I’ve been an avid Christmas film viewer since about 2016, the primary 12 months I tuned in for an upcoming Hallmark film. The viewership amped up significantly throughout the pandemic and once I was serving to caretake my mom when she fought most cancers, and because the cabler upped up its variety of motion pictures hitting the Christmas schedule annually, I upped my viewership too. However I’ve to say, it felt like there was just a little magic lacking in 2024 and I’d prefer to see that change in 2025. Right here’s what I’d prefer to see change within the coming 12 months.
Extra Excessive Tier Scripts Are Wanted
Hallmark content material is often cut up, not less than in my thoughts, into two totally different tiers. The extra recognized faces are likely to get larger high quality co-stars, higher written conceits and scripts and the decrease tier goes to lesser recognized people on the model to fill the community’s mad Countdown to Christmas quota. It’s advantageous in my thoughts if the community desires to take a position fewer assets into that decrease tier content material, however in my thoughts there have been manner fewer winners this previous 12 months in that larger tier. I did like Lacey Chabert and Krisoffer Polaha’s The Christmas Quest. After all, there have been a number of different vibrant spots on the schedule, however even the excessive tier stuff felt just a little stilted to me in comparison with different years.
I really thought Hallmark’s most high-profile film of the season Vacation Landing: A Chief’s Love Story had a extremely foolish script and likewise had some actually dangerous pretend snow CGI’d in, regardless of its charming solid together with Momma Donna Kelce. And a variety of the “sorts” of films Hallmark tends to love to repeat – a time journey idea, a Christmas comedy and so on – simply had much less thrilling premises than regular.
For instance, essentially the most high-profile “comedy” film the community put out this 12 months was (most likely) Three Wiser Males and a Boy. I’m not going to say I hated this film, as a result of I completely didn’t, however while you stack the sequel up in opposition to its predecessor Three Clever Males and a Child or different pleasant comedies like Haul Out The Holly, different years simply produced a greater lineup for the community.
One other instance? Time journey is commonly a subject that crops up in Hallmark Christmas movies and in 2023 we acquired A Biltmore Christmas starring Kristoffer Polaha and Bethany Pleasure Lenz, which is likely to be the very best time journey film the community has ever put collectively, although I believe the underrated Love Strikes Twice, the precisely rated A Timeless Christmas and the delightfully solid Subsequent Cease, Christmas must also be in that blend. In 2024, nevertheless, we acquired That ‘90s Christmas, a premise that ought to have been nice however fell just a little flat and I believe it had so much to do with the writing.
I don’t know if the community was making an attempt to chop funds with Hallmark+ getting off the bottom, there have been BTS choices being made that weren’t the very best match (Lisa Hamilton Daly did not too long ago exit), or if it was merely likelihood that I discovered lots of the initiatives much less participating this 12 months, however regardless of the case, I’d prefer to see a giant change subsequent 12 months. I’d like extra high quality than amount, and I’m OK if which means fewer motion pictures.
However why ought to Hallmark care?
Competitors Is Rising At Netflix And Different Retailers
This vacation season, for the primary time in perhaps current reminiscence, my favourite vacation film was on Netflix and never Hallmark. I really actually loved Our Little Secret’s straight comedy antics over a lot of the stuff we acquired at Hallmark, and I notably loved the zany antics happening between Lindsay Lohan’s Avery and Kristin Chenoweth’s Erica.
I do know not everybody liked the brand new Lindsay Lohan automobile, however even if you happen to didn’t, Netflix has ramped up its Christmas lineup significantly, as produce other streaming providers and GAF, which now homes names like Candace Cameron Bure, Danica McKellar and extra. Proper now, I nonetheless suppose Hallmark has the sting in terms of its programming, but it surely’s a razor skinny line the place it was once a chasm, and a few of its stars are doing nice work elsewhere, as nicely. (See: Netflix’s Scorching Frosty with Lacey Chabert for example.)
As a lot as many people love the vacation season, sooner or later I do suppose the competitors will get fierce and the bubble will burst a bit. As an OG Hallmark fan, I’d prefer to see the channel stay the premiere place for vacation motion pictures, but when final 12 months’s lineup was any indication, different shops are edging in.
To notice, the solid desires Vacation Landing 2 after the film grew to become the No. 1 launch of the season, and to be trustworthy, I really like the concept of re-teaming frequent male lead Tyler Hynes with the ever-delightful Hunter King. I simply need a fantastic script this time that’s much less reliant on Chiefs cameos and gimmicks like Catrick Mahomes. That’s all I’m saying. The countdown to Christmas is already on, so let’s make some 2025 Christmas motion pictures among the many better of all time.