Amazing Winter Romance

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Marshall Williams and Jessy Schram

Synopsis: Journalist Julia goes back home to find inspiration and discovers her childhood friend has built a giant snow maze, prompting her to find her way to true love.

Review: This is a typical feel-good romance from Hallmark.  You’ll know the ending from the beginning but it’s another sit back, relax, and just enjoy it movie.  The snow maze was quite interesting and I loved seeing all the snow.

Scoring: 3

The Birthday Wish

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Jessy Schram, Luke Macfarlane, and Marcus Rosner

Synopsis: On her birthday, a woman who desperately wants her boyfriend to propose to her wishes for the opportunity to see into the future, with surprising results.

Review:  I adore this movie. It’s one I’ve seen multiple times. I love how Schram’s character has the internal struggle of her plans versus her fate. The actors are wonderful together. This isn’t your typical love story. 

Scoring: 4

The Day After Tomorrow 

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Action, Adventure

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emmy Rossum

Synopsis: Jack Hall, paleoclimatologist, must make a daring trek from Washington, D.C. to New York City, to reach his son, trapped in the cross-hairs of a sudden international storm which plunges the planet into a new Ice Age.

Review:  While I don’t think this is a true winter movie, the coming of an ice age is pretty close. This movie has lots of action and adventure with loads of heart. I cared about the characters and what happened to them. Exciting. 

Scoring: 4

Fall Into Winter (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Lori Laughlin and James Tupper

Synopsis: Follow Kelly, as she has to work next to her nemesis "Brooks", her brother's high school best friend that now owns half of Kelly's family-owned candy shop.

Review: This movie is so sweet (Pardon the pun). I loved seeing these old high school crushes get together. There was just the right amount of candy making. It was an easy and fun one to watch. 

Scoring: 3

Frozen

Rated: PG

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Musical

Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Mendel, Josh Gad, and Alan Tudyk

Synopsis: When the newly-crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister Anna teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition.

Review:  This seems to be a movie people love or hate. I love it. The music is wonderful and catchy, the scenery is beautiful, and the message about accepting what makes us different is powerful. 

Scoring: 4

Frozen In Love

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Rachel Leigh Cook and Niall Matter

Synopsis: When struggling bookstore owner Mary and the bad boy of professional hockey, Adam, are teamed together to help facilitate an image makeover for the other, they soon realize that opposites attract and they find themselves unexpectedly frozen in love.

Review:  This movie kept my interest. I enjoyed watching Mary and Adam evolve as people as they fell in love. The additional characters add flavor to the story. It’s charming. 

Scoring: 4

Groundhog Day

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, and Brian Doyle-Murray

Synopsis: A weatherman finds himself inexplicably living the same day over and over again.

Review:  This is a classic for good reason. Murray is truly funny as his character first takes advantage of his misfortune. He becomes vulnerable and likable when he decides to grow as a person. Very funny. 

Scoring: 5

Happy Feet

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Starring: Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy, and Nicole Kidman

Synopsis: Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!

Review: Sadly, this movie disappointed me.  I was horribly bored.  Is it about fitting in, is it about parent/child relationships, is it about music and dancing, is it about climate change?  I’m not even sure what the main point was. From the feedback I’ve gotten from friends you’ll either love it or hate it.

Scoring: 1

Hearts of Winter (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Jill Wagner and Victor Webster

Synopsis: An interior designer brings new life to the house of a widower and his daughter and finds love in the process.

Review: Another cute, yet predictable movie.  Wagner and Webster have great chemistry.  I just wish they had better explained the MAP system they kept referring to.  I still enjoyed it and will watch again.

Scoring: 3

Ice Age

Rated: PG

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Starring: Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano

Synopsis: Set during the Ice Age, a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe.

Review:  This is an animated film for the whole family. The children will enjoy the characters and everyone will find the humor in it. It’s got a great message of different species working together. 

Scoring: 4

Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Ashley Newbrough and Stephen Huszar

Synopsis: An avalanche forecasting expert brings her new technology to Glacier National Park where she faces push-back from the Director of Mountain Rescue who's trained in intuition and common sense.

Review: As someone who doesn’t live where it snows and who has never been skiing, there was a little too much avalanche talk. I loved the little girl and all the characters were likable. 

Scoring: 3

Love in Paradise

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Starring: Luke Perry and Emannuelle Vaugier

Synopsis: When an actor who makes Westerns visits a Montana Dude Ranch, a woman realizes he’s really a city slicker who knows nothing about being a cowboy. 

Review:  This movie is just as advertised. It’s a fish out of water story where romance and saving the ranch follow. It’s cute and easy to watch. 

Scoring: 3

Love In Winterland

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Italia Ricci, Chad-Michael Murray, and Jack Turner

Synopsis: Ally, a final contestant on a dating show, must face her high school sweetheart when she is chosen for the Hometown Date.

Review: The story is more than just a dating show.  Yes, there’s the love triangle, but the show is in the background the same way the cameras would be in real life.  You also get the stories of her life, her family, and how the town is being affected by shorter winters.  I enjoyed all the layers to the movie.  I knew there’d be a happy ending and the two sweethearts would end up together but I wasn’t sure how they’d handle Tanner.  It was nice not knowing.  Lovely scenery for a lovely movie.

Scoring: 3

Love On Ice

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Julie Marie Berman, Andrew Walker, and Gail O’Grady

Synopsis: A former figure skating champion gets an improbable second shot to reclaim glory when a young coach sees greatness in her. 

Review:  This movie has a love story, humor, and the graceful beauty of figure skating. While I knew it would have a happy ending, I still wasn’t sure where it would end up skating-wise so I enjoyed that. 

Scoring: 3

Love On Iceland

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Kaitlin Doubleday and Colin Donnell

Synopsis: Chloe heads on a spontaneous trip to Iceland with her college friends. She doesn't expect to run into her ex, Charlie, but what starts as begrudgingly spending more time together, results in new beginnings for them both.

Review: If you love winter, the scenery and history of Iceland would be enough to enjoy this movie.  The addition of the podcast about love stories is so delightful.  It really pulled at my heartstrings. I spent most of the trip wondering how Chloe and Charlie would manage to end up together.  I won’t spoil it but I love when I don’t see the ending coming.

Scoring: 3

Love On The Sidelines

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Emily Kinney and John Reardon

Synopsis: Laurel is a struggling fashion designer who finds herself with a job as a personal assistant for Danny, a quarterback sidelined with an injury. Laurel knows nothing about football and Danny hasn't ever had a female assistant.

Review:  This is a different kind of love story. The back and forth between characters is amusing. It’s a charming story but there isn’t enough winter. 

Scoring: 3

Love On The Slopes

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Katrina Bowden and Thomas Beaudoin 

Synopsis: NYC-based copy editor, Alex, is sent to Ridgeline Resort, an extreme sports outpost, to write a story for a travel writing competition. At first, she fails at everything - much to the chagrin of Cole, an extreme sports enthusiast who thinks this city girl should head back to New York. But when Alex offers to assist Cole with his local arts festival, he reluctantly obliges to be her guide as she faces her fears doing one extreme sport after the next.

Review:  As a scaredy-cat, I rooted for Alex to overcome her fears and feel strong. Both Alex and Cole are interesting characters that have a lot of chemistry and complex personalities. I enjoyed their interactions as much as the scenery. 

Scoring: 4

Love’s Complicated 

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Holly Marie Combs, Ben Bass, and Corbin Bernson

Synopsis: Leah's surprise enrollment in a conflict management class pushes her to develop friendship, love and inner strength.

Review:  I really enjoyed seeing Leah and the other members of the group as they grew and developed interpersonal relationships. The love story is also very entertaining. 

Scoring: 4

March Of The Penguins

Rated: G

Genre: Documentary

Starring: Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.

Review: I found this to be somewhat interesting.  I enjoyed learning how the penguins live and what they do.  I will say I walked away saying that wasn’t bad but many of my friends absolutely loved it and couldn’t say enough about it.  This is one I suggest you check out and decide how you feel.  At least you’ll walk away with some cool penguin facts.

Scoring: 3

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, and Angela Lansbury

Synopsis: The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.

Review: Jim Carrey gives his typical over the top performance.  The plot is a little expected.  That being said, I laughed and I really enjoyed it.  This is a good family film and one where you leave your cares at the door and just enjoy some light-hearted fun.

Scoring: 3

New Year's Eve

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Jim Belushi, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abagail Breslin, Common, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Hector Elizondo, Cary Elwes,  Zac Efron, Carla Gugino, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Ludacris, Joey McIntire, Penny Marshall, Lea Michele, Alyssa Milano, Seth Myers, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Paulson,  Michelle Pfeiffer, Ryan Seacrest, Hilary Swank, and Sofia Vergara

Synopsis: The lives of several couples and singles in New York City intertwine over the course of New Year's Eve.

Review:  An amazing group of inspirational stories that truly embody what a new year represents. You’ll laugh and cry. I thought having so many stories they’d fight each other but they work seamlessly. 

Scoring: 5

A New Year’s Resolution (2021)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Aimee Teagarden and Michael Rady

Synopsis: The morning show producer makes a new year's resolution to say yes more. She then crosses paths with "Yes man". He may hold the key to her biggest story.

Review: This was a lovely story.  Seeing Kelly move outside her comfort zone and become more confident as Tom gets to know himself better was very interesting.  This is one of those I enjoyed so much I hope there’s a sequel.

Scoring: 3

One Winter Proposal

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Rukiya Bernard, Taylor Cole, Jack Taylor, and Dewshane Williams

Synopsis: Old flames reignite and new flames burn brighter when a foursome returns to the ski lodges she where they first found romance. 

Review:  To enjoy this movie I recommend viewing the first movie “one Winter Weekend”. The scenery here is just as beautiful but the story lags in a way the First didn’t. If the first movie hadn’t gotten me interested in the characters I wouldn’t have hung in for the whole movie. 

Scoring: 2

One Winter Weekend

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Taylor Cole, Jack Turner, Rukiya Bernard, and Dewshane Williams

Synopsis: A recently dumped travel writer goes on a ski getaway with her best friend and they find themselves double booked with two eligible men. When they are snowed in, love ensues, as it always does.

Review:  The worst part of the movie is Taylor Cole. She comes off as hard and unlikable. The best part of the movie is the relationship between Megan and Sean. And, of course, the beautiful winter scenery. The relationship between Cara and Ben has the typical misunderstandings and conflict that become resolved as they realize their feelings. 

Scoring: 3

Out Cold (2001)

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Thomas Lennon, Jason London, Zach Galifianakis, and Lee Majors

Synopsis: A snowboarder's plans for his own snowboard park go awry when an ex-girlfriend returns to town.

Review: This is the movie version of teenage boys gone wild.  It’s almost like the snow park version of Animal House.  If you like those types of overly corny and lacking an intricate plot silly movies, this is for you.  I personally didn’t enjoy it or find it humorous which surprised me given the cast.

Scoring: 1

Rise Of The Guardians

Rated: PG

Genres: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy 

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Chris Pine, and Jude Law

Synopsis: When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imaginations of children all over the world.

Review:  While not about Christmas it does include Santa and Jack Frost. Seeing the mythical figures we grew up with unite for a purpose was original and fun. I enjoyed it but I think children will like it even more.

Scoring: 3

Royal New Year’s Eve

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Jessy Schram, Sam Page, And Cheryl Ladd

Synopsis: An aspiring fashion designer falls in love with her socialite client's prospective fiancé, Prince Jeffrey.

Review:  A standard story of girl meets boy who happens to be a prince but she doesn’t know that. Here, however, they added layers with Schram’s work and friends’ stories. A charming royal tale. 

Scoring: 3

A Royal Winter

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Merritt Patterson and Jack Donnelly 

Synopsis: While on a last-minute European holiday, a young woman finds herself in the middle of a real-life fairy tale when a chance meeting with a handsome local leads to something more.

Review:  The scenery in this movie is breathtaking. If you’re looking for a sweet girl meets prince story, you’ll love it. The children are adorable. 

Scoring: 3

Snowcoming

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Trevor Donovan and Lindy Booth

Synopsis: Samantha returns home for her town's winter festival to celebrate her father's retirement from coaching. Her hopes for a quiet visit are dashed when she discovers NFL quarterback and high school sweetheart Jake is also there.

Review: I knew how I wanted it to end but I wasn’t sure how it would get there, or if it would.  The surprises made it even more enjoyable.  A great story with great characters.

Scoring: 4

Snowkissed

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Jen Lilley, Chris McNally, Amy Groening, and Rodrigo Beilfuss

Synopsis: Sparks fly between a New York writer and her adventurous tour guide in Canada.

Review: This is a quality romance movie.  While the main characters seem opposite it’s done in a subtle and humorous way rather than being corny.  The beautiful winter scenes are incredible.  I really enjoyed this one.

Scoring: 4

Snowtime! (2015)

Rated: PG

Genres: Animation, Drama

Synopsis: When winter break arrives, a boy and his friends are joined by the new girl in town for a prolonged snowball fight.

Review: At first, I felt nostalgic for being a kid playing with all those in the neighborhood. It quickly lost its charm as it became about war. I don’t usually give spoilers, but they kill the dog. I don’t think many children will be happy after this movie. 

Scoring: 1.5

Taking A Shot At Love

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Luke MacFarlane and Alexa PenaVega

Synopsis: Sparks fly between a ballet instructor and a hockey player as she helps him recover from an injury.

Review: This is your typical romance that develops slowly.  We slowly get to know the characters a little better.  They’re very likable and relatable.  The only thing was they didn’t resolve the storyline about her not wanting to do competitions in order to save her studio. 

Scoring: 3

Two For The Win (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Charlotte Sullivan and Trevor Donovan

Synopsis: A world-champion skier and a local instructor find romance on the slopes as he returns home to prepare for the biggest race of his life.

Review: The best part of this movie is the people.  The characters are realistic but likable.  There’s not too much skiing, which is good if you aren’t into skiing or don’t know about it.  It’s a little too surfacy but a nice relaxing watch.

Scoring: 3

Unleashing Mr. Darcy

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Cindy Busby and Ryan Paevey

Synopsis: In this modern-day spin on "Pride & Prejudice," Elizabeth Scott, is fishing for direction in her life and gets the opportunity to professionally show her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in a fancy New York dog show.

Review: I love this movie. I should admit I’m a big “Pride and Prejudice” fan so I loved this new take on it.  It’s fresh enough that if the characters weren’t Lizzie and Darcy you might not even see the connection.  The way this movie is done and the fantastic characters held my interest.  I’ve seen it many times and I’ve yet to tire of it.

Scoring: 5

Winter Castle

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Emilie Ullerup, Kevin McGarry

Synopsis: Jenny feels an instant attraction to the handsome best man, Craig, at her sister’s wedding. But her hopes of romance are quickly dashed when she is introduced to Craig’s plus one, Lana. 

Review:  The winter castle was so stunning and amazing it was like a character itself. The story is a romance with plenty of fun to keep it lighthearted. It has the happy ending but lots of adventures leading up to it. 

Scoring: 3

A Winter Getaway

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Nazneen Contractor and Brooks Darnell

Synopsis: A man finds romance with a concierge after he’s mistaken for a millionaire during a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Review: Knowing from early on that he isn’t who she thinks he is and what will happen when she finds out made me extremely uncomfortable the whole time.  Being Hallmark, I knew it would have a happy ending, but I personally don’t like the awkward feeling of movies like this.  I did like that they did lots of winter activities, including my favorite, curling.  I loved the ending.

Scoring: 2

Winter In Vail (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Lacey Chabert and Tyler Hynes

Synopsis: Chelsea inherits a house in Vail. She meets Owen and gets a much-needed break. Together, they put on Strudelfest to highlight the charm of Old Vail.

Review: This movie is amazing.  Hynes gives a top-notch performance with humorous sarcasm.  I loved the story of saving the town.  Yes, the girl moving to the small town, finding love, and deciding she likes it more than the big city is a little cliché.  The Strudelfest activities provide a new spin on it.  This is one to watch.

Scoring: 5

Winter Love Story

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Jen Lilley and Kevin McGarry

Synopsis: When author Cassie’s first novel isn’t selling, she is paired on a book tour with author Elliot to boost her sales-but along the way, a romance starts to blossom. 

Review:  Cassie and Elliot’s characters have a great push pull relationship with just enough differences to create a spark. While you know it’s a love story and will have a happy ending, they manage to give you the right amount of surprise moments and twists to keep viewers entertained. 

Scoring: 4

A Winter Princess

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Natalie Hall

Synopsis: Princess Carly, working incognito at a ski resort, must team up with the owner’s brother, Brent, to plan the resort’s 50th-anniversary celebration. 

Review:  The plot is a standard one with one main exception. Rather than the guy finding out she’s a princess after falling for her, he knows from the beginning. This movie was a little saccharine for me. There was no conflict or love triangle to add drama. It wasn’t bad but it was below average. 

Scoring: 2

Winter’s Dream

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Dean Cain and Kristy Swanson 

Synopsis: Former pro skier, Kat, is asked to coach a younger skier, named Anna, and finds love with the girl's widowed father, Ty.

Review:  Unlike a lot of love movies, there’s no animosity. No ex-loves causing trouble. Just two people falling in love with the beautiful snow as magical scenery. 

Scoring: 3

A Winter Wedding aka Wedding Wonderland (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Andrea Bowen, Nick Bateman, Susan Walters, Jane Sibbett, and Jane Thomas

Synopsis: A couple deals with family conflicts when wedding planning gets complicated.  The bride’s parents want her to wait a year to have her dream tropical beach wedding after the hotel double booked for their weekend while the groom’s parents want them to get married at the family’s lodge in a small wintry town.

Review: I found this to be a really enjoyable movie.  The conflict is enough to keep your interest but not so much as to ruin the romance.  The scenery was gorgeous.  I especially liked the gazebo.  They even managed to throw in a twist at the end. 

Scoring: 3