Opinion: Hallmark movies are bad
PHOTO Libby Maier
December 20, 2021
As we enter the holiday season, Hallmark Christmas movies begin streaming on numerous platforms. As a company that stays off the radar until December, Hallmark tries its hardest to produce as many films as it can during the Christmas season. This leads to most of Hallmark’s films lacking in plot and relying solely on romantic comedy tropes to bring in their audiences.
These tropes of course being the classic “boy meets girl.” Either the boy or the girl is a successful business person who hates or strongly dislikes Christmas and the other loves Christmas more than anything. The two don’t like each other then they fall in love— even though the only thing they have in common is whatever event they have been put together to plan or help save. Someone always ends up making a small mistake which leads the opposing character to have a crisis and break up with their romantic partner until they eventually wind up back together.
The plot is not the only reason these movies are not a favorite. The lack of diversity within Hallmark movies may alienate a lot of their viewers. It is no secret that Hallmark movies are almost always straight, white couples. It isn’t as often you see anything other than this for the main characters or a mixed couple. Hallmark has made an effort to be more diverse in recent years, but its casts are still made up of a majority of white actors.
These movies are filled with the same actors and the same story arc throughout each film that is tweaked slightly for each movie. Hallmark needs new writers, new ideas, and a new philosophy on diversity before people should ever sit through the entirety of one of their films again.
Karen Arsenault • Jul 2, 2022 at 11:09 PM
Those hallmark movies are a take on those romance paperback novels. I don’t like either one. The best thing shown on the Hallmark channel is Frasier. I dread July when those Christmas in July movies air. That sets back Frasier an hour (1:00am CST).