Nov 5, 2018

My Top 5 Romantic Hallmark Movies

If you and I have had a face-to-face conversation in the last, say, 2 years, at some point I will bring up my recently discovered fangirl obsession for Hallmark movies.

Like, I'm crushing sooooo hard. I can't get enough of them (and in Australia, it's actually hard to feed this craving). We (and by we, I mean my family, not Aussies in general) didn't have Pay TV (have since been exposed to Netflix), and catching a Hallmark movie on Aussie free-to-air television is pretty near impossible.

I discovered them in January 2016 when my husband and kids were away for Christmas school holidays, and I was home writing, and rewarding myself after a hard slog at words during the day with some wine and various Ben & Jerry tubs of ice cream (and I wish I could say they were the small tubs, but, well, they weren't) in the evening, and a fuzzy feel-good romantic movie. Double feature. Marathon. Whatever.

I stumbled across them by accident on Youtube, and then I tried to see if I could purchase/download online (couldn't), and then purchased via Amazon (and still can't figure out how to get multi-zoning on my DVD player!) - but, well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I LOVE Hallmark movies so much/hard/badly, that I'll pretty much hunt down one at any opportunity, no matter how impossible, because I'm not afraid to earn my Hallmark HEA - they're all the sweeter for the effort.

There. I've said it. I 💖 Hallmark Movies. So much so, that I will research the bejeebus out of a movie I've enjoyed, and if it's adapted from a novel, I will track that sucker down and consume the crap out of it. And yes, those books are thoroughly enjoyable, too! And I've been introduced to a few new love-to-read authors as a result. The Hallmark Movies and Mysteries - oh, boy, think of how much I 💖 the romance movies, and multiply it by a zillion for how much I crush those mystery series (and yep, I'm purchasing DVDs wherever I can for those, too, and the associated books).

It's an addiction - but I'm not sure I can/want to do something about it. I feel like a leprechaun drowning in a vat of whisky, and determined to fight off any rescue efforts.

I think the appeal is that they're just soooo super ... NICE. Sweet. Positive. Heartwarming. Cute. Dreamy - and any other superlative you can think of that would also describe those Ben & Jerry flavours.

From what I've seen, the commonalities in these movies and books are that people are actually nice and respectful toward each other. That even a villain is basically a person with a hurt heart and bad experience/s, and can be redeemed, and that all characters - whether it's the small town setting or the city apartments, farms, etc. contribute to the community/family feel.

Some may call them schmaltzy. To tell you the truth, with what we see happening in the news, with politics, religion and crime, sometimes you need schmaltzy, and I can't see any occasion where excessive sentimentality is a negative, particularly in these times.

So, if you're interested, check your cynicism at the door, grab yourself your favourite comfort snacks and drinks, and settle in for a date with heart-melting romance. Here are my (to-date, but can change because I'm trying to watch as many as I can) Romantic Hallmark Movies Top 5 (Mysteries, Christmas and other holidays, and Series Movies, love-crush heroes, heroines-to-adore, etc. will be other posts!):

Romantic Hallmark Movies Top 5 

5.

Unleashing Mr. Darcy



4.

Bridal Wave


3.

A Country Wedding


2.

All of My Heart


1.

Harvest Love


So, if you have a favourite that isn't listed here, please let me know what it is in the comments below, and I'll add it to my to-be-watched list!

10 comments:

  1. Hi Shannon

    I don't think I have ever watched a Hallmark movie (hangs head in shame) but then I don't watch a lot of TV I have too many books calling to me, although I do go to the movies often these days :)

    I must watch out for some we do have Netflix, Stan and Foxtel in this house for Hubby and kids

    Have Fun

    Helen

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  2. You need to come to the U.S....we have Hallmark Holiday movies 24/7 on both the Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Mysteries and Movies Channel since the 26th of October until a few days after the holidays. 2 of your favorite movies have sequels now, Marrying Mr. Darcy came out this summer, and All of my Heart has a wedding sequel.(The title escapes me). I also like Marty me at Christmas, the 9 lives of Christmas, and The newest one that premiered last night "marrying father Christmas" which is the last of a three part. I love so many of them, and they seem to be using Harlequin books for story lines. Debbie Macomber's Dashing Though the Snow was really good, as were her Mrs.Miracle movies. Thank goodness I have a nice large capacity Dvr so I can watch them whenever the mood strikes!!

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    1. Sigh... You're living my dream life right there, being able to glom so many of them. I can't wait to see Marrying Mr. Darcy, and I'll totes watch ANYTHING with Brennan Elliott!

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  3. PS: there is also a Hallmark movie website that you can watch unlimited movieson, similar to Netflix.

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    1. Is there??? She shrieks a she hurriedly types into Google...

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  4. I've not watched any of the Hallmark movies, Shannon, but they do sound fun. Jessica Gilmore's Tule book "Baking For Keeps" has been made into a Hallmark movie called "Falling For You" and I'd love to see that. :-)

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