Dec 21

Dec 21 Holiday Date

Dumped days before Christmas, Brooke enlists an actor to pose as her boyfriend when she returns home for the holidays. Joel has no trouble portraying a paramour, but struggles to learn the yule rules. He may not be Mr. Christmas… but is he Mr. Right?

Holiday+Date.jpg — Christmas clichés:

Opens w/ City Scene
PR, Designer, Event Coordinator
Cute, Precocious Child
Tree Buy & Trim
Surprise! Xmas Lights
Christmas Festival
Mistletoe
They Play Piano!

Our Thoughts

Special Edition Review! We were lucky enough to be invited by #HallmarkDreamJob winners, Jasmine and Sharon, to watch a 2019 Hallmark movie with them. Who knew fellow Minneapolitans would get the gig?!? And of course, we said “Yes!” It was a delight to be welcomed by their friends and an elaborate display of delicious cookies. Extra kudos to Jasmine and her full DVR of Hallmark movies.

VMM+with+Jasmine+and+Sharon.jpg — Thanks for the warm welcome!

Based solely on name, we picked “Holiday Date” to watch and review. And a good choice it was.

Clothing Designer Brooke (Brittany Bristow, who looks so familiar but we can’t place) gets the worst pre-Christmas news: her boyfriend, Ethan, is dedicated to work…but not to her. He won’t be coming home with her to Whispering Pines, PA. Brooke is stuck solo for the holidays once again.

Luck is on her side when she meets actor, Joel (Matt Cohen, smiley while rocking tight shirts), who wants to nab a Small Town Guy acting gig and could benefit from some research. Pressure from mutual friends means Joel is now “Ethan” and will pretend to be Brooke’s boyfriend to her expectant, and nosey, family.

Joel embraces his new part as a faux architect, but things quickly go awry when Ethan’s reputation as “Mr. Christmas” is questioned…because Joel is Jewish. The Tree Buy & Trim scene sees Joel buying and then attempting to decorate the tree solo (not what the family expected). But once Joel’s religion and traditions are revealed, Brooke’s family embraces Hanukkah, like lighting the menorah and spinning the dreidel with Brooke’s Cute, Precocious Niece. They even proclaim Joel’s “brought life back” into their holiday routine. Too bad they don’t know he’s “Joel”…yet…

The movie has an upbeat pace, and the familial characters round out the plot. Brooke’s disappointed father steals every scene (and gave Rob some flashbacks to when we started dating). Plus, when Joel helps Brooke’s niece nab a part in the Christmas Play, you feel the warmth of the season in their mutual love of acting.

Where things get squishy is in the mixing of holiday traditions. We are NOT qualified to decide what honors a tradition, but some scenes felt like they edged on characterizations and were a little ham-handed (but that’s not because they offered Joel ham…which they did). Another off-putting moment was the final reveal of “Ethan” as Joel—we won’t fully spoil, but speaking for our families, they’d have a little more trouble embracing a fraudulent man in their guest bedroom.

All said, “Holiday Date” was a solid offering from Hallmark. Given that their other 2019 premieres we’ve reviewed have been stewing in the Not Very Merry camp, it’s fun to feel excited about something from Hallmark. Plus, did they leave it open for a potential sequel?

Rob's Final Take: Merry
Some clumsy moments, but Brittany and Matt were just so darn smiley and likable. Plus, watching with Jasmine was a treat!

Jess's Final Take: Merry
It’s almost “Merry Plus” because of our charming leads and bustling family. If only the plot were more realistic—do people casually ask strangers to pretend to be significant others?

Curious what Jasmine and Sharon thought? Watch their recap on YouTube.