner, this heartfelt rom-com has Groening’s Jessie logging in to arrange a blind date for Christmas Eve so that her mother won’t cancel their clan’s 23rd annual Christmas Olympics in a misguided attempt to show grieving Jessie that change can be good. Enter Buckley’s Bryan, who’s always wanted to experience a big family holiday and could use a break from debating whether to step up as CEO of his late father’s development company. The actors’ natural ease makes it believable that these strangers would be game for a full-day meet-cute, which Bryan doesn’t expect to involve a wrap battle, snowball dodgeball, and pretending to be Jessie’s boyfriend. One quibble: The Hallmark faithful will sniff out the inevitable conflict quicker than they can ID the scent of a Balsam Fir candle."

'The Girl Who Wasn't Dead' Reviews: "The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead falls squarely in the middle of Lifetime’s TV movies on the scale of Awful to Excellent. It’s not terrible, it’s not great, it just lands in the category of bland"

         On October 5, 2024, Lifetime premiered 'The Girl Who Wasn't Dead', which has earned a predominantly positive reception from critics. In the film, "15-year-old Erica vanishes, believed a victim of a serial killer, but emerges at her murder trial 3 years later, having run away to live secretly with her older boyfriend near her mother's home, banned from seeing him." The ensemble cast includes Bronwen Smith, Ricardo Ortiz, Lyndsy Fonseca, Emma Tremblay, and Paul du Toit. But what did the critics say?

Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

        Chuck Duncan of Hotchka notes, "Lifetime serves up another ‘Truly Unbelievable Movie’ from its ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ series of TV movies based on a true story that’s been completely fictionalized for television. Good luck on finding the actual source for this story." Adding, "In The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead, things kick off with 15-year-old Erica (Emma Tremblay) being discovered at a local motel with 21-year-old cutie Andrew (Kyle Clark), resulting in Andrew’s arrest and Erica being returned to her mother Carrie (Lyndsy Fonseca) with a warning from Detective Richards (Bronwen Smith) to get her daughter under control since this is the third time Erica has run away and police resources are needed for actual crimes (not that a 15-year-old shacking up with a 21-year-old isn’t a crime). After meeting up again with Andrew and him telling her that they need to put the brakes on because his relationship with a minor is going to hurt his future, Erica storms off and assures her mother that the two have broken up.A month passes and Erica is a new girl, helpful at home and much happier in general so Carrie believes that they’ve finally turned a corner and Erica will not run away again. One day after school, Erica goes bowling with her bestie Liam (Richard Ortiz), and her behavior leads him to jokingly tell the shocked attendant that he’d ‘like to kill that bitch.’ Well, Erica doesn’t come home that night, or the next, etc. and Carrie has no choice but to go to the police again. This time the matter is more urgent as another local girl has also gone missing. In fact, there are several local girls now missing as the story spans three years. During that time, the bowling alley employee comes forward to the police (two years later and wearing the same outfit) after he remembered what Liam had said. The poor guy is brought in for questioning but Carrie ultimately bails him out, assuring the detective that Liam is like family (in fact, it was Liam who initially ratted out Erica at the beginning of the movie, fearing Andrew might kill her). Out of the blue, a prisoner comes forward with information about a man who claims to have killed all the missing girls including Erica, and provides the police with a map to the bodies. They find them all except for Erica, and at the murder trial the defense suddenly announces there has been a change and his client is not guilty of the murder of Erica as she enters the courtroom, stunning everyone including her parents.That’s all in the first hour!" Overall, the reviewer was somewhat impressed though, stating, "The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead falls squarely in the middle of Lifetime’s TV movies on the scale of Awful to Excellent. It’s not terrible, it’s not great, it just lands in the category of bland. That is mainly thanks to the film’s title which tells us right away that the girl is alive. Most of the tension in the story comes in the second half when we wonder if Erica’s isolation and Andrew’s growing distance — resorting to having a beer in the driveway just so he can have some ‘me time’ — will ultimately tear them apart and force Erica to reveal her ruse. Of course she also panics a little when everyone believes she’s dead, which Andrew thinks they can use to their advantage, but it doesn’t sit right with her. Another issue that works against the movie is the time span. Emma Tremblay, who is 20-years-old, has to play Erica from 15 to 18 … but she never convincingly looks like a 15-year-old. No one else in the film ages (or apparently changes clothes) during that three year span except little brother Joey, who experiences a major growth spurt and goes from Logan Pierce to Everett Andres. Of course as adults, we really don’t change that much in three years unless there have been some major influences on our lives, but in a TV movie they really need to do something to make the characters look three years older instead of three days. The only real passage of time comes when Carrie is driving Erica to school on a lovely Autumn day, and when they arrive it is clearly Summer."