‘Holiday Date’: One Pretend Love Interest and a Cheerful Season
The closer we draw to Christmas Day, the fewer Hallmark Channel originals we have to anticipate. One of these is Holiday Date, a cute and fun little snowglobe of a romance that is sure to be one date you’ll be glad to make.
Holiday Date (2019) Hallmark TV Review
Busy building her career in the city, Brooke (Brittany Bristow) is an aspiring designer. For now, she works for a boss who demands a lot, and important clients who request only the best in their tailored high fashion. She’s happy for now, but her dreams reach beyond this work. When the holiday season rolls around, Brooke makes plans to return home to her family where they plan to celebrate the season with all the cheerful, festive-ness they can squeeze in. Only trouble is, Brooke is supposed to bringing a boyfriend home – and Ethan just isn’t into the trip.
Enter, Joel (Matt Cohen), a kind, cheerful man who agrees to plays the boyfriend, but there’s one hitch; Matt’s traditions and family celebrates Hanukah, and not Christmas. A season Brooke and her family celebrate with gusto…
As is the usual order of things, Holiday Date is all things darling. It plays with the charming cookie cutter script (which I always say as a compliment), and reminds me a great deal of the oldie Hallmark ‘Countdown to Christmas’ romance that was Hitched for the Holidays (one I still indulge a re-watch of now and again). There’s a hometown girl who returns, lots of awkward family moments, and of course, the fake relationship trope we all know and love.
LIST | How I Rank Some of the 2019 Hallmark Christmas Romance
Who enjoyed this one?? ‘Holiday Date’: One Pretend Love Interest and a Cheerful Season. A Review of the 2019 Countdown to Christmas original with Brittany Bristow. #HolidayDate #Hallmarkies #Hallmark Share on XWhat’s even more “behind the scenes” fun to know about this one is the leading lady. Seeing Brittany as the “best friend” character, it’s nice to see her step into leading lady status. She’s the best kind of girl-next-door charming and I quite like her, and the fact that we see a new (to the network) face in this role is always nice. You’ll also see Teryl Rothery (who’s been in three, or is it four Christmas movies this year already), Peter Benson, and Ava Grace Cooper (of When Calls the Heart).
There’s some minor awkward moments and silliness, namely when Joel tries to play Ethan, but overall, this one is still a charmer that I thoroughly enjoyed making time for.
Don’t miss Holiday Date tonight, December 14, only on Hallmark Channel; check local listings for specific times, and encore showings on the 15th, and beyond.
* I didn’t have the chance to watch all of this due to technical difficulties, but what I’ve seen, and knowing this network’s reputation, I have no qualms about saying it’s another fun one!
Sincere thanks to Hallmark and Crown Media Press for the opportunity to view a screener; all opinions are honest, and my own.
Photos: Hallmark / Crown Media Press
