Why I LOVE Hallmark Movies and My All-time Favorites

Published Monday, January 10, 2022

What are you doing tonight Gwen? Watching Hallmark movies of course. Why do I watch these made for TV movies you ask, well let me explain. I watch them for the wonderful feeling of love, peace and harmony. Most of the plot lines are pretty simple, encouraging, and "feel good." And if there is a plot twist, it is always worked out by the end of the movie. In a world that can be tense and stressful, watching Hallmark movies can provide a form of escape, a place of calm or a festive spirit.

Here are 15 of my all-time favorite Hallmark movies with links to the library's catalog so you can watch them too.

The Lost Valentine

It is based on the novel by James Michael Pratt of the same name, previously titled The Last Valentine, a 1998 New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Summary: Lucas Thomas's grandmother Caroline returns every Valentine's Day to the station where, at their then first wedding anniversary, she waved off her husband Neil to the Pacific war theatre in 1944. Naval pilot Neil, officially is still missing in action. Lucas, a former baseball star and reputable physiotherapist, tells his Grandmother’s story to a TV station manager, who assigns the story to Susan Allison. She gets involved and befriends Caroline, but resists her crush on Lucas on account of an already soulless engagement with international reporter Andrew Hawthorne. Caroline's mild cardiac crisis seems to ruin everything.

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Loving Leah

Loving Leah began as a play by P'nenah Goldstein and was brought to Hallmark by Ricki Lake, who appears in a minor role in the film. Goldstein also wrote the screenplay.

Summary: A handsome Washington, D.C. doctor and a young New York woman fall in love at an unusual time...after they get married. Leah Lever is married to an Orthodox rabbi, Benjamin Lever, whose brother, Jake is a successful cardiologist and a non-practicing Jew. Jake is stunned when Benjamin dies suddenly, but not as stunned as when he is told that, under an ancient Jewish Law, he is expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin's name. The only alternative is to go through a ceremony where Jake must deny his brother's existence. For Jake, that's unthinkable, so impulsively he suggests to Leah that they get married and maintain a secretly platonic relationship. Eager to pursue her own dreams, Leah gladly accepts. Their oversimplified plan to live separate lives under the same roof proves challenging when Leah's suspicious mother shows up unexpectedly. The harder they try to disguise their "pretend" marriage, the more their appreciation for each other's worlds grows - and out of understanding, a real love develops.

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A Taste of Romance

Summary: Two restaurant owners, a classically-trained chef and a former firefighter turned hamburger cook, find themselves working next door to each other, competing for customers, clashing over style, and ultimately proving that opposites attract.

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The Love Letter

It is based on Jack Finney's short story of the same name, which was first published in The Saturday Evening Post on August 1, 1959, and reprinted in the same magazine in January/February 1988 issue. The story has since appeared in several books.

Summary: 20th century computer games designer Scott exchanges love letters with 19th century poet Elizabeth Whitcomb through an antique desk that can make letters travel through time.

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Harvest of Fire

Summary: An Amish woman must overcome her distrust of outsiders and risk being shunned by her own people, in order to help an FBI agent discover who is the arsonist setting fire to Amish barns.

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Trading Christmas

Hello, It's Me

Perfect Catch

Love in Paradise

A Time to Dance

The Christmas Card

Love Locks

Love, of Course

Love on the Air

About the Author

Gwen has been working in Technical Services at EPL since 2005. She enjoys reading Amish & Christian fiction, African-American non-fiction, and all things with her grandchildren.