Okay, y’all – I’ve made some changes to my ranking spreadsheet. I have added a 2nd tab specifically for the mystery movies with different judging criteria, but I’m going to still keep them in the general ranking for 2019 since the end percentage is really the only number that counts. But I should say that the mystery movies are being graded on a total of 750 points, versus the 1000 points that the romances can earn. And their max weighted score is 130 instead of 152.5.
I am going to revisit as many of the 2018 Christmas movies as I can and update my 2018 rankings now that I’ve realized I may have let my copious amounts of hot cocoa and holiday cheer impede my better judgment on some movies. But I am also going to watch some of the older general Hallmark movies. And while I won’t do in-depth reviews of every single one, I’ll do a snapshot here of the ones I’ve watched over the past couple of weeks and then add their scores into the overall rankings thus far.
REWATCH: Pearl in Paradise
A strong contender for a permanent spot as one of my Top 5 Hallmark movies of all time, for sure. Starring faves Kris Polaha and Jill Wagner, along with the gorgeous backdrop of the island of Fiji, this is a fun, fluffy adventure wherein our intrepid lead characters go on the hunt for a mystical pearl that no one has ever seen before. Polaha and Wagner have tremendous chemistry together and it is in full effect with this movie.
REWATCH: Surprised by Love
Stars another one of my favorite Hallmark actors, Paul Campbell, along with Hilarie Burton. This is another light-hearted and truly funny Hallmark movie that goes against the grain of a typical Hallmark movie, which I appreciate tremendously. It’s movies like this one, and “Pearl,” that make me realize that my Hallmark novel does NOT need to be so trope-heavy. This one is a charmer because Campbell is so darned delightful. His character here is a like a more mature version of the character he plays in “Window Wonderland,” one of my all time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies.
REWATCH: All of my Heart
Featuring the Princess of Hallmark, Lacey Chabert, and reliable leading man Brennan Elliott, this one gives all the feels – and fans love this series. There have been three AOMH movies thus far, and fans are clamoring for a fourth. I’m just fine with the three (specifically #1 and #3). Brennan Elliott is the one who shines in this movie as a NYCer who moves to the country of Pennsylvania after he co-inherits an old house. His interactions with Gabby the Goat are my favorite, and this movie definitely will melt your heart. I forced my daughter to watch it one night and she ended up really liking it. I bought this one on DVD because I love it so much.
REWATCH: All of my Heart: The Wedding
Having said that, it was the third movie of the series that actually made me cry. And while I prefer the original “AOMH” in general, I can’t deny that this one is a nice conclusion to a lovely story. In this sequel, their ownership of the house is called into question, and their friends all rally around them even as they try to continue with their wedding plans amid the chaos and uncertainty.
REWATCH: Love on the Air
This is the first Hallmark movie I permanently saved on my Tivo. Released in 2015, it is one I have watched many, many times. I adore Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe in this movie about two radio djs who are polar opposites forced to work together on a radio show. Despite their differences, they discover they aren’t so different after all. And while I am not sure the restaurant owner was a necessary character at all, I still LOVE THIS MOVIE.
REWATCH: Romantically Speaking
I Tivo’d this one not remembering if I had seen it when it first came out in 2015. Two minutes in I realized, “Oh, yeah, and there’s a reason I blocked it out.” Surprisingly, this movie did not come in dead last in my current rankings – but I feel like it should have. Wooden acting from the lead actress, and absolutely no chemistry (other than as best pals, which I *totally* believed) between the leads.
REWATCH: Dater’s Handbook
Sure this movie has problems, but I just don’t care. Megan Markle and Kris Polaha are delightful in this movie about two singles who end up at the kids table at their friends’ wedding. At the same time, a client of hers asks her out and now she can’t decide which man she should be with. And we all KNEW who she’d end up with, but it was fun seeing their relationship grow and I just adore this movie. It’s another one I bought on DVD so I could have it long after Hallmark decides to stop airing it.
REWATCH: Elevator Girl
An oldie from 2010, starring Lacey Chabert as a free-wheelin’ gal who falls in love with an straight-laced lawyer. Not a horrible movie, and certainly made before Hallmark figure out its ultimate favorite trope (the almost-kiss). The only thing I could think was “Wow, her tax documents must be really hard to pull together every year.” She had, like, 10 jobs!
REWATCH: Small Town Christmas
Now, I think you’ll notice a trend where all of Kris Polaha’s movies score pretty high on my scale. I can’t help it – I’m a big fan. But the reason I love this one so much is that he has said in interviews that he channeled Jimmy Stewart from “It’s a Wonderful Life” as his inspiration – and it shows. From the adorable mild stuttering speech pattern that Stewart had, to the higher lilting voice – Polaha is positively perfect in this movie! This was a re-watch from the 2018 season and I was horribly afraid I wouldn’t like it as much, but upon watching it again I picked up on a lot of little nuances that I missed the first time around, and it makes this movie even more enjoyable.
REWATCH: Christmas at Grand Valley
Another one from this past Christmas season. I love Brennan Elliott and Danica McKeller, and this movie is wonderful. My favorite bit is when he claps back at her for constantly walking away and then coming back to lash out at him in frustration. The next time she goes to do it she realizes what she’s doing and storms off, and then later in the movie she turns away from him again and you can physically see him prepare for her turn around (which she does). It’s awesome and it’s little moments like that that make me love Hallmark movies.
REWATCH: Northern Lights of Christmas
This, sadly, is the one that started the whole notion of re-watching as many of the 2018 movies as I could to determine if my ranking was accurate. Upon a second viewing this one just does not stand up as a good movie. Sure, there are some good things about it, but not enough to have it even remotely close to my Top 10.
Mystery 101
Kris Polaha and Jill Wagner were such a hit in “Pearl” that Hallmark brought them together again for a possible new movie series on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and I couldn’t be happier. The first film features a stolen plant and a missing student, with Wagner’s professor helping Polaha’s local cop solve the case. And while I figured out “whodunit” pretty early on, it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the movie at all. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I watched it twice. Definitely hope to see more installments!
Ruby Herring: Silent Witness
I really like Taylor Cole, who plays the title character. Unfortunately, I think she was miscast in this movie, which did not score well for me. The one thing it had going for it was that I truly had no idea who the killer was. But other than that, I’m not sure I’ll be watching other installments of this franchise if they bring it back.
So where do these new additions all rank?
- REDUX: All of my Heart (air date: 2015) – 810 pts – weighted score: 128.5 (84.3%)
- XMAS 2018: Small Town Christmas (air date: December 16, 2018) – 781 pts – weighted score: 125.8 (82.5%)
- REDUX: Love on the Air (air date: 2015) – 800 pts – weighted score: 125.1 (82.0%)
- REDUX: Pearl in Paradise (air date: 2018) – 770 pts – weighted score: 124.5 (81.6%)
- REDUX: Surprised by Love (air date: 2015) – 770 pts – weighted score: 124.0 (81.3%)
- REDUX: All of my Heart: The Wedding (air date: 2018) – 755 pts – weighted score: 122.5 (80.3%)
- XMAS 2018: Christmas at Grand Valley (air date: December 21, 2018) – 770 pts – weighted score: 121.0 (79.3%)
- REDUX: Dater’s Handbook (air date: 2016) – 746 pts – weighted score: 118.5 (77.7%)
- 2019: Winter Love Story (air date: January 19) – 725 pts – weighted score: 117.8 (77.2%)
- 2019: Mystery 101 (air date: January 27 (HMM)) – 514 pts – weighted score: 97.8 (75.2%)
- 2019: The Story of Us (air date: February 9) – 665 pts – weighted score: 104.3 (68.4%)
- 2019: One Winter Proposal (air date: January 12) – 635 pts – weighted score: 100.8 (66.1%)
- 2019: Ruby Herring: Silent Witness (air date: January 20 (HMM)) – 457 pts – weighted score: 85.4 (65.7%)
- 2019: Valentine in the Vineyard (air date: February 2) – 603 pts – weighted score: 94.5 (61.9%)
- 2019: The Winter Castle (air date: January 5) – 605 pts – weighted score: 92.4 (60.6%)
- 2019: Snowcoming (air date: January 26) – 565 pts – weighted score: 91.3 (59.8%)
- REDUX: Elevator Girl (air date: 2010) – 555 pts – weighted score: 88.6 points (58.1%)
- XMAS 2018: Northern Lights of Christmas (air date: December 15, 2018) – 535 pts – weighted score: 83.8 (54.9%)
- REDUX: Romantically Speaking (air date 2015) – 539 pts – weighted score: 80.3 (52.7%)
- 2019: A Winter Princess (air date: January 18) – 540 pts – weighted score: 78.5 (51.5%)
One thing I found really interesting is that “Pearl in Paradise” and “Surprised by Love” both scored 770 raw points (as did “Christmas at Grand Valley”), but because I have weighting involved, their final weighted scores were completely different in the end. Proof that weighting will definitely keep things interesting and avoid lots of tie scores. And I am not surprised by my Top 3 non-Xmas at all, and would be VERY surprised if I end up seeing any other movies that come even close to their scores.
Even more interesting – on pure points, “Romantically Speaking” is a point behind “A Winter Princess”. But because of weighted scoring, it actually ends up higher in the ranking. That’s the power of adorable Jonathan Bennett right there. That’s the ONLY reason it is not in last place.
I’m also surprised that “Dater’s Handbook,” which I consider to be one of my all-time favorites, is ranked at only #6. If I was to be asked what my top 5 Hallmark movies are, I would definitely put it in my Top 5 over “AOMH:TW”. But I think “AOMH:TW” scored higher because it made me cry (but to be honest, I was sick at home with a cold when I watched it, so maybe I was more emotional and got more heavily invested than I normally would have? We’ll never know.).
How do you feel about these rankings thus far? Any older ones you want me to watch if I’m able to Tivo them?
