Holiday Hotline
You’ve haven’t Got Mail
Let’s talk turkey! And by turkey, I of course mean this movie. I happened to see some previews for this one in advance, which definitely piqued my skepticism and goodness, were my instincts proven right!
Essentially this is a You’ve Got Mail wannabe, except rather than AOL the format for the protagonists’ connection is the “no name” Butterball Hotline. And let’s not even go there with the immigration law issues surrounding a Brit who can just pick up shifts at a call centre within moments of landing in the U.S.
So Abby is manning the hotline by day and flirting with her neighbour Jack by night, but when it comes time for cooking tips, Jack - going by “John” - calls the hotline and seeks out his favourite turkey afficionado. For real though - how many times would buddy actually need to call a turkey hotline in the span of 6 weeks?!?
It was bad, dear reader, so very bad, and then…
A dream dance sequence!
One second they’re in the kitchen and then the next, they’re ballroom dancing, but it’s all a dream. I can’t.
And Hallmark totally saved some money on editing this time around - rather than showing both sides of the phone calls in a split screen, they’re filmed as though Abby is actually in the kitchen with Jack the whole time.
Perhaps the only saving grace of this movie is that people will know there is a real Butterball Hotline, thus saving their dinner guests from potential salmonella poisoning.
Classic Christmas movie tropes:
Single dad & widower
Baking together
Decorating the Christmas tree
You’ll like this if…
You like Niall Matter. A Hallstar, but after this, that might be generous… I really need him to do something about this 2-day stubble thing he has going on, too. Grow a beard or shave. Please.
Or you like the Hallmark version of classic rom-coms.
SCORE: 3/10
Tell me more!
After leaving London, Abby connects with an anonymous caller while working at a cooking hotline. The caller is single dad "John" who Abby unknowingly has become smitten with in real life. Starring Emily Tennant and Niall Matter.
