Hallmark For All Seasons

Countdown to Christmas 2019

Hallmark’s “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses”

You guys. YOU GUYS! THIS is a Christmas movie that will be very hard to beat this upcoming season. My goodness, but I loved last night’s movie. LOVED IT. Y’all, as soon as it ended I wanted to watch it again. And again. And again. “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses” starred my #1 Hallstar actress, Jill Wagner, and Hallmark newcomer Matthew Davis. And boy howdy, is he perfect for Hallmark. He had better be called on to make more of them. This movie was filmed in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

In a nutshell

Well, I guess I already gave you my nutshell opinion, didn’t I? Let me say it again: I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT.

Plot

Just weeks before Christmas, Abbey (Jill Wagner) is hired to decorate the family estate of her friend Caroline Sinclair (Donna Mills) and her businessman son, Nick (Matthew Davis). Juggling family responsibilities and the project (which must be completed in time for a large fundraising gala on Christmas Eve), Abbey must break down the wall between her and Nick, all while keeping the holiday spirit alive.

Actors

Y’all. Y’ALL. Jill Wagner is just the best, isn’t she? She is so wonderful to watch on screen. With each movie she makes, I become a bigger and bigger fan.

And Matt Davis – holy cow. I loved him on “The Vampire Diaries” (and cried more than a few tears over some plotlines surrounding his character Alaric). He was phenomenal in his first foray into Hallmark movies. I sincerely hope that Hallmark brings him back for other projects, although this movie has spoiled me for any future co-stars he may have. He kind of started out working with the very best one. Although I think I’d enjoy seeing how he reacts to Ashley Williams’ effusiveness on screen.

But it wasn’t just those two. The young boy that played Max was adorable (Wyatt Hunt, is his first professional role in this movie!), and Donna Mills was wonderful as Nick’s mother Caroline (at 78 years old she looks fabulous, too). Lastly, can I just say that Darby Hinton, who played Abbey’s dad, was delightful? He nailed his role as Hallmark Dad. So, so great.

As for the six degrees of Kris Polaha, obviously it’s a separation of ONE because of Jill Wagner. For Matthew Davis (not counting CW&MK) it’s a separation of three. Matt Davis starred in 2001’s “Pearl Harbor” with Tom Sizemore. Sizemore was in “Wyatt Earp” back in 1994 with Rex Linn, who went on to co-star with Polaha in 2013’s “Devil’s Knot.”

Chemistry

The chemistry between Wagner and Davis was off.the.hook. Oh my word – I know that Wagner can have chemistry with just about anyone she co-stars with, but Matt Davis gave Polaha a run for his money on the chemistry scale. But it wasn’t just the two leads. The entire cast worked so perfectly together, from the granddad that tries to set up Abbey with his doctor son, to the brittle SVP, Kate, that works for Nick. Everyone hit high notes and led a masterclass on seamless teamwork and chemistry in a movie.

Feelgoods

The one moment I loved in the movie was when Nick went shopping with Abbey, and she tries to convince him that even a simple coffee cup can be full of memories and create memories. I thought it was a wonderful way to illustrate how tradition and sentimentality are positive things, and not to be easily dismissed. With that story she gave him permission to open up and tell his own memories of Christmas from his childhood. Loved it.

Tropes

Much like last year’s “Christmas at Pemberley Manor,” this movie practically threw up Hallmark movie tropes all over my tv screen. They came so fast and furious that I almost couldn’t keep up.

The movie opened with a Christmas tree being decorated, for heaven’s sake! The opening SCENE! That’s when I knew this would be a good trope-y movie.

As for the rest: Nick was a workaholic, Abbey was interested in someone who was rich/royal (in this case, rich), and carolers were heavily featured. Not only that, but there was some crafting, some cookie decorating, and a children’s pageant.

But the movie didn’t stop there. There were a couple of scenes featuring hot cocoa (although one may have been coffee), a Christmas Eve deadline, and my goodness but Abbey’s dad’s house had a LOVELY covered front porch.

Think that’s it? Nope. “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses” came to WIN, people. Throw in a single parent (Abbey), a widowed parent (both Nick’s mom and Abbey’s dad), a gingerbread house contest, a classic “bump into one another” meet-cute, and a character who is not that into Christmas (Nick in the first 1/3rd of the movie). So many tropes. I was in heaven.

Bingo Card Score

You’d think with so many tropes that I’d have scored a bingo! But only 11 spots of 25 were taken on my card, and no bingos made.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

I don’t know about everyone else watching, but I had to really dig to find anything wrong or off in this movie. The most immediate was when Caroline was describing the interior design that Abbey had done. She said something along the lines of, “I loved the work you did at my colonial.” Um, what? Does she have multiple homes and refer to only by their architectural style? “I’m going to my Craftsman this weekend because my Raised Ranch is undergoing some work.” Just weird.

I also thought the Kate character was a little confusing. The movie at first made it seem like she was interested in Nick romantically but then clearly showed that she was just really into the work. It also had her be really catty with Abbey for no good reason other than to be a foil within the movie. I thought it was unnecessary.

Re-watchability

I will watch “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses” over and over and over again. And then I’ll watch it again. I hope this one comes out on DVD because I will buy it immediately. I already plan on buying the book written by Jenny Hale, on which this movie is based.

The Ranking

Y’all. This movie is my new number one of the year. AND it scored so high that it is now my 2nd favorite Hallmark movie of all time. See, I told you I loved this movie! I don’t see how any other offering this Christmas season could possibly measure up to this absolutely wonderful movie.

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (air date: Oct 26) – 719 pts – weighted score: 121.0 (84.9%)
Love to the Rescue RE-RANKED (air date: March 23) – 708 pts – weighted score: 120.6 (84.6%)
Winter Love Story (air date: January 19) – 685 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
Mystery 101 (air date: January 27 (HMM)) – 454 pts – weighted score: 94.2 (80.5%)
Love on the Menu (air date: February 23) – 642 pts – weighted score: 113.8 (79.9%)
Bottled With Love (air date: April 13) – 649 pts – weighted score: 112.2 (78.7%)
Love Takes Flight (air date: April 27) – 670 pts – weighted score: 111.0 (77.9%)
Love, Romance & Chocolate (air date: February 16) – 627 pts – weighted score: 110.2 (77.3%)
The Last Bridesmaid (air date: June 22) – 643 pts – weighted score: 109.2 (76.6%)
Love, Fall and Order (air date: Oct 12) – 636 pts – weighted score: 109.0 (76.5%)
Paris, Wine & Romance (air date: May 4) – 638 pts – weighted score: 108.3 (76.0%)
My Boyfriend’s Back: Wedding March 5 (air date: June 8) – 635 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
Over the Moon in Love (air date: Oct 5) – 613 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
Flip That Romance (air date: March 16) – 597 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
My One and Only (air date: Aug 31) – 597 pts – weighted score: 105.6 (74.1%)
Mystery 101: Playing Dead (air date: June 23 (HMM)) – 425 pts – weighted score: 86.5 (73.9%)
A Summer Romance (air date: Aug 17) – 577 pts – weighted score: 103.7 (72.7%)
True Love Blooms (air date: April 6) – 598 pts – weighted score: 103.1 (72.3%)
Forever in My Heart (air date: Sept 14) – 560 pts – weighted score: 102.4 (71.8%)
The Story of Us (air date: February 9) – 605 pts – weighted score: 101.3 (71.1%)
A Brush with Love (air date: March 30) – 563 pts – weighted score: 97.7 (68.6%)
Ruby Herring: Silent Witness (air date: January 20 (HMM)) – 357 pts – weighted score: 79.5 (67.9%)
Love, Unleashed (air date: July 6, 2019) – 559 pts – weighted score: 96.2 (67.5%)
Love Under the Rainbow (air date: March 9) – 581 pts – weighted score: 96.0 (67.4%)
One Winter Proposal (air date: January 12) – 535 pts – weighted score: 95.8 (67.2%)
Just Add Romance (air date: March 2) – 548 pts – weighted score: 95.6 (67.1%)
From Friend to Fiance (air date: May 25) – 555 pts – weighted score: 94.8% (66.5%)
Christmas Camp (air date: July 11) – 530 pts – weighted score: 93.9 (65.9%)
Love and Sunshine (air date: Aug 3) – 504 pts – weighted score: 91.7 (64.3%)
Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (air date: March 10 (HMM) – 354 pts – weighted score: 74.1 (63.3%)
Sister of the Bride (air date: June 29) – 516 pts – weighted score: 89.8 (63.0%)
Valentine in the Vineyard (air date: February 2) – 503 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
Love, Take Two (air date: June 15) – 507 pts – weighted score: 87.8 (61.6%)
All Summer Long (air date: Aug 24) – 512 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
Snowcoming (air date: January 26) – 485 pts – weighted score: 87.3 (61.2%)
The Winter Castle (air date: January 5) – 475 pts – weighted score: 85.9 (60.2%)
A Merry Christmas Match (air date: Oct 25) – 455 pts – weighted score: 78.3 (54.9%)
Sailing Into Love (air date: May 18) – 455 pts – weighted score: 78.0 (54.7%)
Rome in Love (air date: July 27) – 436 pts – weighted score: 76.7 (53.8%)
A Taste of Summer (air date: Aug 10) – 403 pts – weighted score: 70.9 (49.7%)
A Winter Princess (air date: January 18) – 380 pts – weighted score: 70.5 (49.5%)
A Feeling of Home (air date: May 11) – 386 pts – weighted score: 69.7% (48.9%)
Love in the Sun (air date: June 1) – 361 pts – weighted score: 62.5 (43.8%)