Hallmark For All Seasons

Countdown to Christmas 2021

A Holiday in Harlem

“A Holiday in Harlem,” starring Olivia Washington, Will Adams and Tina Lifford, aired on November 14 during 2021’s Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel. The movie may be set in Harlem, but it was filmed in Hartford, Connecticut.

Monique N. Matthews provided the screenplay while Keith Powell directed. It’s the first full movie script for Matthews, while Powell has been not only an actor but a director as well, with this movie being his first for Hallmark.

This movie poster is great. The first apartment my husband and I shared had a front stoop. One of my favorite things about NYC was the brownstones and their front stoops. With this movie poster, you know it’s set in NYC, and there aren’t too many cities more Christmas-y than NYC in December.

Music: Louis Armstrong provided our opening credits song, Christmas Night in Harlem. The song that DJ Kwame played at the block party was Merry Christmas by AXS Music. The mac & cheese making was provided by Juan & Lisa Winans, singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. They also provided the song Piece of My Soul as people arrived for Christmas dinner.

In a nutshell

Watching this movie was a weird experience. There were several things I liked, but the movie was very slow and so low energy that it took me three attempts to watch it because I kept falling asleep. Everyone spoke on a monotone and the story itself was lackluster. But Olivia Washington and Tina Lifford were fabulous, and in the end I still liked enough of the movie to give it a positive score.

The Plot of “A Holiday in Harlem”

After her grandmother, Mama Belle, turns away her usual gift delivery, expecting “presence over presents,” jetsetting executive Jazmin heads uptown to Harlem for a quick visit. However, when Mama Belle is injured, Jazmin agrees to stay in the neighborhood and take over co-chairing their block’s annual Christmas Jamboree with her old best friend Caleb. A successful corporate fixer, Jazmin expects the job to be easy but quickly finds that she has a lot to learn about the community and her heart.

Actors & Chemistry

The leading actors, Olivia Washington and Will Adams, had a weird energy. Throughout the whole movie I felt like he was very young compared to her (I tried to find out the actor’s age, to no avail. I do know that Washington is 30 years old). The fact that Caleb had an unrequited crush on Jazmin truly felt like a schoolboy experience while watching the movie, versus two peers.

The main character connection I loved was between Mama Belle and Jazmin, grandmother and granddaughter. Olivia Washington and Tina Lifford were great together in every scene.

Tropes

CGI snow started the movie off the bat. Lead character has a Christmas themed name (Mama Belle). Does it count as “going to hometown from big city” when the “hometown” is only a few stops up the subway line?

Jazmin takes over control of the Christmas festivities once Mama Bella gets injured. And then they decorated the tree at the hardware store. Caleb was former military.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

A good portion of the start of the movie had ADR sound and it was VERY distracting.

That basketball competition was sparsely attended. Surely they could have cast another 20-25 people to try to make it look like it was more than a few family members watching the game? Especially since the crowd noise they piped in made it seem like a couple hundred were there.

But that wasn’t the only scene that had sparse background actors. Why did this movie not spring for more background actors? A basketball competition with 30 people cheering on the players? A poetry slam with 12 people in the audience? How are we to believe this Christmas Jamboree is for ALL of Harlem (which a character said at some point in the movie) when attendance is so low to every event?

So does Jazmin live with Mama Belle when she’s not traveling? Because there’s no way all those winter coats (much less anything else) she wore in the movie fit in that itty bitty red carry-on suitcase she arrived with. And if she doesn’t live with Mama Belle, where IS home base? If she has an apartment in NYC was she traveling home every day to get clothes and then going back to spend the night at Mama Belle’s?

Feelgoods

Right off the bat – I don’t mind seeing skinny women all over my TV in these movies, but I’m glad that a full figured woman was finally the lead instead of just being the best friend or boss.

There were small natural moments that I loved. When Jaz and Caleb walked into his apartment and she teased about helping by carrying the can of paint upstairs. I loved that very simple off-the-cuff dialogue.

I loved when Mama Belle interrupted the dancing and called Jazmin and Caleb “Debbie Allen” and “Gregory Hines.” Allen and Hines were two FABULOUS dancers in their day.

General Thoughts

I love that Hallmark is bringing more diversity to its programming. Audiences are being introduced to new actors, new writers, new directors, and it’s refreshing. I do hope the network gives Olivia Washington another movie, but I hope it’s one where her character is young, vivacious and energetic. She’s only 30 years old! Let her play a fun character, not someone so serious!

Re-watchability of “A Holiday in Harlem”

I won’t watch this one again simply because it was so low-key and had no energy behind it.

The Ranking

“A Holiday in Harlem,” despite its flaws, is still in the top half of all movies for 2021.

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