Hallmark For All Seasons

“Five More Minutes,” starring Nikki DeLoach and David Haydn-Jones, aired on November 21 during 2021’s Miracles of Christmas on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel.  It filmed in Vancouver but was set mostly in North Carolina.

Linda-Lisa Hayter (Right In Front of Me, Cranberry Christmas) directed, while Andy Sandberg and Jamie Pachino had writing credit along with Scotty McCreery, who supplied the idea thanks to his song of the same name.  It’s Sandberg’s first writing credit, but Pachino also gave us 2017’s “A Bramble House Christmas” and this year’s Christmas In My Heart.

This movie poster is the closest to a standard Hallmark poster than we’ve seen this year. Red coat, green sweater, Christmas tree – it’s all right there.

Music: Here’s the link to Five More Minutes (affiliate link) by Scotty McCreery.  During the movie, when Clara was baking, we heard Deck The Halls (affiliate link) performed by Bill Connor.

In a nutshell

Thanks to a very emotional performance by Nikki DeLoach, I cried at the end of this movie. And while it wasn’t one of my favorite Christmas movies this year, it’s worth watching if you want a good, cathartic cry.

The Plot of “Five More Minutes”

Inspired by Scotty McCreery’s song, “Five More Minutes,” a woman’s Christmas wish is answered in unexpected ways when her late grandfather’s journal turns up and reveals an untold romance. 

Actors & Chemistry

Nikki DeLoach, man.  She is amazing. I don’t think there’s any Hallstar that can show emotion like she can. And when you add on the fact that this story, centered around wishing you could have five more minutes with a beloved family member who has passed away, had to hit home for DeLoach, who is heading into the holidays having lost her father just a few months ago. I’m convinced the emotion Clara showed in those scenes was legitimate, honest emotion on DeLoach’s behalf.

And who better to bounce those emotions off but David Haydn-Jones, who was a solid presence on screen, and supportive in his role as Clara’s old high school boyfriend. He’s an underrated Hallmark actor, in my opinion.  He is always good, and yet is one actor that is rarely talked about or named as a favorite, which I can’t understand.

I also really liked Sherry Miller, who played Clara’s mother, Bonnie. And I appreciated that her storyline mirrored Clara’s in some ways, with both women reluctant to make changes in their lives – changes that could ultimately lead to new happiness.

As for chemistry, I loved all the scenes between Clara and Bonnie, and I thought DeLoach and Haydn-Jones were a good, natural pairing.

Tropes

CGI snow started us off, but there weren’t too many tropes.  Cute kid, albeit via a memory.  Big city woman returns to hometown for the holidays. That adorable yellow house had a front porch.  Plenty of baking in this movie. David Haydn-Jones’ character was a vet.

Clara and Logan had a past from their high school days. Clara and Logan went to a tree lighting at a Christmas market in town.  Hot cocoa!  Tree decorating! In the end, we had magic at Christmastime.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

Um…there’s no such thing as Durham International Airport.  It’s Raleigh-Durham (RDU).  And don’t get me started on snowfall in that area of NC.  Yes, Raleigh and Fayetteville (where Fort Bragg is located) does occasionally get snow, but rarely the amount shown on the ground in this movie!

Not sure why they didn’t recognize “Jay” as being a young Jerry.  I can see pictures of my mother’s dad and uncles as kids and know exactly which one is my grandfather.

Feelgoods

Milsean Shoppe! Much like the Hallmark Lobby and the Red Sleigh that I loved to see in these movies, I have a love for the Milsean Shoppe.  This time around, that building served as the Candy Cane Confectionary.

Even though I saw the twist coming from the moment Jay showed up on screen, that final scene that Jay and Clara had at the candy shop still had me weeping. And him sharing that first loves helped him be receptive to new love was the perfect message she needed to hear AND pass along to her mom.  It was lovely.

General Thoughts

Having the arts cut out of schools is a real problem, and I am paying particular attention to those occurrences because my daughter, who is now a freshman in college, is planning on becoming an art teacher!  The notion that arts (an important part of learning) could fall by the wayside and cause my daughter to lose out on work makes me sad for two reasons.

Re-watchability of “Five More Minutes”

As I mentioned, the main reason to watch this movie is for Nikki DeLoach’s performance.  It is personal, heartfelt and gut-wrenching.

The Ranking

“Five More Minutes” cracked the Top 20 for the year.

1. The Santa Stakeout (air date: Oct 24) – 730 pts – weighted score: 122.3 (85.8%)
2. A Christmas Family Tree (air date: Nov 14) – 730 pts – weighted score: 121.9 (85.5%)
3. You, Me and The Christmas Trees (air date: Oct 22) – 716 pts – weighted score: 121.3 (85.1%)
4. Crashing Through The Snow (air date: July 10) – 705 pts – weighted score: 118.1 (82.8%)
5. One December Night (air date: Nov 13) – 695 pts – weighted score: 116.3 (81.6%)
6. A Mrs. Miracle Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 688 pts – weighted score: 116.2 (81.5%)
7. Boyfriends of Christmas Past (air date: Oct 23) – 673 pts – weighted score: 116.1 (81.5%)
8. Next Stop, Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 682 pts – weighted score: 114.7 (80.5%)
9. It Was Always You (air date: Feb 27) – 668 pts – weighted score: 114.2 (80.1%)
10. The Christmas Promise (air date: Oct 30) – 675 pts – weighted score: 114.1 (80.0%)
11. Gingerbread Miracle (air date: Nov 5) – 671 pts – weighted score: 114.0 (80.0%)
12. Christmas In My Heart (air date: Oct 23) – 675 pts – weighted score: 113.9 (79.9%)
13. A Kiss Before Christmas (air date: Nov 21) – 671 pts – weighted score: 111.9 (78.5%)
14. Open at Christmas (air date: Nov 12) – 658 pts – weighted score: 111.6 (78.3%)
15. You Had Me At Aloha (air date: June 5) – 675 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
16. Five More Minutes (air date: Nov 21) – 645 pts – weighted score: 110.8 (77.7%)
17. Sweet Carolina (air date: May 15) – 648 pts – weighted score: 110.1 (77.2%)
18. Taking a Shot at Love (air date: Jan 2) – 641 pts – weighted score: 108.9 (76.4%)
19. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (air date: Mar 27) – 636 pts – weighted score: 108.5 (76.1%)
20. Right in Front of Me (air date: Apr 18) – 637 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
21. As Luck Would Have It (air date: Apr 10) – 638 pts – weighted score: 107.7 (75.5%)
22. Her Pen Pal (air date: June 19) – 636 pts – weighted score: 107.1 (75.1%)
23. The Baker’s Son (air date: June 13) – 637 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
24. South Beach Love (air date: Oct 9) – 615 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
25. Love Strikes Twice (air date: Oct 2) – 608 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
26. A Holiday in Harlem (air date: Nov 7) – 628 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
27. Christmas Sail (air date: Oct 31) – 606 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
28. Christmas in Harmony (air date: Oct 29) – 605 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
29. A Christmas Treasure (air date: Nov 7) – 625 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.4%)
30. A Winter Getaway (air date: Jan 23) – 620 pts – weighted score: 104.4 (73.3%)
31. Coyote Creek Christmas (air date: Oct 30) – 614 pts – weighted score: 104.3 (73.2%)
32. Love, For Real (air date: July 31) – 607 pts – weighted score: 103.6 (72.7%)
33. Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (air date: Oct 1) – 595 pts – weighted score: 103.0 (72.2%)
34. Mix Up in the Mediterranean (air date: Feb 20) – 590 pts – weighted score: 102.5 (71.9%)
35. Advice to Love By (air date: Oct 16) – 599 pts – weighted score: 102.2 (71.7)
36. Two For The Win (air date: Jan 16) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
37. Taking the Reins (air date: Sept 28) – 574 pts – weighted score: 101.2 (71.0%)
38. Raise a Glass to Love (air date: Sept 18) – 590 pts – weighted score: 100.7 (70.7%)
39. Chasing Waterfalls (air date: Mar 20) – 570 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
40. Roadhouse Romance (air date: Sept 11) – 571 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
41. Sweet Pecan Summer (air date: ) – 576 pts – weighted score: 97.3 (68.3%)
42. Sand Dollar Cove (air date: June 26) – 557 pts – weighted score: 96.8 (67.9%)
43. Hearts Down Under (air date: Apr 24) – 547 pts – weighted score: 95.2 (66.8%)
44. Fit for a Prince (air date: Mar 6) – 546 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
45. A New Year’s Resolution (air date: Jan 9) – 516 pts – weighted score: 90.5 (63.5%)
46. Finding Love in Mountain View (air date: ) – 504 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
47. A Little Daytime Drama (air date: Aug 21) – 511 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
48. Baby, It’s Cold Inside (air date: May 8) – 495 pts – weighted score: 85.6 (60.0%)
49. Playing Cupid (air date: Feb 13) – 466 pts – weighted score: 82.6 (58.0%)
50. Beverly Hills Wedding (air date: Feb 6) – 431 pts – weighted score: 80.6 (56.5%)
51. Journey of my Heart (air date: ) – 450 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)
52. Snowkissed (air date: Jan 31) – 402 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)

To see where this movie lands in my overall rankings of Hallmark movies, visit my Hallmark Movie Rankings page!

What did you think of “Five More Minutes”?  Comment below and let me know!