Those Hallmark movies at Christmas have been a matter of contention in our house for years.
My partner/wife loves this form of escapism where everything turns delightful at the end.
On the other hand, Yours Truly finds them too predictable with simple repeated shallow plots for most of them.
The series of standard plots vary little with the successful career girl coming home from the big city for Christmas and falling in love during five days with a local guy she perhaps once dated.
Or the plot twists with a successful fellow coming home for Christmas and falling in love with an old school friend.
Almost always there is a skating scene with one person unable to skate well and the other supporting. There are standard scenes with the Christmas tree hunt, decorating trees and making Christmas cookies.
One shouldn’t forget the daughter trying to save the family store or bakery from closure or a big bad developer’s plans.
This year one of the first Hallmarks Christmas movies had a different theme — two young people from different cultures were getting married and nearly broke up when the parents argued over family Christmas traditions.
The parents just had to cut the apron strings and let go of some adopted traditions.
But the one movie that really caught my attention was the Sugar Plum Twist, a movie featuring a fairy called Sue Garplum who made the greatest Christmas for a family of four.
The mother wanted her own version of a perfect Christmas and to reconnect the family. Her husband was always working, the son was bullied at school and the daughter wanted, of all things, to be a musician.
While Sue Garplum made everything turn out OK as all Hallmark movies end she also twisted the knife on the simple Hallmark movie plots.
In numerous scenes she remarked “that would make a Hallmark movie,” while grinning slyly.
This movie was making fun of the Hallmark repetitive simple plots mostly filmed in Canada
A subplot on Sugar Plum Twists revived an old Hallmark plot about the young woman struggling to keep the old family resorts open facing off with the big city developer, eventually swooning in love with him.
In the end, they always fall in love and compromise, keeping the old resort open along with a new one.
By this time my readers may wonder how I know so much about these movies I dislike. I watch them with my partner/wife because I like hanging out with her.
We saw a news item the other night pointing out that Netflix has adopted the successful Hallmark formula with one big difference. The Netflix “Hallmarks” are a bit raunchy and less discreet about showing male muscular chests, cleavage and skin.
Not being a public cable network Netflix can do what it wants. Look for nudity next year.
Hope you have a good Christmas and the best in 2O25. May your life be like a Hallmark movie.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
