Plot

Scarlett has started a new job at a bar, hoping that through her new boss she will get in touch with the boss’s mother—an influential woman whom Scarlett hopes will hire her as a photographer. At the same bar, Lucas shows up while looking for work as a pianist.

What follows is a complicated story involving Lucas, his brother, and Scarlett’s boss. Scarlett tries to set Lucas up with her boss, who is actually interested in Lucas’s brother. At the same time, Scarlett—who usually changes boyfriends as often as others change their underwear—tries to convince herself that Lucas is not the right one for her.

Short review

This film is a missed opportunity. When you think about the script, it actually could have turned out quite good, and the actors aren’t bad either. But the production and direction ultimately drag the whole thing down.

Plot

Elizabeth works in PR, where the workload is heavy—especially now that they have a new client whose public profile needs improving. At the same time, her sister has to travel away, leaving Elizabeth to take care of her niece, Ruby.

This also leads to her meeting Jamie, Ruby’s teacher. Their first encounter doesn’t go well when Elizabeth shows up an hour late to pick Ruby up. However, Jamie proves to be kind and supportive, helping the stressed Elizabeth juggle both her work and looking after Ruby.

Short review

A fairly poor romantic film. It never really manages to convince, and the whole production feels rather uninspired.

Plot

Annalise has just started her own wedding planning business, and she is now organizing her first wedding, which will take place at Mick and Olivia’s inn. What she didn’t know is that the groom’s best man is her ex-boyfriend, Brad, who broke up with her under unclear circumstances five years ago.

Suddenly she finds herself having to arrange the wedding with him constantly present. It becomes an awkward time for both of them, but also an opportunity to sort out what really happened back then. At the same time, Mick’s friend Duke ends up caught in the middle of Mick and Olivia’s secret plans for each other.

Short review

A good romantic film and the fifth installment in the Wedding March series. It delivers the kind of romance you would expect, and things are starting to move toward a resolution for Mick and Olivia too. Only one film remains.

Plot

Mick and Olivia set off for a weekend away where Mick is planning to make a grand gesture. But when the next wedding couple arrives early at the inn and Olivia’s daughter suddenly announces that she has gotten engaged, they head back home to their inn.

The next wedding couple is Abby and Rob, who have carefully planned their wedding. However, Abby begins to feel the pressure from Rob’s family—especially his sister—and starts changing many of the plans at the last minute, convinced that everything needs to be more “fancy” to meet their expectations. It threatens to derail the entire event.

Short review

The fourth film out of six in the Wedding March series. It doesn’t strictly fall within the limits I’ve set for the films in this collection (the couples are already together at the beginning), but I’ve included it since it is part of the series. As a romantic film, it works reasonably well, though overall it earns a fairly average rating.

Plot

Olivia and Mick are looking forward to a quiet Valentine’s weekend when Mick’s sister suddenly announces that she’s coming to visit. Shortly after, Olivia’s mother gets in touch to say that she and her man are on their way. On top of that, Julie—Mick’s daughter—arrives with her boyfriend.

And as if that weren’t enough, when Mick’s sister shows up she brings along her boyfriend and announces that they plan to get married there over the weekend. To make matters worse, her boyfriend turns out to be an old acquaintance of Mick’s—one he’s disliked ever since an incident many years ago. The stage is set for an eventful weekend.

Short review

This film doesn’t quite fit my narrow definition of movies in this collection, but I’ve chosen to include it anyway since it’s part of a six-film series. As a romantic film, it delivers several parallel couples facing different challenges, and overall it works well—especially when viewed as part of the series.

Plot

Olivia has decided to sell her house and invest in Mick’s inn, as Mick is looking for an investor. Mick is taken aback when Olivia arrives and announces that she intends to become his new business partner—he had been expecting them to rekindle their relationship instead (see The Wedding March).

As if that weren’t enough, Olivia also turns out not to be the quiet, hands-off partner Mick had hoped for. She has plenty of ideas on how to improve the inn, which has lost many wedding bookings to a new hotel. At the same time, they receive a wedding booking where the bride quickly proves to be a full-blown bridezilla.

Short review

This film doesn’t quite fit my narrow definition of movies in this collection, but I’ve chosen to include it anyway since it’s part of a six-film series built around the same theme. Even so, as the second entry in the series, it holds up as a solid romantic film with several parallel love stories.

Plot

Alana is unemployed and living with her best friend while desperately searching for a job. She then suddenly learns that her grandfather passed away a year ago and that she has inherited his cabin. She travels there to take care of it and hopefully sell it.

Once there, she discovers a photo on her grandfather’s tablet showing a lottery ticket that had won the jackpot shortly before he died. This sets off a race to find the ticket before it expires. Alana gets help from her new neighbour, Luke, who lives in the small, depopulating town. At the same time, Henry is there, representing someone interested in buying the cabin.

Short review

A bad film in several ways. The plot has major flaws—how could Alana, for example, have been unaware for an entire year that her grandfather had died and left her an inheritance? The film is further dragged down by the unnecessary use of a voice-over narrator commenting on the action. No, this one is best skipped.

Plot

Stefanie’s mother was an archaeologist who searched for artifacts based on ancient Viking sagas. Stefanie is now a researcher herself, and she is contacted by a wealthy businessman who claims to have a lead on what her mother was searching for. However, they need an expert in Nordic languages to interpret the clues, so they reach out to Chase, Stefanie’s ex-husband.

He is eventually persuaded to join an expedition that ultimately takes them to Iceland. There, they follow clues leading to the legendary treasure. It becomes an adventure in which Stefanie and Chase are forced to work together, awakening old feelings along the way.

Short review

The film tries to be something in between a romantic movie and an alternative version of National Treasure. It fails at both.

Plot

Adeline has written a book about how to best plan Christmas celebrations. Now she sets off on a book-signing tour, with her final stop at a bookstore run by Garth. Business is doing rather poorly, and Garth’s sister is desperately trying to get him to organize things better in order to boost sales.

Garth, who prefers to take things as they come, mocks Adeline for her need to plan everything. It ends with him challenging her to prove that her way works better, and since she has no other plans, she decides to stay in town to do just that. Garth promises that if he loses, he will use his fame as a former sports star to promote her book.

Short review

A romantic film about how the best approach lies in balancing planning and spontaneity. However, it doesn’t quite succeed, mainly due to a somewhat sloppy and rather formulaic execution.

Plot

Olivia works as a stylist for real-estate agents. She works constantly — just like the agent she is now planning to marry. However, her daughter wants a proper wedding, not something they simply register at city hall. To make that happen, she has booked a full wedding at an inn. What she doesn’t know is that the inn is run by Mick, whom Olivia dated during their school years before they lost touch when he went off on tour. Olivia doesn’t want to disappoint her daughter and goes ahead with the plans anyway. Mick is considering selling the inn since his daughter is about to start college — something Olivia’s future husband is quick to seize on in his role as a real-estate agent.

Short review

This one was unexpectedly good. I think they’ve put the story together well. It’s just complicated enough, and they don’t rush to untangle everything. It turns into a really solid romantic story and is also the start of a series of six films, all with The Wedding March in the title. Perhaps that’s why it doesn’t matter so much that there’s no epilogue this time.

The films in this series is:

• The Wedding March
• Wedding March 2: Resorting to Love
• Wedding March 3: Here Comes the Bride
• Wedding March 4: Something Old, Something New
• Wedding March 5: My Boyfriend's Back
• Sealed with a Kiss: Wedding March 6

Plot

Sari is put in charge of the family café while her parents go on vacation. It’s important to her father that she doesn’t change anything, but when Sari and her sisters discover that the café is on the verge of bankruptcy, Sari takes the initiative to try to save it.

At the same time, Sari meets Gabe, who has just moved into the neighbourhood. The initial attraction quickly fades when she realises that he is opening a bakery right next door to their café. Competition becomes fierce, and they start playing small pranks on each other. A neighbourhood festival is also approaching, offering a chance to win a prize that could potentially save the café.

Short review

A romantic film that works, this time set in the Filipino neighbourhoods of an American city, which does feel a bit different. It skirts close to cliché in its portrayal of those communities, but as a romantic film it delivers.

Plot

Lucas’s daughter, Bri, has become withdrawn since her mother passed away. The only times she truly lights up are when she hears the stories about Princess Ariel to her. Lucas is worried, and in an effort to help Bri open up, he comes up with the idea of hiring someone to play the role of Princess Ariel for his daughter’s birthday. It turns out to be easier said than done.

One day, however, he spots Emilia in a park — and she looks exactly like Ariel. Emilia works as a mechanic in her father’s garage, but eventually allows herself to be persuaded to take on the role. It goes so well that Lucas wants to hire Emilia for a longer period.

Short review

Up Faith & Family has once again produced a low-budget film of questionable quality. The premise might have worked if they hadn’t fallen so hard into cliché territory and had instead focused on grounding the story more convincingly.

Plot

When Poppy and Alex first met, they didn’t get along at all, as they had completely different outlooks on life. Despite that, they became friends and agreed to meet for a shared vacation every year, no matter what else was going on in their lives — which they did for many years.

Now Alex’s brother is getting married, and he wants Poppy to come, even though she and Alex broke off contact two years ago. It becomes an awkward reunion, and the reasons behind the fallout are gradually revealed through a series of flashbacks to their shared vacations. Is their friendship something more — and can it work despite how different they are?

Short review

A very good romantic film built around the idea that opposites attract. I’ll admit that I can sometimes struggle with films that tell the story through a mix of present-day scenes and flashbacks, but this time they’ve made it work. You do have to overlook the brief moments where they try to be funny with awkward nudity and condom jokes, but they’re few and don’t detract from the overall impression.

Plot

Princess Charlotte is facing an arranged engagement to a prince from a neighbouring country. Before Christmas, however, she is persuaded by her childhood friend — the daughter of the royal court’s chef — to slip away. Her friend is travelling to the United States to take part in a baking competition and thinks Charlotte should join her. They manage to get away, but Charlotte doesn’t feel comfortable staying at the place her friend has arranged and instead ends up at an inn. The inn is run by a family, and it is Luke, the brother, who helps Charlotte find her way there. At the same time, Charlotte is being pursued by a persistent journalist in search of a scoop.

Short review

Here we go again — another princess from an unknown European kingdom. The odds are stacked against it, and it definitely doesn’t manage to rise above them. It fails to convince on any level.

Plot

Heather is under pressure to deliver her next book. In the middle of this, she learns that she has inherited her family’s farm in Montana. She decides to bring along her two best friends to see what exactly she has inherited. Perhaps she can find inspiration to start writing again — and perhaps she can sell the farm.

When they arrive, they discover that the property is in serious need of repairs. They get some help from the neighbour, Cliff, the town’s veterinarian who owns the adjacent farm. Heather and her friends receive a crash course in rural life, while Heather finally gets her writing going. And something begins to blossom between her and Cliff.

Short review

A sometimes tiresome story of city slickers making fools of themselves in the countryside. Still, it’s not completely worthless, and it does improve somewhat in the second half. It never gets better than a three, though.

Plot

Amy’s mother died when Amy was seven. She left Amy with a life plan that mapped out her future up until the point where she would marry her seventh boyfriend. So far, Amy has followed the plan closely and is now a fully qualified lawyer with a promising job at a law firm. She has had five boyfriends along the way and feels that her mother’s plan has guided her well.
Now she meets Daniel, whom she truly likes and sees as someone she could settle down with — but he would only be number six. At the same time, Peter, who works at the local café, asks her to accompany him as his date to a wedding he’s attending. Amy reasons that she could count Peter as number six, and therefore agrees to go with him.

Short review

A very good romantic film. You could debate Amy’s fixation on her mother’s plan, but it works. Overall, the film maintains a higher level of quality than most.

Plot

Claire has missed an important scholarship notification for her sister — something that is crucial to her sister’s research and requires her signature. The problem is that her sister is deep in the Amazon rainforest and cannot be reached. Determined to fix her mistake, Claire travels to Brazil to save the situation. Reaching the remote location where her sister is working proves difficult, and Claire tries to hire a local guide, Danny, whom she finds through her sister’s contacts. Danny, who delivers supplies along the Amazon River, is reluctant to take on the job but soon finds himself travelling upriver with Claire.

Short review

The film benefits from actually being shot on a real river in a real jungle. As a romantic film, it delivers according to the formula and ends up as a solid story that holds together well.

Plot

Sophia is the CEO of the design company she founded and has built into one of the industry’s leaders. It is now under threat, however, as her ex-husband wants to sell his share to a competing low-end brand. She is forced to travel to Fiji to try to influence one of the board members.

On the same flight is Max, who has been persuaded by his pilot friend to travel to Fiji to meet an investor who could help him open his own restaurant. They run into bad weather, and it all ends with Sophia and Max finding themselves stranded alone on a deserted island.

Short review

This film’s main strength is its entertaining, fast-paced dialogue. As a romantic story, it works and clearly falls into the rom-com category.

Plot

Alexis lives with her father in a rural area and is about to finish high school. She loves figure skating, and her interest in skating is something she shares with her boyfriend, Nick, who plays hockey. She is discovered by a figure-skating coach and given the chance to pursue her talent seriously. The training is demanding but also brings results. However, it puts a strain on her relationship with Nick, and eventually it falls apart.
Alexis then finds herself immersed in the elite world of figure skating, but suddenly she suffers a fall, hits her head, and loses her sight. Devastated, she returns home to her father and withdraws from the world. Nick eventually comes to see her, determined not to let her give up.

Short review

The film has a few years on it and feels a bit dated, but they manage to put together a solid romantic story. You could question how realistic her return to the rink is, but that’s something you have to accept — it is a film, after all. Taylor Firth (Alexis) is a professional figure skater, which shows and adds to the sense of authenticity.

Plot

Kate works hard and has come a long way in her career. She works in property development and is now looking forward to some time off before Christmas, planning to go on a week-long spa retreat. Before she leaves, she is approached by Emmet, who wants to stop her latest acquisition — his parents’ inn. It also turns out that Kate and Emmet were in a relationship when they were young. Kate says the matter will have to wait until she visits the property after her vacation.
On her way to the spa, however, she is involved in an accident that causes her to lose her memory, and she ends up staying at the inn to recover. She and Emmet get a fresh start — but what will happen when she regains her memory?

Short review

Stories built around this kind of premise don’t always come together successfully. I can accept the amnesia as a necessary plot device, but not the way the characters react to it. There are many illogical responses, and the religious element certainly doesn’t help.

Plot

Maya spots a handsome man at the grocery store, but when she forgets her phone and he comes out to return it to her in the parking lot, he slips and hits his head. Unconscious, he is taken to the hospital, and Maya follows to see how he’s doing. At the hospital, he is treated by Dr Daniel, whom Maya once dated. Not wanting to admit that she’s single, Maya claims that she is the patient’s girlfriend.

Soon, however, the patient’s family arrives, and before long Maya finds herself drawn into the family as his supposed girlfriend. It becomes increasingly difficult to confess the truth — especially with Daniel nearby. And the family is just so nice.

Short review

A new version of While You Were Sleeping. This time, however, it’s not a charming brother who causes the complications. They’ve managed to make it work well this time too.

Plot

Brie, a highly trained gourmet chef, has opened a restaurant in a small town, but she’s struggling to make it profitable. Now there’s a chance to attract a famous food blogger, ZazYum, to the restaurant — but it requires posting daily updates featuring satisfied customers for an entire month, something Brie finds exhausting since she dislikes social media.

Across the street, John runs a diner and always has access to fresh ingredients, which Brie has trouble sourcing herself. She approaches him to find out where he gets them from. Before long, a rivalry develops between them as they compete to win ZazYum’s attention for their respective restaurants.

Short review

Almost nothing in this film feels authentic. The premise is promising, but it’s poorly executed, resulting in something that feels a bit clumsy and overly polished.

Plot

When Annie’s friend is unable to go on a spa week she has booked, Annie goes in her place instead. Her friend thinks Annie needs some perspective and should dare to step outside her comfort zone a bit more. At the spa hotel, Annie meets a variety of guests, including Jake, a businessman who is also there to relax — or so it seems. Jake and one of the hotel employees behave suspiciously, which turns out to be because they are actually private detectives. They are there after receiving a tip that a very valuable stolen piece of jewellery is going to be sold at the hotel. Annie soon gets drawn into the investigation, and she and Jake try to figure out which of the guests has the jewellery.

Short review

There are several stories like this, with a mystery at the centre, but they usually don’t end with the main characters actually realising their romance. This time they do — but the result isn’t entirely successful.

Plot

Luke has finally crowned his tennis career by winning a major tournament and announces his retirement. He returns home to his parents, only to discover that they are planning to sell the tennis facility where he first learned to play. Not only that — half of the facility has been converted into pickleball courts, run by Caroline, who is also fighting to save the club. Luke, who had imagined taking over the business himself, doesn’t want his parents to sell, but he’s also far from enthusiastic about the pickleball operation. It soon turns out that the only way to save the club is to win a major pickleball tournament, forcing Luke to learn the game — with Caroline as his teacher.

Short review

The film is fairly standard but doesn’t feel fully cohesive. I’m not sure whether it’s the pickleball aspect that feels a bit silly or the overall execution, but it doesn’t end up being more than a three.

Plot

Georgie lives a hectic life as a travel writer, constantly moving between cities with 24-hour stopovers. Now her editor wants her to take on a bigger, longer assignment: a full week in Melbourne, Australia, to write a major feature article. Full of plans, Georgie travels there, but when she arrives at the airport, no one shows up to pick her up. Eventually, Zach appears — having been asked to step in at the last minute. On the way to the hotel, he shows her a few unexpected places, and on a whim Georgie persuades Zach to be her guide for the entire week. The week gives Georgie not only a different perspective on Melbourne, but also a reason to reflect on her own life.

Short review

A good romantic film, with Georgie very much running at full speed at the beginning. A story about finding new perspectives and unexpected love.

Plot

Alicia is in the middle of a successful career as a TV star and is about to sign on for a new season of the show she co-hosts with her boyfriend. She is then given a reason to return to her hometown, but before leaving she stops by a shop to buy a gift for her best friend’s daughter and is given a necklace with an hourglass as a bonus.

Back in her hometown, she runs into her first boyfriend, Connor, who has opened a café there. At the traditional Christmas ball, she encounters the elderly woman who gave her the necklace — and suddenly finds herself in an alternate reality where she never left town and Connor was the one who did. Will she be able to figure out why this has happened?

Short review

Fairy tales with magical elements are tricky by definition, and this one doesn’t quite manage to pull it off. It ends up feeling somewhat half-baked and thin, and they could have put more effort into getting the ending better.

Plot

Larry and Joan have shared a long marriage together. When Larry suddenly dies, he finds himself in an in-between place where people must decide where — and with whom — they want to spend eternity. Larry chooses to wait for Joan so they can decide together. While waiting, he becomes acquainted with Luke, the bartender at a bar in the afterlife. Luke works there while waiting for his beloved to arrive.

When Joan finally appears, it turns out that she isn’t only being awaited by Larry — Luke was her fiancé before he was killed in the Korean War. Joan is now faced with the impossible choice of whom she will spend eternity with, and the decision is anything but easy.

Short review

This film really stands out within the genre. I think they’ve put it together quite well, and at times it’s quite entertaining. (But if this is heaven I'm afraid of eternity)

Plot

Willow works as a location scout for romantic films. She’s been doing it for a while and has become rather jaded about the whole thing. When she’s tasked with finding a small town for the next film project, she ends up in Mistletoe by chance. There she meets Zach, who is the town’s mayor, and whose family also runs an inn in town. Business is struggling, and the film project would mean a great deal both for the inn and for the town as a whole. However, one of the town’s leading women strongly opposes the idea and blocks the project. At the same time, the town’s annual ball is approaching. Willow has to fight to make things work — and may also have to reflect on what she herself really wants.

Short review

An interesting concept with a bit of meta thinking — a romantic film about planning a romantic film. It’s a shame it doesn’t quite hold together. It almost gets there, but not entirely. They sort of fumble it in the ending.

Plot

Francine works as a designer at a clothing company with a demanding boss. As Christmas approaches, an opportunity opens up for her to become a partner in the company — something her boyfriend thinks is excellent, as it aligns well with his ambitious plans. At the same time, Francine meets Jaylen, the son of one of her mother’s friends. He is there to help adapt her mother’s home, as her mother is gradually losing her sight. Francine’s sister is also planning to get married at Christmas, with the wedding to be held at their mother’s home. It becomes a hectic lead-up to Christmas, giving Francine reason to reflect on what she truly wants.

Short review

A fairly standard romantic film that holds up, without really standing out.

Plot

Emily is a fashion designer, and two well-known bloggers are now ready to promote her clothing line. The catch is that they want to do it at a skijoring competition in Montana just before Christmas — which also happens to be at Emily’s hometown. Her daughter is thrilled about spending Christmas with her grandparents, but Emily herself is more hesitant. Things don’t get any easier when she runs into Jake, whom she went to school with. She had a crush on him back then, but he barely noticed her. Jake is struggling with the farm he runs with his brother, and winning this year’s skijoring competition would solve his problems. Soon, Emily finds herself torn between pleasing her promoters and supporting Jake.

Short review

No, this one doesn’t hold up. Not only is the “skijoring” portrayed in the film rather ridiculous, but overall it just isn’t very good.

Plot

Sabrina has been hired to ghostwrite a memoir for a wealthy art dealer, Grayson. While working on the book, she is given accommodation in a suite at the hotel where Grayson once worked as a young man. As she and Grayson go through what happened at the hotel all those years ago, Sabrina also meets Ian, who is the valet to Lord Braxton, who is visiting the United States incognito. Sabrina misunderstands the situation and believes Ian to be Lord Braxton himself. Meanwhile, Ian struggles to manage the real Lord Braxton’s romantic escapades. There is more than one secret that needs to be untangled before a happy and successful Christmas can unfold.

Short review

I think they’ve put together a fairly good romantic story — or rather, two parallel ones. It’s just complicated enough and has a nice, warm atmosphere.

Plot

Three siblings — Dylan, Cal, and Emory — are invited by their parents on a Christmas cruise along the Danube. All of them are dealing with relationship problems that aren’t easy to admit during the trip. It becomes an eventful cruise: Dylan worries about what is going on with his boyfriend, who was supposed to come along but has been behaving very strangely. Meanwhile, Emory gets to know Noah, the ship’s host, and Cal — who is divorced and has just failed to confess his love to his childhood friend — meets Felicity, who is on the cruise with her grandfather following her own divorce.

Short review

A fairly packed film that may not be entirely cohesive, but it does offer, among other things, two parallel romances (plus what’s going on with Dylan and his boyfriend — though they’re already together). It ended up as a four in the end.

Plot

Before Christmas, the lawyer Zara is given an important assignment by her boss that must be completed before the holidays. To lighten things up, her colleague has bought tickets to a Victorian dinner held in a historic building, knowing how much Zara loves Dickens. During the visit, she happens to meet Rafe, an contractor who works in renovations and whose family once owned the Victorian house. Zara then begins to experience a series of strange incidents influenced by the house’s ghosts, giving her repeated reasons to hire Rafe to fix one thing after another.

Short review

The idea of ghosts means the film is working uphill from the very start. Add to that the rather cheap-looking 19th-century costumes typical of these films, and a Chad Rook (as Rafe) who can’t act, at least not as a romantic interest, and the whole dish ends up rather bland.

Plot

Annie has returned to her hometown with her teenage daughter after becoming a widow. She works there as a deputy sheriff but hopes to land a better job in the big city. Her daughter, however, is tired of moving around and wants them to stay.
The small town is suddenly hit by a series of thefts in which someone steals the town’s Christmas decorations, and it becomes Annie’s task to solve the mystery together with the town’s sheriff, Tom. Who wants to sabotage the Christmas celebrations? There are several suspects, and Annie’s daughter — who runs a blog in her spare time — also gets drawn into the drama. Annie begins to realise that there may be more to the small town than she thought, including Tom…

Short review

Nothing is seriously wrong with it, but the plot feels weak and the small town comes across as very pastiche-like.

Plot

Annie and Dave both end up at the same hotel after their flights are cancelled, and they spend a pleasant evening together. But the next day Dave misses his flight, and they don’t reunite the next day as planned. All they know about each other is a first name and that they live in the same city. Still, both of them want to meet again. Separately, they begin searching for each other using the fragments they remember from their night at the hotel. It turns into an odyssey on both sides, as they grasp at one lead after another. But it proves extremely difficult — how will they ever succeed?

Short review

A well-constructed story that turns out really good, even if you have to wait until the very last moment to find out how it all turns out.

Plot

Ian is under pressure to finish his second book. When he then sees his girlfriend kissing another man in the street, he has a sudden impulse — after watching a commercial for an inn in Italy — and decides to go there. The place is run by Giacomo and his daughter Arianna. Ian tries to continue working on his book, but progress is slow, and he soon becomes involved in life at the olive farm. He is fascinated by Arianna, who seems to live a complicated life helping her father run the place. Soon he is also joined by Audrey, his aunt, who is also a writer. With Arianna as his inspiration, Ian finally gets his book moving — but unresolved issues catches up.

Short review

A very good romantic film that actually features two romances, even if the second one stays more in the background. The fact that the film is British shows in its solid quality and in how it doesn’t fully follow the usual formula. It’s romantic, entertaining, and cosy.

Plot

Lucy’s son, Robbie, is completely obsessed with becoming a TV news anchor. His idol is Adam Kade, who presents the news on the local TV station. Robbie has arranged for his entire class to go on a field trip to the news studio. During the visit, he accidentally leaves his binder behind in the studio. The news producer wants Adam to return it and, at the same time, invite Robbie to spend a week at the station to learn more about how the news is made. Adam, meanwhile, is hoping to land a new and prestigious position in Chicago. However, his time with Robbie and Lucy gives him a new perspective on both his job and his life.

Short review

A good romantic film that holds together all the way through (for a romantic movie). Once again, the emphasis is on charitable work in a country that lacks social safety nets.

Plot

The brothers Luke, Stephan, and Taylor are facing a new Christmas. Luke and Sophie are expecting twins, and Luke is trying to plan everything down to the smallest detail. Stephan and Susie are planning their wedding, but Stephan has trouble making decisions — especially when his future father-in-law shows up. Meanwhile, Taylor is offered a top job, but it would mean moving to San Francisco, and how will his girlfriend Caroline react to that? On top of all this, they learn that their mother is planning to sell the house, making this their last Christmas at home. They set out to make it the best one yet. But challenges pile up and put almost everything to the test.

Short review

This is the third film in a series (Three Wise Men and a Baby, Three Wiser Men and a Boy, and Three Wisest Men), and not surprisingly, it isn’t as good as the others. By definition, it doesn’t really fit into this collection, but I included it anyway since the other films are part of it. This one feels a bit messy and not as cohesive as its predecessors.

Plot

Grace is a successful real-estate agent, and she is now asked to step in as interim manager of a local branch in her old hometown. She left the town when her parents sold their house and moved away, but her childhood friend still lives there. The local office turns out to be a pleasant workplace that also has a chance to win the award for Best Local Branch — if they manage to sell a few more properties before the end of the year. Working at the office is also Luke, a photographer, who takes it upon himself to help Grace not only win the competition but also embrace the Christmas spirit of the town.

Short review

At times it’s a good romantic film, but it’s dragged down by sloppy production. How can you arrive as a new office manager and not greet all the employees? Why is there always snow piled up and an unswept porch at a house she’s been staying in for several days? Why are there such long pauses in the dialogue? The film is full of these kinds of lapses.

Plot

After his initial success, Isaiah struggles to land the next big role on Broadway. At Christmas, he travels home to visit his sister. Just as he is about to pick up his niece from school, the music teacher quits, leaving the school without a director for the annual Christmas play. Isaiah’s niece persuades him to step in as director — something Lilly-Ann, a teacher at the school, is grateful for, as the production was otherwise at risk of being cancelled. When Isaiah then realises that one of the children’s mothers is a renowned Broadway director, he sees an opportunity to be noticed and revive his career. But can he rise to the challenge — and is that really what he needs?

Short review

This is an entertaining romantic film, elevated by Corey Cott as Isaiah. He’s a bit reminiscent of Jim Carrey, but unlike him he doesn’t overplay it — instead he manages to be enthusiastic and funny without becoming irritating.

Plot

Alice is a doctor at the local hospital and a positive force behind the hospital’s Christmas celebrations. She also volunteers to work the shift over Christmas. A well-known cardiologist, Brian, also comes to the hospital to check on a patient. His sister works there and has asked him to come — she is also heavily pregnant. There are two other expectant mothers in town, and in the middle of a winter storm on Christmas Eve, the births begin one after another. Alice suddenly has her hands full, but fortunately Brian stays on at the hospital to help out.

Short review

This film balances right on the edge between a three and a four. Brendan Penny’s rather unengaged performance is somewhat offset by Rachel Boston’s enthusiasm, though, and in the end it landed on a four.

Plot

Nia runs a catering business and is facing a hectic time leading up to Christmas. Rashaad is trying to establish himself as a photographer and is also extremely busy before the holidays. On Christmas Eve, their respective children are supposed to go on a school trip, but both Nia and Rashaad end up missing the bus. As a result, they find themselves stranded together with their kids, all while they each have a packed schedule for the day. As if that weren’t enough, they also accidentally swap backpacks containing items crucial for their respective jobs. What follows is a hectic day in which they try, from a distance, to help each other still deliver what they’re supposed to.

Short review

In terms of production quality, this isn’t necessarily a bad film, but in my view it falls short for two reasons. Rap music is never a good fit for a romantic film, and then there’s the premise itself — that they somehow fall in love over the course of a single day, at a distance. No, it doesn’t quite work.

Plot

Adrian doesn’t get the promotion he was hoping for and starts questioning his life as a lawyer. His brother is a captain in the fire department, and suddenly Adrian gets the idea to train as a firefighter himself. Despite his brother’s objections, he signs up for a volunteer firefighter course. In the meantime, he meets his niece’s teacher, Sarah. They begin dating cautiously, but things become complicated when Adrian realises that Sarah’s son is enrolled in the same firefighter training programme — something he has kept secret. He doesn’t want Sarah to know, as her husband was a firefighter who died in the line of duty.

Short review

Actually a pretty good romantic film. Maybe not very deep, but well made, with solid performances in most areas.

Plot

Daria and Sam work for the same TV programme — she as the presenter and he as the photographer. Just before Christmas, the show is cancelled and they both find themselves out of work. Sam, who moved to the city for the job, doesn’t want to relocate again, while Daria needs to figure out what to do next. When she visits her mother, she comes across the family’s collection of baking recipes and, to keep herself busy, she rekindles her old passion for baking by starting a vlog where she bakes every day leading up to Christmas. Sam steps in as the photographer, and they turn it into a charity fundraiser. The vlog soon proves to be very popular.

Short review

A romantic film themed around baking (sound familiar?). It doesn’t really stand out in any particular way, but it delivers exactly what you’d expect from an average romantic film.

Plot

Cynthia is married to Warren, who is much older than her and is now beginning to suffer from dementia. Stan, a former police officer, works as a security guard in the residential area where Cynthia and Warren live, and one night they are affected by a break-in in which Stan tries to intervene. Stan is also dealing with prostate problems, and Cynthia, who is a urologist, encourages him to visit her clinic. An unexpected friendship develops between them, while Cynthia struggles with Warren’s worsening condition and with his daughter, who has never accepted that her father married Cynthia.

Short review

A good and relatively unpolished romantic drama. It stands out in this collection for several reasons. The leads are much older than usual, and it also deals with the challenges of that stage of life. It also, of course, differs drastically from the slick, polished Hallmark films.

Plot

Kelly has served in the Marine Corps and injured her knee. She is now almost fully recovered and hopes to return to active duty. Over Christmas, she goes home to her hometown, where her father is the mayor. This year, the traditional Christmas Cup between her town and the neighbouring town is being held for the 50th time. Kelly’s brother does everything he can to persuade her to step in as team captain for their town’s team. Kelly also meets Quinn, who is the fire chief of the fire department shared by the two towns. She convinces him to help her train the team for the competition. However, the mayor of the rival town soon pressures Quinn to serve as team captain for their team instead.

Short review

No, this isn’t a heavyweight. You might be able to look past the glorification of the military, but as a romantic story it feels rather sloppily put together. I couldn’t help wondering what was wrong with Kelly’s niece, only to eventually conclude that it was simply a poor acting performance. A suddenly inserted romantic scene with Kavan Smith and Pascal Hutton — who don’t otherwise appear in the film — felt rather baffling.

Plot

Isabel works for a company tasked with checking, on Santa’s behalf, whether children have been naughty or nice. She is ambitious and highly capable, and an opportunity opens up for her to become a partner in the company. She is assigned to evaluate Charlie, the daughter of Jason. At the initial review, things don’t look very promising for Charlie, but Isabel decides to investigate more thoroughly. The assignment requires that there be no contact with the subject or their family, but Isabel accidentally runs into Jason, who becomes interested in her. At the same time, this contact gives Isabel a better understanding of Charlie. Perhaps she really does belong on the nice list after all?

Short review

The whole concept feels weak and never really takes off. You can make fairy tales about Santa and the like, but the idea of companies operating in this way is a bit too far-fetched. It doesn’t really hold up as a romantic film.

Plot

When they were young, Morgan was in a relationship with Chris, while her sister Jenny was dating Jonah. Seventeen years later, Morgan and Chris are married and have a daughter, Clara, who is now in her final year of high school. Jonah left his friends long ago but has now returned and has just had a baby with Jenny. Unresolved tensions from their youth remain, while at the same time Clara starts seeing a boy at school. Suddenly, Chris and Jenny are killed in a car accident, leaving Morgan with Clara and Jonah with his infant son. Long-buried truths come to light, and Morgan and Jonah must confront emotions from their shared past.

Short review

A romantic drama with several layers of complication. It is as much about Morgan and Jonah as it is about Clara and her romance. It’s difficult to do the film justice when describing the plot (without revealing too much), but it is a well-composed story with both emotional weight and strong performances. Well worth watching.

Plot

Carrie runs a farmhouse hotel and is fully occupied with Christmas preparations when she is summoned to her bank. It turns out that her financial manager has failed to make loan payments for some time. Now Carrie has to come up with the money before Christmas to avoid foreclosure. At the same time, John checks into the hotel. He has previously tried to persuade Carrie to sell the farm to him, as he has ideas about how it could be developed more profitably. Now she must contend with John while also struggling to save her business.

Short review

A rather poor production from several perspectives. The storyline is familiar, but this time it feels somewhat clumsily put together. There’s a lack of immersion and engagement, and it comes across as something made purely out of routine.

Plot

Victoria’s husband leaves her and their two daughters. She tries to hold on to the house, but it’s difficult after having been a stay-at-home mother for so long. Eventually, she is forced to move back in with her grandmother, who lives together with Victoria’s mother and her sisters in North Pole, Alaska. It becomes a challenging adjustment as she struggles to regain her footing in life. At the local grocery store, she runs into Kevin, an old schoolmate who never left town. They start spending time together, but Victoria continues to wrestle with trust issues following her divorce.

Short review

The film is a pure family production, with the lead actress having written the script, directed, and produced it. She would have needed a larger budget and more professional support. The acting is very stiff and lacks flow. Worst of all, however, is the sound editing, which really drags the film down. The audio quality can shift within a single line of dialogue to such an extent that it genuinely feels pasted on.

Plot

Taylor loses her job just before Christmas, and to make matters worse, her daughter is accepted into a snowboarding course that Taylor struggles to afford. She learns that the ski resort’s hotel offers discounts on the course for employees. The problem is that the only job available is as the hotel’s Santa Claus. Taylor enlists the help of her brother and his boyfriend, who are experts in costumes, to disguise her as Santa and manages to land the job. This means she also has to work with Matthew, whose father has put him in charge of running the hotel over Christmas. She also meets Matthew as herself — and now she has to juggle both that and her job as Santa Claus.

Short review

Well, the idea that she could fool everyone into thinking she’s a man in a Santa suit is perhaps a bit far-fetched. But if you’re willing to overlook that, it’s a good romantic film that holds up.

Plot

Weather presenter Ted Cooper has a positive outlook on just about everything, despite a long history of bad luck — especially at Christmas. It has even gone so far that his coworkers place bets on what mishap will befall him this Christmas. He travels home for the holidays, having promised to record a few segments to promote a fundraiser organised by his sister. His bad luck continues, and he soon ends up at the local hospital, where Hope works. He went to school with her but never dared to ask her out, believing she was “out of his league.” Now, however, something begins to develop between them — but is Ted really as positive as he seems?

Short review

It’s hard not to be swept along by Ted’s openly optimistic attitude. The office betting is only a small but amusing detail. Overall, this is a well-constructed, humorous, story that holds together all the way to the end.

Plot

Ovee is the son of a wealthy vineyard owner and lives a life of luxury. His father, however, wants him to grow up and start working for the family business, threatening to cut off his allowance if he doesn’t. At the same time, Ovee meets Memo, who is training to become a doctor. He quickly realises that she has a strong dislike for rich playboys, so he keeps his true identity a secret. Ovee and his best friend travel to begin a trainee programme at his father’s company. To remain anonymous — both for Memo’s sake and because he wants to succeed on his own merits — Ovee convinces his friend that they should swap names, allowing Ovee to hide who he really is while starting from the bottom.

Short review

Fun to see a South African film. Even so, it doesn’t quite get there. It’s hard to become engaged in the story, as it ends up feeling a bit too much like a pastiche.

Plot

Billie Mac is a former film star whose career is long behind her. Her lawyer and her manager — both waiting for her eventual passing — are trying to prevent her from giving away her valuable possessions. Hope is in desperate need of a job after moving back to Los Angeles following an unsuccessful attempt at a singing career in Nashville. She lands a temporary job as Billie Mac’s home aide. There, she also meets Kenneth, Billie’s driver and general handyman. Hope and Kenneth soon find themselves caught in the ongoing conflict between Billie and her lawyer and manager, as Billie insists on living life on her own terms despite their efforts to control her decisions.

Short review

This film gives the phrase “amateur hour” a face. Everything from the script to the direction leaves a great deal to be desired.

Plot

Morgan and Gabe grew up as neighbours and friends. Morgan is a paediatrician, and Gabe oversees the construction of the new home stadium for the Buffalo Bills. They are both big fans of the team. As Christmas approaches, it’s time for the team’s final game at the old stadium — a major event for both of their families. At the same time, Morgan learns that her uncle has received Christmas gifts from an unknown sender every year since he was sent to Vietnam, after someone anonymously helped his family while he was away. She gets the idea to find out who the anonymous donor is and gets help from Gabe, who at the same time struggles to admit what he truly feels for Morgan.

Short review

I think they’ve managed to make a really good film (despite the football theme). It’s romantic and entertaining. It’s also extra fun that it includes a number of cameos. Hunter King (Alana) and Tyler Hynes (Derrick) from Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story make brief appearances. Andrew W. Walker shows up as a bartender at the sports bar, and several members of the Buffalo Bills play themselves.

Plot

Josie, who works at a large hotel in Chicago, goes home for Christmas to her parents, who run a small inn in her hometown. She is taken aback to discover that her former boyfriend, Miles, is staying there with his wife and their daughter. As if that weren’t enough, another ex-boyfriend, Ellis, has also checked in. When it then turns out that the final booking is Sam — another of Josie’s former partners — things become truly complicated. Both Miles and Ellis also seek Josie’s advice about their new relationships. In the midst of all this, preparations are underway for the town’s Christmas celebrations, in which the inn is involved. Sam, however, is more than happy to help out. It becomes a Christmas to remember, to say the least.

Short review

A very entertaining and well-made romantic film. They do a great job of showing how Josie juggles all the challenges in a slightly hysterical situation. As a romantic story, it’s well constructed. It’s also fun to see Brittany Underwood and Alex Trumble in something genuinely good — they haven’t exactly had the strongest track records up to now.

Plot

Nicole is sent by her father — who is also her boss — to buy up properties in a small town in order to redevelop it and make it more modern. There she meets the pastor, Daniel, who is struggling to keep his church afloat as it is in serious need of renovation. Daniel, along with many others in the town, is strongly opposed to selling, convinced that the town’s close-knit community and character would be lost through development. Nicole is forced to stay in town to better understand the resistance. Perhaps there is a better way to help the town grow and thrive?

Short review

I’m somewhat conflicted about this film. I generally struggle a bit with the religious America angle and its reactionary way of thinking. At the same time, they have managed to put together a fairly decent romantic film that doesn’t become too difficult to watch from that perspective.

Plot

Abby leaves her café in capable hands over Christmas to travel home to her parents, who run an inn. When she arrives, she discovers that Jack has booked a room to stay there while visiting his sister. Abby and Jack had a bad date a long time ago, and Abby finds it a bit uncomfortable having him staying at the inn. Every Christmas, her parents host a potluck dinner at the inn, and Jack is more than happy to help with the preparations — which means Abby has to work with him after all. Perhaps he isn’t quite the same person he was twenty years ago.

Short review

A standard romantic film that works. It naturally doesn’t offer any surprises, but it delivers exactly what you expect, with actors we recognise.

Plot

Olivia has found a perfect apartment — she just needs to be able to afford it. Conveniently, she learns that she has inherited her aunt’s estate, which includes half of a cat café, the Catnip Café. She travels there to convince the other owner, Ben, that they should sell the café so she can get the money. Ben is a veterinarian who worked closely with Olivia’s aunt. He is now struggling to run the clinic on his own, but he doesn’t want to sell the café. Moreover, the café hosts important fundraising events every Christmas. He promises to sell after the events — unless Olivia changes her mind — if Olivia helps him market and organise them.

Short review

A very good romantic film delivered by two of the genre’s seasoned professionals, and it shows in the production. It turns into a thoroughly enjoyable feel-good movie.

Plot

The sisters Faith and Kelly are very different. Their grandmother has just passed away, and when her lawyer reads the will, it turns out she wanted Faith and Kelly to travel to France and Mont Blanc over Christmas to visit the place where their grandparents got engaged. Faith has no problem with this, but Kelly, who is more practical by nature, does not want to go. However, they end up travelling. In France, they are met by Frédéric, who will be their guide for the trip. This marks the beginning of an adventure in which Kelly’s practical and cautious nature is challenged, while she can’t help falling for Frédéric. Meanwhile, Faith struggles with her fear of commitment.

Short review

As a romantic film, this one holds up better than many. It also seems to have been filmed on location, sparing us the usual set-piece feeling that is otherwise quite common in these films.

Plot

Sienna runs a beauty salon where she works with her two best friends. They have their sights set on the annual Atlanta Tinsel Ball, which Sienna’s mother is also involved in organising. This year, the ball’s finances have been rescued by Lawrence, who hopes to promote his family’s wines from California at the event. Sienna’s mother is far less enthusiastic about his plans. Lawrence, however, becomes quite taken with Sienna. He asks her out on one date after another. Sienna remains cautious, as she doesn’t trust that Lawrence will stay.

Short review

Better than expected. As a romantic story, it works—provided you can tolerate beauty salons and similar themes. The women in the salon each have their own romantic challenges as well.

Plot

Riley runs a centre for animals in need of new homes. Now it’s threatened by the landlord, who is demanding higher rent when the contract is up for renewal. Prince Edward is making an anonymous visit to the town to meet an old college friend. His friend has a new investment opportunity that Edward is interested in. Edward also encounters Riley, becomes fascinated by her, and takes an interest in the centre she runs. However, it soon becomes clear that he has—without knowing it—found himself caught between conflicting interests.

Short review

There seems to be no end to how many princes and kings exist in the world of romantic films. This time, as so many others, it just doesn’t hold up.

Plot

Gentry’s father was a well-known country singer who quit in the middle of his career. She once thought about writing song lyrics herself, but lost her nerve and now works as a waitress. Now she is being asked to come to the Grand Ole Opry for a tribute to her father. She is hesitant to take part, but during a visit, when she sits in the seat she used to sit in as a child, she is transported back to the time of her father’s final concert. She is soon joined by her best childhood friend, Will. He helps Gentry try to find out why her father inexplicably put down his guitar. Will they change history? And what will they discover about each other?

Short review

Another time-travel story — but this time it’s not as bad. As a romantic film it works well, and they tie everything together nicely. A bit unusual that they travel back to a time when I was already an adult… which perhaps says something about my age. And if you’re a country fan, the film seems packed with cameos.

Plot

Monica has been an angel pairing people together for true love for many centuries. Michael is fairly new to the job and has a completely different approach to the challenge. This year, he even wins the award for Best Angel of the Year. But now it turns out that Monica and Michael have been assigned to match the same couple — something that goes against all the rules. Apparently, upper management has decided this should happen as part of potential future cutbacks. Against their will, the two are now sent to Earth to bring the couple together, despite their very different methods.

Short review

An interesting and rather frightening vision of heaven that they portray. The whole concept doesn’t work, no matter how hard they try. Not a terrible film, but definitely not a winner either.

Plot

Ally has finally found a buyer for her grandmother’s greeting-card shop. She travels there to arrange the sale and meets Bennett, who runs the shop for her. He doesn’t want her to sell, but Ally wishes her grandmother had sold it back when she had the chance in 1945. As they argue about this, lightning strikes, and when they look around, everything is different. They’re still in the shop, but something is strange. Then the shop’s owner suddenly walks in — it turns out to be Ally’s grandmother, and the year is 1945. Can Ally get her to sell it this time? And what happens if she does?

Short review

This was better than I expected. I have a bit of a hard time with these romantic films involving time travel. It doesn’t help that the underlying message they want to force-feed you is that everything happens according to God’s will. But aside from that, they’ve managed to put together a fairly decent romantic film.

Plot

Gemma works in marketing for local eateries in her hometown, and Max works as a sous-chef in New York. When they were young, they both worked at Rosa’s restaurant, and now they are suddenly summoned by her lawyer, who informs them that they have inherited her restaurant. There is one condition, however: they must be married — not necessarily to each other — within three weeks. Otherwise, the restaurant will go to Rosa’s nephew, who wants to tear it down. Gemma and Max have always been friends but never a couple. They now begin dating, each trying to find someone to marry so they can run the restaurant together. But does it really need to be that complicated?

Short review

It’s a good romantic film, even if one can question how they manage to ignore the obvious for so long. If you’re willing to overlook that, the film offers some charm, a bit of humour, and romance — in fact, two romances.

Plot

Justin has gone off to the cabin he had booked for his honeymoon to get some time alone. Then his ex-girlfriend’s cousin shows up — she had booked the cabin when she found out the wedding was off. With a storm approaching, Justin agrees to let her stay for a while despite the double booking. It’s a bit awkward having his ex’s cousin there, but still. As if that weren’t enough, his ex shows up with her new boyfriend. She had cancelled the cabin, but since it was supposed to be empty, she booked it again. Awkwardness piles on awkwardness, and with the storm raging outside, there’s no escape.

Short review

A so-called crap movie. Poor quality in just about everything — including the “storm.”

Plot

Mandy is trying to succeed as a real-estate agent at the same firm where her boyfriend Tom works. One day she fails to sell a house because of a cat making noise inside it. She takes the cat in but isn’t quite sure what to do with it. She then meets the veterinarian Jack and seeks his help with the cat. Meanwhile, her grandparents want her to take over their bowling alley. Tom thinks it’s an excellent idea to sell it to a property developer, but Mandy isn’t entirely ready to give up on the idea of taking it over herself. She also wants to organise a gala where people can adopt lonely animals — something she’s been inspired to do by Jack.

Short review

A B-production that doesn’t convince. It has a rather cheap feel to it, and it falls flat.

Plot

Gemma runs a company that organises events, mostly children’s parties. At one of these parties, a fortune teller appears and predicts that Gemma will have a truly terrible date — and then her true love will come along. She has a disastrous blind date with Nick, but on her way home she meets Enzo, who seems like a real dream man. Shortly afterwards, her mother — who wants her to aim for bigger, fancier events — pushes her to take on more prestigious assignments. One thing leads to another, and suddenly she is in charge of organising an event at a museum run by Nick. She does her best to get past their awful first meeting and deliver the event, while Enzo charms her with his flashy celebrity lifestyle.

Short review

There’s something English about this film, even though it’s American (and that’s a good thing). If you choose to buy into the slightly mystical fortune teller (who isn’t that prominent), this is actually a really good romantic film.

Plot

Chelsea and Jake are a couple and also hosts of a new renovation show that not only renovates houses but also the owners’ relationships. The show is very successful, but Chelsea is now looking forward to a Christmas holiday with Jake. However, it turns out that the TV network — and Jake — want to make a Christmas episode in which they renovate a house in New Hampshire. Chelsea is forced to give up her plan and travel there for the filming. Jake is completely focused on his career and soon rushes off to New York for meetings, just like the homeowner Cooper’s girlfriend. Chelsea is now left trying to create a program together with Cooper while the others are away.

Short review

It turns into a good romantic film, even if the resolution is perhaps a bit too smoothed over and free of conflict.

Plot

Natasha comes home to her grandmother for Christmas. It’s the first Christmas since her grandfather passed away. He has left a letter for Natasha in which it turns out that he had been the town’s secret Santa all these years, and now he hopes that Natasha will take over. She takes on the task and seeks out people in need, secretly leaving gifts for them at night. Meanwhile, the reporter Adrian is chasing a scoop and hopes to uncover the identity of the secret Santa. He meets Natasha and asks for her help in finding the mysterious giver.

Short review

I can’t quite put my finger on why this one didn’t reach a four, but perhaps it’s the whole concept of the grandfather’s secret Santa business.

Plot

Holly is a glass artist and is trying to get into the city’s Christmas market, but Jack — who is taking over from his father as the market’s organiser — doesn’t want to bring in an unknown artist. When it turns out that his main attraction, the glass artist Bianca, is threatening to pull out because she has just lost her assistant, Holly suggests to Jack that she can step in as Bianca’s assistant in exchange for being allowed to sell at the market. Bianca, who is Holly’s great idol, reluctantly agrees. Now Holly and Jack must juggle the big diva to ensure the Christmas market’s success.

Short review

A standard romantic film that doesn’t really stand out from the crowd, but it works as a romantic movie even if one perhaps misses a bit of spark between Holly and Jack.

Plot

Joy is a successful cookbook author whose books are built around her family — her husband Max, her two children, and her parents. She is also very private and protects her family from the media. But now her sponsor wants to broadcast a live show from her home at Christmas, where she is to introduce her family. Joy protests but is soon forced to go along with it. The problem? She doesn’t have a family. She has to recruit her best friend, Max, to play her husband, the neighbour’s children to be her own, the housekeeper to play her mother, and the mailman to be her father. A recipe for disaster?

Short review

I’ve seen similar stories before, and this one works as a romantic film. At times it’s a bit funny with its complications. But you can’t help reflecting on all the time Joy and Max have wasted. It is, however, nice to see Chad Michael Murray in a role where he isn’t as smug as he can be in other films.

Plot

Andie får i uppdrag att skriva en artikel om hur man blir av med en dejt på 10 dagar. Samtidigt slår Ben vad om att han kan få en kvinna att bli kär i honom på samma tid. Hans kollegor känner dock till Andies uppdrag och passar på att slå vad med honom att det är henne han ska vinna. Då börjar en kamp där Andie försökar alla knep i boken för att bli av med Ben medan han genomlider allt bara för att vinna sitt vad. Det blir allt jobbigare och allt mer frustrerande. Men all tid tillsammans föder också något oväntat som inte är enligt någon plan.

Short review

The film is quite old by now, and it would have benefited from Ben having to repent a bit for his rather cocky attitude. That’s mostly why it only ended up with a rating of three.

Plot

Molly has started a club for the mothers in town, where they raise money for charity. She also works at the local newspaper after becoming a widow and moving back home with her son. However, the newspaper is struggling to attract advertisers, and they bring in Ashley, who travels around as a consultant and problem-solver. He has his daughter with him as well. He becomes interested in Molly’s club, but since he isn’t a mother, she won’t let him join. So he starts a dads’ club instead and begins competing with Molly, who has her sights set on winning the prize for raising the most money for charity.

Short review

It ended up as a four in the end, even though the film has its weaknesses. Ashley can come across as a bit too insensitive in the way he goes after Molly.

Plot

Rosemary runs a very successful advertising agency with her colleague. But when her mother is injured and unable to help in the family’s bookshop, she takes a few days off to go home and assist. At the bookshop, she runs into Will, who is there helping her father. Will has recently moved to town and is looking for a new job. In the meantime, he lends a hand with various tasks around town. It also turns out that he is a skilled furniture maker. Soon, Rosemary finds herself drawn into a project Will has taken on — creating a new wall decoration for the local church.

Short review

You probably have to be a Christian American to think this film is worth anything. I’m not.

Plot

Blair and Josh broke up when Blair chose the same military career as Josh, preventing him from getting the position he wanted. To make matters worse, their fathers were old military rivals as well. Several years later, Blair is serving at a home base and hoping for a promotion when Josh suddenly turns up — he has been reassigned there. Their rivalry flares up again, and it ends with both of them being given disciplinary duty over Christmas. But when a snowstorm threatens the delivery of Christmas presents to the children in town, they volunteer to head out together and try to save the situation.

Short review

It’s not exactly seamless, nor is it convincing. The fact that they both serve in the military is somewhat unusual, but it doesn’t really help.

Plot

Belle is deeply involved in the town’s charity organisation. However, the building they use is very worn down, and since the organisation struggles to attract engagement, the municipality is considering moving it to other, smaller premises. Belle, however, wants to do everything she can to breathe new life into the organisation and save the location. At the same time, Will — who has just returned to town after his military service — shows up. He is eager to help with various repairs and improvements that are needed. The municipality has also brought in a new consultant, Clara, who tries to help Belle keep up while also giving her time to reflect on her own life.

Short review

The film doesn’t quite land. Perhaps it’s a bit too American in its glorification of the military and Christianity.

Plot

Bella is a star in a TV dance show, but her dance partner’s (and former boyfriend’s) new girlfriend is plotting to take her place as a judge on the show, and the whole situation turns into a viral conflict in front of the cameras. Bella quits the show and goes to stay with her best friend. Her friend runs a dance school and plans for it to enter a prestigious competition.with a team. Bella is soon drawn into the school’s activities, and working there is Will, whom she already knows. She starts trying to persuade him to start dancing.

Short review

No, this one never caught my interest. I don’t know whether it was the theme or Kym Johnson Herjavec as Bella that caused it, but it just didn’t turn out well.

Plot

At a New Year’s party, Tuesday meets a man and they share a kiss in the cloakroom, but when he hesitates, she runs off. A year later, Tuesday — a well-known influencer — is about to launch a new line of handbags for Christmas. But suddenly her designs have leaked, and the entire launch is threatened by cheap knock-offs. Tuesday’s colleagues bring in an IT expert, David, to track down the leak. To her dismay, he turns out to be the man she kissed on New Year’s Eve. She tries to avoid the awkward situation but is forced to work with him.

Short review

No, a trash production. The plot is weak and unconvincing, and the poor acting performances don’t help.

Plot

Ella Neezer is a tough boss who also dislikes Christmas. So much so that she even books a flight over Christmas Day to Australia. Her downtrodden assistant is forced to come along and miss Christmas with her son Tim. As irritable as ever, Ella checks in and is surprised to find that her ex-boyfriend, Jake, is booked on the same flight. And not only that — he has the seat next to hers. Ella dozes off, and in her dream she is visited by a ghost showing her things from her past. You can guess the rest…

Short review

This film turned out to be better than expected. The Scrooge storyline is rather worn out, and it took a while before this one won me over. But it picks up and has some humour. Maybe it was the fact that it was better than expected that made it land at a five.

Plot

Sydney pitches the acquisition of a champagne estate in France so well that her company sends her to Paris to secure the deal. Since she has promised her best friend to take an evening off while in Paris, she does — and ends up meeting Henri, and one thing leads to another. The next morning, however, she has to rush to her meeting with the owner of the champagne estate, who is to meet the various prospective buyers. She is completely stunned when it turns out that Henri is the owner’s son. And not only that — he is also very opposed to her company as a buyer. However, his father invites all the buyers to spend a week at their vineyard to determine who will be allowed to purchase it.

Short review

A good story with warmth and humour. A cool bookshop plays a certain role — not to mention the champagne. It’s also worth noting the supporting character Roberto, who adds a fun bit of spice to the mix.

Plot

Princess Victoria is under pressure from all her duties as she prepares to take over as regent. She decides to take a few days off and travel to the ranch she and her father visited when she was a child. The farm is still owned by the same couple as before, but they now get help from their son, Huntley. Unaware of who Victoria really is, Huntley sets out to give her a true farm experience by putting her to hard work. She nonetheless takes on the challenge. But is she ready to take on the challenge of ruling?

Short review

Yet another princess story, and this one doesn’t hold up. Not only is the whole concept weak to begin with, but this time the feeling is especially “cheap” and not very engaging.

Plot

Charlie has taken over her father’s car repair shop. They’re just managing to get by, but when a big chain opens a competing workshop in the neighbourhood, her business is truly threatened. At the same time, she’s chatting online with an anonymous guy who shares her interest in classic cars. One day, her shop is visited by Beau, whose friend is getting a manicure at the small nail business that Charlie’s receptionist has started in the workshop’s lobby. There’s chemistry between them, but Charlie doesn’t know that Beau is the one responsible for the competing garage. She also works up the courage to suggest meeting her anonymous chat companion.

Short review

Love in the workshop. It’s a good romantic film that I thought might derail a few times, but they manage to keep it on track. You don’t quite get the big, satisfying revenge against the large chain, but they still make it work.

Plot

The year is 1905, and Ella has a plan to start a charitable organisation. However, her father informs her that at the Christmas ball she is to become engaged to a man she has never met. In anger, she takes off in her boat, where she sees a comet and wishes to find true love. Suddenly, there is a man in the boat — Nick — who is just as surprised as she is. They return to Newport, where the year is 2025, something perfectly normal for Nick but not for Ella. Her home is now a museum where Nick works as a historian. They soon realise that she must return to her own time, otherwise her achievements there will be lost. But at the same time, Ella has found Nick.

Short review

This type of time travel has the whole concept working against it, and the film’s depiction of 1905 leaves something to be desired. But as a light-weight romantic fairy tale, it’s still okay.

Plot

Emma is a pastry chef and has just been shortlisted for a prestigious chef position in New York. Before Christmas, she goes home to her parents in Wisconsin. There, she is set to take part in a pie-baking competition, as winning would mean a great deal for her parents and their business in her hometown. Once home, her mother tells her that Mitch, whom she dated during school, has returned to town. Her mother strongly hints that she should see him. At the same time, Emma realises that her parents’ business is struggling a bit.

Short review

In terms of production quality, there’s nothing wrong with this film — but the story… Everything revolves around Emma’s parents being right that she should give up her dreams, return to the small town, and get back together with Mitch. The parents’ complete lack of understanding for Emma’s ambitions had me squirming with anger.

Plot

Dawn wants to become an artist, and she has been accepted to an art school in Paris, France. The problem is that she can’t afford to go. Her sister convinces her to take part in a reality show in which a wealthy man meets potential partners. Just the compensation for being accepted onto the show would give her enough money to go. When she also learns that it’s supposed to be filmed in Paris, she becomes even more interested in the idea. Her plan is to get accepted and then quickly get herself eliminated from the show, because she’s not looking for a partner. Then the problems begin: it turns out the filming is in Paris, Texas, and the main star of the show is Trey — someone she’s met once before, and he has no intention of letting her slip away.

Short review

Better than I expected. The cast of characters in the reality show are amusing caricatures that add a bit of extra spice. Dawn is also quite strong in her self-awareness. A romantic piece of entertainment that turns out well.

Plot

Abby is the assistant and ghostwriter for the successful influencer and love advisor Serena. She carries a heavy load and hopes that one day she will be acknowledged for everything she writes. Serena is scheduled to be interviewed by Jack, a journalist from New York. She also plans to charm him into accompanying her as her partner to the annual gala where they award the prize for best podcast. But before the interview, Serena suffers an allergic reaction and sends Abby to postpone it. Jack is ready to head back home, but Abby promises to give him background and context about Serena to make him stay. They spend the next few days doing just that until Serena is ready.

Short review

As a romantic story, it works. The main ingredient is the downtrodden assistant who finally gets the recognition (and love) she deserves. One does, however, wonder how things ultimately turned out for the self-absorbed Serena…

Plot

In her free time, Brielle dives for objects on the ocean floor. One day she finds a ring that she manages to trace back to Marcus. When she contacts him, it turns out he has just returned to Tahiti for a few weeks. They meet, and it turns out that Marcus’s fiancée lost her engagement ring at the same time he lost his own ring. He hires Brielle to help him search for her ring as well. Meanwhile, Brielle’s sister shows up. She studies in the US but arrives with her fiancé, as they plan to get married in Tahiti. However, the sister has a complicated relationship with their father. All the while, Brielle and Marcus continue searching for the engagement ring.

Short review

If you can swallow the idea that Marcus travels to Tahiti to search for a ring he has no idea where he lost, then this is still a fairly decent romantic film.

Plot

Doug’s girlfriend gets tired of him and leaves him. Faced with this sudden change, Doug naturally becomes depressed. One day he is disturbed by a lost bird that invades his home. In an attempt to get rid of it, he visits the city zoo, where he meets Holly, a bird specialist. However, she can’t help him remove the bird, which is also injured. Doug, unable to bring himself to get rid of it, finds himself taking care of it, and a bond forms between him and the bird, which in some way gives his life meaning. This also leads to him meeting Holly again.

Short review

This film is a bit unusual, but in a good way. It has a warm sense of humour, and the characters are unpolished. It feels genuine, yet a little crazy. Recommended. Tip: Watch the video during the end credits.

Plot

When Kate asks her strict boss for a promotion, the boss sends her to the small town of Kashmir to help the boss’s cousin, Thomas, market his boot-camp training business. It just so happens to be the town where Kate’s grandmother lives. Thomas turns out to have worked in the Coast Guard and has a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to almost everything. He has no online presence and doesn’t market his business at all. His only client is the owner of the town’s café. Kate sets out to break through Thomas’s tough exterior and get him to accept new ways of doing things.

Short review

A very average romantic film, but one that works well for what it is.

Plot

Stephanie has just ended a relationship that had grown stagnant. They were also coworkers. Now she’s heading to her best friend in Miami to look for a new job in marketing. At her first interview, however, she goes to the wrong place and accidentally ends up with Harry, who is in the middle of interviewing candidates for a private tutor for his two daughters. When she fails her actual interview, and Harry still hasn’t found a suitable candidate, he asks her to consider working for him instead. Stephanie, who has previously worked as a teacher, is very hesitant — but her friend convinces her to at least give it a try.

Short review

One could perhaps debate the daughters’ motive for driving Stephanie away and the way they go about it, but I still think the film was good, and that everything else makes it a solid watch.

Plot

Widow Jen has just moved with her daughter to be closer to her parents. Surprised by a parent meeting on the very first day, she ends up with two other mothers in a group tasked with organizing an activity day at the school — a duty that is generally avoided. It turns out to be three very different personalities in this small group, but they manage to motivate each other to take on the unpopular assignment. It also means that Jen has to work together with the school’s gym teacher, Dan. That collaboration turns out to be more interesting than she expected.

Short review

I thought this film was a bit better than average, mainly thanks to a gentle everyday humour in the interplay between the class mums.

Plot

Nora works at a newly founded advertising agency that desperately needs a new client. When her best friend tells her about a dairy farm that makes incredibly good ice cream, she gets the idea to help them launch nationally. She contacts them and is invited to come visit. When she arrives, it turns out that James — who works for her former employer, now their biggest competitor — has also been invited. Both of them are asked to stay and help out on the farm to prove who would be better suited for the job.

Short review

This one lands at a four, but somewhat hesitantly. I missed the spark between them all the way up to the sudden kiss at the end.

Plot

Veterinarian Holly stops in the small town that shares her name. She grabs a cup of coffee at the local café, but when she goes to pay, they don’t accept credit cards. Despite trying, there’s nowhere to withdraw cash, so she leaves her business card and drives on. However, she’s stopped by the police and accused of dodging the bill. She is sentenced to a week of community service with Henry at the town’s animal hospital. It turns out to be an unusual week for Holly.

Short review

A lousy film that doesn’t convince on any level, neither in terms of plot nor acting.

Plot

Georgia is doing her best to pull off this year’s Christmas play at the local community center. Meanwhile, Chase Knightly is under media scrutiny for his reckless lifestyle. When he finds himself locked out and needing a place to lay low until he can get back home, he takes refuge at the center.
There, he stumbles into a room where Georgia is rehearsing — and things take an unexpected turn when the press assumes she’s his latest girlfriend. Realising that a steady relationship could improve his public image and help secure an important business deal for his father, Chase convinces Georgia to play the part. Though reluctant, she agrees — on the condition that his family invests in a new community center.

Short review

No, this one doesn’t make it over the line. Chase’s transformation from playboy to responsible businessman isn’t believable, and overall it’s painted with strokes that are a bit too broad.

Plot

Sophie is promoted to sous-chef at the New York restaurant where she works. Meanwhile, her sister is struggling to keep their old family restaurant afloat back home. With things reaching a crisis point, Sophie manages to get a few days off — on the condition that she also prepares a special dinner for her boss, who’s meeting potential investors in the same town.
Back home, Sophie runs into Cam, her old school crush, who still works in the local fishing industry. What follows is a few weeks of juggling: saving the family restaurant, meeting her boss’s high expectations, and navigating the resurfacing feelings she has for Cam.

Short review

It may not stand out much from the crowd, but it's well made and works nicely as a romantic film. Like so many others in the genre, it certainly would have benefited from a brief epilogue — but all in all, it delivers what it promises well.

Plot

Shalini was engaged to Neil as a child in India. When she finishes her studies, she’s ready to marry him — but Neil has since moved to the U.S. Meanwhile, Rob — somewhat unexpectedly — has managed to convince Nicole, the girl he fancied back in college, to join him in L.A. He becomes a talent agent and ends up working alongside Neil, who soon charms Nicole.
Then Shalini arrives from India, looking for Neil. He has no intention of marrying her, leaving her stranded and lost in Los Angeles. Rob, eager to prove himself as an agent, is given the challenge of turning an unknown into a star. He persuades Shalini to give it a shot — and she agrees, hoping that success might win Neil back.

Short review

A rather poor romantic film, full of clichés. It clearly shows its age — over 15 years old — and wasn’t particularly good even back then.

Plot

Newly divorced Celeste is facing a big change as her daughter is soon leaving for university. Her best friend thinks she needs to get out of the house more and, when she’s unable to help her friend John herself, she persuades Celeste to step in.
John is set to compete in a birdwatching competition and needs a partner — especially as he’ll be up against his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Despite knowing very little about birds, Celeste throws herself into the challenge with enthusiasm. She turns out to have quite a knack for it, and before long, John finds himself thinking about more than just beating his ex.

Short review

Romantic films with narrow themes — like birdwatching — often run the risk of feeling a bit silly. However, this one manages much better, delivering a solid romantic story. It's lifted especially by Rachel Boston as Celeste, who brings a warm and positive energy to the role.

Plot

Julia writes historical romance novels set in the medieval era, filled with princes and castles. At a book signing, she’s approached by Prince Maximilian (Max) and his sister. They want her help in finding a love match for Max, who prefers to marry for love rather than go through with the arranged marriage planned for him.
Julia is hesitant — after all, she’s a romance novelist, not a matchmaker. But Max is persistent, and she eventually agrees, on the condition that her best friend be allowed to write an article about him to help launch her journalism career. Max is unsure about the idea, but agrees to it in exchange for Julia’s help.

Short review

Yet another prince and yet another contrived storyline. There may not be anything particularly wrong with the production or the performances, but the plot is simply too weak to carry the film.