Hitched for the Holidays

This is a bit quirkier take on the plot device where two strangers need to pretend to be in a relationship for the holidays. I enjoyed quite a few laughs as this Jewish girl agrees to this with a Catholic boy.

Their first rule is no touching and they break it about 10 seconds later when Julie sees the office creep and grabs Rob and kisses him. In fact this movie probably has more kissing than I've seen in any of these Hallmark friendly movies.

They keep getting into little dilemmas where they have to do some quick thinking that usually leads to a "white" lie. At one point, Rob's whole Catholic family pretends to be Jewish because Rob and Julie have told her family that he is Jewish. Admittedly this isn't PC which hopefully can be forgiven, but it is funny.

Joey Lawrence and Emily Hampshire are cute together.

This story is a nice change on the theme and takes a tiny twist at the end.

Not sure why Lisa Bishop has to reduce this to a sexist moan as it wasn't written to be sexist! Such a shame and so unnecessary.

This is a simple little story that draws you in. It I has an easy storyline and is nice to watch and become involved in.

The characters are believable and enjoyable. The story is often predictable but that does not detract from the overall plot which still surprises at moments. There are some great moments in it where you want to hide in embarrassment but this is because in a way they are believable!

It doesn't have to have big expectations because that is what it is!

Settle down on a cold wet afternoon in front of a fire and enjoy!

In this film two "Thirty Something" adults are both sick and tired of friends and family trying to match them up-especially during the holidays.

In this film a commitment-phobic Rob Marino (Joey Lawrence) breaks up with his girlfriend before Thanksgiving, he is criticized by his big Italian family about his inability to keep a relationship through the holidays. Wanting to prove them wrong and fulfill his dying grandmother's (Paula Shaw) wish to see him happy in love, Rob goes online and finds Julie (Emily Hampshire), another single New Yorker who's meddling Jewish mom (Marilu Henner), has driven her to seek a temporary boyfriend. Rob and Julie agree to pose as a couple through the holidays to get their families off their backs. But things get complicated when Rob's Catholic clan and Julie's Jewish family get involved. With Christmas coming and Hanukkah around the corner, they double their efforts to keep the charade going, only to discover their fake feelings may be a little too real.

The film does move along at a nice pace. My only problem is that Joey Lawrence is miscast. Since this is a Hallmark movie I am a little shocked that Candace Cameron did not snap up this role (Unless she did not want to play a Jewish Girl) Has lots nice moments. Not perfect but very enjoyable.

There have been several of these "fake boyfriend/girlfriend" Hallmark Christmas movies over the years, but this was one of the early ones, and it delivered. The Catholic "boyfriend' pretending to be Jewish was funny. The actors' takes to him blowing out the Minora candles cracks us up.

There are lots of laugh and chuckle moments, and that's what you're watching these for in the first place. Yeah, a good romance story is nice. This didn't have the "best" bonding structure between the romantic leads, but it worked well enough.

We've seen this a few times now, and i think we like it better every time.

7.9 stars.

'Hitched for the Holidays' for me was a Christmas surprise. I'd never have thought they could pull off this type of story and still pack a bunch of twists and surprises into the script. A man and a woman both put ads into what appears to be a made up copycat of Craigslist, and the ads says they are looking for a fake significant other to get through the holidays with, maybe have someone to kiss on the New Year. This is not a new story by any means, but there are so many little tweaks and variances that it's actually quite original in the presentation.

He acts different than most lead men, you can see he's being authentic to himself with his style. Although it can be strange and frustrating at times, because it comes off as too real, in the end it makes this a better movie. She is not someone I've seen a whole lot, yet I recognize her. This was a great role for her and she really shines in this part.

The whole fiasco is downplayed in such a way that it's not too flashy and crazy hectic, with all the pretending, and the white lies becoming worse and worse, spiraling into a nightmare. No, they cut it short where it needs, make it more believable and the families are dismayed at first, but arguably quite forgiving and open-minded.

Wonderful storytelling going on with this film, so I highly recommend it. Almost a full 8 stars, but there were just a couple parts that left me wanting, potential fun that wandered off to a lonely place, underutilized.