December Bride

Hallmark has holiday movies (there are a handful of Jewish films out there) on a continuous basis on two channels. Maybe not totally, but that is mostly so. They are played all night long when usually they cut off earlier.  

I do not have the third. When I check, the third channel did not have as many. UP Channel has a lot of films, but not on a constant basis. I do not have the new Great American Family Channel, which is a sort of watered-down Hallmark Channel, with some of the same actors, and a few comments from management sounding more conservative.

Fans will recognize certain actors do many of these films. A person once told me that all Chinese takeout tastes the same. This is untrue. Likewise, different actors have different styles. Jessica Lowndes is not one of my favorites. She also does not quite seem like a normal person as compared to a carefully glossed-up model. Still, I enjoyed December Bride.

(This is an older film. One count cited 172 new Christmas films in a range of channels. Hallmark Channels have a range of new films, perhaps at least once a week, with Saturday night at 8 P.M. not the only time.)  

I have noted before that a good Hallmark Channel film has various components, including good pacing. You also need to like the actors. It helps if there is a good supporting cast. Finally, some little wrinkle (I realize this is not great art) helps. Here, you had a woman upset because her cousin "stole" her boyfriend and they got married. 

I have also joked/criticized that these films are not diverse enough. Up Channel appeared to me somewhat ahead of the curve in having non-white leads. I am starting to notice more references to people (including parents) getting divorced. This season Hallmark Channel had multiple films with people with disabilities, including a recent film about a son with autism. 

I enjoyed The Holiday Swap on Up Channel, another not new film. The films on that channel often are somewhat less flashy and appear somewhat more low budget. Fewer famous faces. The films also have a more steady pace. The low-key style (if that works) is enjoyable in the right film. 

Hallmark Channel still largely has a white woman as the primary character. At times, the man and woman have a more even role, and the man might actually be the protagonist. One recent movie had a house switch plot with a gay guy being one of the people involved. Still, for a channel that likes royalty plots, Africa, Asia, and Oceania (all those islands) provide prime material. There can be just so many little European kingdoms.  

I repeatedly go to a library and do not find anything of interest. The myriad of holiday films makes it somewhat more likely that I find a few I enjoy.