https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/us-weeklys-picks-for-best-hallmark-movies-of-2023/2023-12-22T22:23:38+00:00monthly0.7https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-0.jpg?quality=86&strip=allhttps://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-13.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[22. ‘Make Me a Match’]]><![CDATA[Part of Hallmark’s June Weddings lineup, Make Me a Match featured the network’s first Indian ceremony. The movie stars Eva Bourne as Vivi, an app developer looking to improve her online dating algorithm with the help of an Indian matchmaker. To help follow the traditional method, matchmaker Raina’s son, Bhumesh “Boom” (played by Grey’s Anatomy alum Rushi Kota), is entrusted to guide Vivi through the process.Crown-Worthy Highlight: For devoted Hallmarkies, it can be tiring to see the same whitewashed romances over and over again on screen. Make Me a Match earns a round of approval from Us for showcasing other cultures that had long been absent from central stories in mainstream movies.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-12.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[21. ‘Notes of Autumn’]]><![CDATA[Think The Holiday if it was fall with more LGBTQIA+ representation and you have Notes of Autumn. Ashley Williams portrays Ellie, a classically trained pianist, who trades her city apartment with best friend Leo (Luke Macfarlane), a bestselling novelist, for his Canadian rustic cabin. Ellie and Leo both need a change of scenery to rediscover themselves after burnout and writer’s block, respectively. While exploring their new digs, they connect with their neighbors. Ellie helps Sam (Marcus Rosner) put together a musical performance for a town fundraiser, while Leo crosses paths with city dweller Matt (Peter Porte).Crown-Worthy Highlight: While Hallmark has been one of the first TV networks to tell LGBTQIA+ love stories, many have still been shown via side characters. It is always refreshing to see these types of stories front and center.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-8.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[20. ‘The Wedding Veil Journey’]]><![CDATA[The Wedding Veil franchise, costarring Lacey Chabert, Autumn Reeser and Alison Sweeney, returned for a trio of new movies in January. While Expectations and Inspiration helped further Chabert and Reeser’s character journeys, it was Sweeney’s that had the most emotional depth. Sweeney’s Tracy and her husband, Nick (Victor Webster), finally took their long-overdue honeymoon to Greece with brought the titular antique veil as a carry-on.Crown-Worthy Highlight: As Tracy and Nick figure out what their next chapter looks like, they meet an orphaned art student and form an instant bond. The found family trope made The Wedding Veil Journey a true standout.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-7.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[19. ‘A Not So Royal Christmas’]]><![CDATA[Royal romances have a special place in Hallmark history and A Not So Royal Christmas flipped the genre on its head. Brooke D’Orsay plays Charlotte, a tabloid journalist, who is desperate to land an exclusive interview with an elusive count. The plot twist is that the royal figurehead secretly fled years ago. So, the palace council enlists a groundskeeper (Will Kemp) to pose as the count to keep up the facade and save face for the press.Crown-Worthy Highlight: A good royal romance is one of our favorites, but A Not So Royal Christmas’ unique twist has reinvented the tried-and-true wheel.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hearts-In-The-Game-Hallmark.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[18. ‘Hearts in the Game’]]><![CDATA[Sports romances have been a popular subgenre in the Hallmark universe for years and Hearts in the Game fits right into the category. Erin Cahill and Marco Grazzini star as publicist Hazel and baseball star Diego, respectively, in this second-chance romance. While Hazel and Diego were high school sweethearts, they broke up years before he made it to the MLB. Years later, Hazel is tapped to rehab Diego’s image after he freezes up during the World Series.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Hazel and Diego sneaking into their former high school’s baseball diamond is such a fun highlight. The hijinks of climbing over the locked fence was *chef’s kiss.*]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-6.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[17. ‘Mystery on Mistletoe Lane’]]><![CDATA[This holiday feature mixes mystery, magic and family fun and places it all under one roof: Mistletoe Manor. When Heidi Wicks (Erica Cerra) uproots her two children to a new town, they move into a historic home as part of the perk of her new job as the head of the historical society. Heidi starts leaning on local handyman David (Webster), while bringing holiday spirit to the town and unveiling the secrets of her new house.Crown-Worthy Highlight: A Christmas treasure hunt … really what more can you want? Oh, yes, love, which this movie also has in spades. The runner-up for best highlight in this film is hands down the over-the-top Christmas decor remember in Hallmark world, there is no such thing as too much holiday spirit.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-16.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[16. ‘Christmas on Cherry Lane’]]><![CDATA[Christmas on Cherry Lane follows three different families (in three different time periods) going through different life changes at 7 Cherry Lane on Christmas Eve.Crown-Worthy Highlight: There are always going to be aspects of Hallmark’s programming that are formulaic, so when there’s a surprise at the end in this case, finding out how all three families are connected it’s more than welcome.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-1.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[15. ‘Round and Round’]]><![CDATA[Round and Round, starring Vic Michaelis and Bryan Greenberg, is easily one of Hallmark’s top Hanukkah movies of all time. In the December flick, Michaelis plays Rachel after she gets stuck in a time loop on the seventh night of the Festival of Lights. She corrals Zach (a.k.a. the “Nice Jewish Boy” her grandmother is trying to set her up with) into helping her get out of the spiral and back to reality. And yes, Suits alum Rick Hoffman plays Rachel’s father.Crown-Worthy Highlight: The Groundhog Day-inspired plot makes for a quirky rom-com, but it was the sentimental reasoning behind the time loop that won our hearts. By the end of the film, Hoffman’s character explains just how an antique dreidel kickstarted the loop and the family tradition behind it. It put a unique spin on the Yiddish concert of beshert (i.e. soulmates) that feels just like landing on Gimel.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-9.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[14. ‘The Wedding Cottage’]]><![CDATA[Erin Krakow is one of Hallmark’s leading ladies and for good reason, she can make viewers and all her romantic interests fall for her instantly. While wedding guide creator Vanessa Doyle (Krakow) initially meets resistance from Evan Stanford (Brendan Penny), the owner of a special wedding cottage, she eventually wins him over. After convincing Evan to let her renovate the cottage for a client’s dream wedding, Vanessa finds herself dreaming of her own special day with him.Crown-Worthy Highlight: During the wedding reception, the groom gets self-conscious about the first dance, but Evan steps in to save the day. Despite butting heads with Vanessa earlier that afternoon, he pulls her onto the dance floor, so the newlyweds aren’t alone and he sweeps her right off her feet, literally.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/House-Hunting-Turns-Deadly-for-Alison-Sweeneys-Character-in-A-Zest-for-Death-inline.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[13. ‘A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’]]><![CDATA[Sweeney first slipped on baker-turned-amateur detective Hannah Swensen’s apron in the Murder, She Baked Hallmark Movies & Mysteries franchise in 2015. She reprised her role in the rebranded movie series Hannah Swensen Mysteries in 2021 alongside Cameron Mathison as her love interest, Detective Mike Kingston. 2023’s A Zest for Death mystery follows Hannah after she stumbles upon a dead body while helping her younger sister, Michelle (Tess Atkins), tour houses. As Hannah finds clues to the murder’s identity, she slowly rebuilds her relationship with ex-fiancé Mike.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Hannah and Mike finally reconnecting is a highlight, but let’s be real, the return of Hannah’s big sister, Andrea (Lisa Durupt), is the icing on the cake. She’s been M.I.A. since the original franchise ended in 2017.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-14.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[12. ‘A Safari Romance’]]><![CDATA[This summer flick breaks the Hallmark mold in more ways than one, starting with its location: Africa. Megan Henry’s (Brittany Bristow) budding romance with Tim Ericson (Walker) is a main part of the movie, but her passion as a wildlife biologist searching for the elusive white lion takes center stage. Luckily for Megan, Tim, who is in Africa to research his theme park design, is mature and yes, he is willing to change his world for her and not the other way around!Crown-Worthy Highlight: Throughout the film, viewers get an inside look at what an African safari really looks like. The scene stealer, however, comes when Megan and Tim finally spot the white lion sparking a magical moment between them that bonds them for life. Talk about romance!]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Dan-Jeannotte-Teases-Hallmarks-Sweeter-Than-Chocolate.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[11. ‘Sweeter Than Chocolate’]]><![CDATA[Hallmark’s “Loveuary” lineup in February was packed with fun stories, but Sweeter Than Chocolate remains a standout months later. In the film, reporter Dean Chase (Dan Jeannotte) gets assigned a feel-good Valentine’s Day story about Lucy Sweet’s (Eloise Mumford) famed family chocolate shop that is rumored to make treats that help the buyer find true love with one bite. Lucy tries to convince Dean the rumors are true while running the shop during its busiest season.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Chocolate that helps you find your soulmate? Sign Us up! But the scene where Lucy teaches Dean how to make the candies is almost too sweet to handle.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-11.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[10. ‘Take Me Back for Christmas’]]><![CDATA[After a tough day, Renée (Vanessa Lengies) makes a Christmas wish for a new life and when she wakes up, she’s thrilled to learn that she now has a successful business and her recently deceased mother is alive. (On a slightly unrelated note, her hair is also much better in her new, fake life.) The only catch? She is no longer married to husband Aaron (Corey Sevier).Crown-Worthy Highlight: Lengies brings real emotion to the role that will have you crying through scenes with her mom (played by Paula Boudreau) and swooning through scenes with Sevier.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-10.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[9. ‘The Love Club: Nicole’]]><![CDATA[The Love Club: Nicole kicked off the Love Club franchise following an interior designer (Bristow), who questions whether her new fiancé is The One or if she should try dating her anonymous pen pal from college. Determined to get definitive answers on the right path, Nicole and the Love Club track down her mystery friend, which leads her to Josh (Rosner).Crown-Worthy Highlight: In Nicole’s quest to find her mystery man, she contends with various imposters along the way. That Cyrano-esque twist seals the film’s fate as a Hallmark classic.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Making-waves-Hallmark-Movies-2023-Guide.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[8. ‘Making Waves’]]><![CDATA[The casting for Making Waves had Us adding this movie to our 2023 watchlist as soon as the yearly schedule dropped. Starring Teen Wolf alum Holland Roden and Broadway veteran Corey Cott, music executive Amelia (Roden) returns to her hometown in the Outer Banks to scout a local indie band. To her surprise, the group is fronted by her ex-boyfriend Will (Cott).Crown-Worthy Highlight: Come for the sweet, Southern romance and stay for Cott’s musical performances. If you’ve seen or heard his Broadway performances (i.e. Newsies, Gigi and Bandstand), then you are aware that Cott has some serious vocal chops and Will’s songs deliver exactly that.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Lacey-Chabert-Teases-Favorite-Hallmark-Costar-After-Will-Kemp-Reunion-2.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[7. ‘The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango’]]><![CDATA[Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is churning out new adventures faster than fans can watch but we’re not complaining. One of the new features is The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango starring Lacey Chabert as the “no-nonsense detective” Constance Bailey. When Constance is sent to investigate a CEO’s murder in Malta, she enlists a British performer named Sebastian Moore (Kemp), who assists her with the case while teaching her how to dance. Oh, did we mention the murder takes place during a company-based ballroom competition?Crown-Worthy Highlight: We love a good mystery, especially in an exotic location like Malta. However, it is Sebastian’s constant references to iconic sleuths like Columbo and Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote that has us laughing from start to finish.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-3.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[6. ‘Joyeux Noel’]]><![CDATA[Jaicy Elliot (best known for her role as resident Taryn Helm on Grey’s Anatomy) is fast becoming a staple on Hallmark. In Joyeux Noel, she joins Brant Daugherty in a French-set Christmas romance. Elliot plays Lea, a copy editor with writing aspirations, who plans to travel to France to discover the true story behind a local holiday market that was seemingly the inspiration for a vintage missed-connection love story. Lea is paired with pragmatic reporter Mark, who’d rather be anywhere in the world but there. To track down the tale’s origins, Mark and Lea recreate each step of the story that leads them to an array of colorful locals.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Who doesn’t love a Grumpy/Sunshine trope in a romance? Lea is the optimistic dreamer, who never gives up on the potential idea of a happily ever after. Mark, meanwhile, is pragmatic and ensconced in the realistic notion that there might not be a dream-come-true ending in their story.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Curious-Caterer-Stars-Nikki-DeLoach-and-Andrew-Walker-Reveal-Why-They-Continue-to-Team-Up-for-Hallmark-01.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[5. ‘Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows’]]><![CDATA[Both 2023 Curious Caterer films were standouts for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, but Fatal Vows had Us guessing whodunit until the last minute. When Detective Tom Schultz’s (Walker) ex-wife Jessamyn’s (Amanda Khan) future husband ends up dead on their wedding day, he becomes a suspect in the murder. With a new lead detective in town, who hates Tom, caterer-tuned amateur sleuth Goldy Berry (DeLoach) breaks out her murder board to help clear his name.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Goldy uses her culinary skills to recreate the murder weapon, Cheez-It-like crackers that the groom was allergic to, and cracks the case wide open. In addition to her delicious taste test, Goldy lures the murderer out in the open by wearing a wedding dress disguise that seems ridiculous, but it works!]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-4.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[4. ‘Christmas in Notting Hill’]]><![CDATA[Christmas in Notting Hill is one of Us Weekly’s top picks for Hallmark’s best 2023 Christmas movie and it could only be described as Ted Lasso meets Notting Hill (the Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant classic). This film costars Sarah Ramos (Haddie Braverman from NBC’s Parenthood) and William Moseley (Peter Pevensie from the Chronicles of Narnia franchise) as Georgia and Graham, respectively. When Georgia travels across the pond to spend the holidays with her younger sister, she crosses paths with soccer star Graham without realizing his famous career.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Honestly, Christmas in Notting Hill had our hearts with its British setting. Plus, Christmastime in jolly London in itself is nothing short of magical.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-2.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[3. ‘My Norwegian Holiday’]]><![CDATA[The network has been upping its game when it comes to highlighting different cultures and locations. My Norwegian Holiday fits the bill and takes the crown if you ask Us due to its spotlight on the quaint town of Bergen, Norway. Following the loss of her grandmother, JJ (Rhiannon Fish) agrees to go to Bergen with a stranger named Henrik (David Elsendoorn) and quickly learns that his family has no intention of letting her celebrate Christmas alone. Along the way, she discovers a magical connection between her relatives and Henrik’s former skiing coach which changes their lives forever.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Talk about a meet-cute, Henrik bumps into Jessica “JJ” Johnson when he accidentally gives away her coffee because his date has the same name. After he spills JJ’s replacement coffee, he brings her a third cup at work and offers her a roundtrip ticket to Norway. Spoiler: Henrik’s Jessica Jordan is no longer coming, so doesn’t want the trip to go to waste!]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-15.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[2. ‘A Biltmore Christmas’]]><![CDATA[It’s safe to say Bethany Joy Lenz doesn’t miss when it comes to picking scripts for Countdown to Christmas. In A Biltmore Christmas, the One Tree Hill alum stars as Lucy, a screenwriter who has been tapped to remake a classic holiday movie that takes place at Biltmore House in North Carolina. During a visit to the estate, Lucy finds herself traveling back in time (via a magical prop hourglass) to the set of the OG movie to discover the truth behind the rumored alternate ending. She meets Jack (Kristoffer Polaha), the star of the movie, and the twosome form a connection and must navigate being from different eras.Crown-Worthy Highlight: The chemistry between Lenz and Polaha is off the charts, but what makes this film special is the stakes. When modern-day Lucy learns Jack went missing on Christmas Eve in the past, she has to find a way to warn him without changing the future. Plus, Hallmark staples Wes Brown and Rachel Boston have cameos, playing characters in Lucy’s remake.]]>https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Picks-for-Best-Hallmark-Movies-of-2023-5.jpg?quality=86&strip=all<![CDATA[1. ‘3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost’]]><![CDATA[3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost is the second Hallmark movie costarring real-life couple Julie Gonzalo and Chris McNally. In 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost, Anna and Elliot’s home-flipping business flops following their breakup, leading Anna to join her father’s real estate firm. She is then tasked with selling a haunted mansion from the 1920s. Anna’s surprised when a friendly ghost (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Madeleine Arthur in her debut Hallmark appearance) won’t leave the property. Arthur plays Ruby, a ‘20s-era socialite who tragically died after losing her one true love. After seeing Anna and Elliott exchange certain looks multiple times, Ruby is convinced that she cannot “pass over” to the other side until they reconcile.Crown-Worthy Highlight: Sure, the second-chance romance between Anna and Elliot is perfectly Hallmark-worthy, but it is the honest female friendship between Anna and Ruby that stole our hearts.]]>

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