YarnFactory

Of the four Hearts Around The Table movies, Kiki's Fourth Ingredient is the one I enjoyed the most because it adequately brought things full circle from the first installment in the series, Jenna's First Love.

This time, the focus is on Kiki's love life, or lack thereof (at least in the beginning) and the fact that she has agreed to cater sister Jenna's wedding. Lone wolf chef Kiki doesn't realize that she's bitten off more than she can chew (no pun intended) until fellow chef Clay (the best man in the wedding) points it out to her. In fact, he points it out several times, which in real life I'd probably find a bit annoying if it came from someone I barely knew, but his sincerity is clear and, hey, he's right. His ultimate suggestion proves very important to Kiki, and it's more practical, not predictable, which is a welcome change. While all this is going on, the wedding storyline more quietly plays out in the background. It was a good balance of main story and secondary story, complete with the appearance of one of the main character's biological parent and, of course, the wonderful Mindy Cohn (Angie).

Kathryn Davis and Torrance Coombs had very good chemistry together. Their characters' personalities complemented each other well, and I liked that the development of their relationship highlighted that. For me, this was the most enjoyable of the four "Hearts" movies and I'd recommend it.

This Hallmark holiday movie turned out to be one of its best, largely due to treating the audience to two watchable leading ladies, Maggie Lawson and Janel Parrish. Lawson is wonderful at playing busy, harried professional Emily, who longs to create the perfect Christmas for her family. Parrish is hilarious pure joy as Sugarplum, an over-the-top character who comes straight out of a Hallmark-type movie franchise and into Emily's life via a Christmas wish by Emily, of course. Sugarplum is there to help Emily achieve "the perfect Christmas," but will she be able to? It truly is most enjoyable to watch it for yourself to find out because it could go either way.

Lots to enjoy about this movie. I loved the basic premise of Hallmark poking fun at its holiday romcoms and all the usual tropes. There are unexpected, fun cameos by a few other fave Hallmark leads too, and I wish they had more. Rounding out the cast was Emily's family, all well cast and very capable. Nice to see the actor who portrayed her husband, Brendon Zub, in a more prominent role. The actress who portrayed her daughter has a terrific singing voice. This one is a must-see this holiday season.

If you're looking for a funny romcom, this movie is not going to be it. In fact, there's very little rom and com in it. But if you're looking for something more real and less like the usual holiday fare Hallmark serves up this time of year, give this one a try. I had to watch this twice to appreciate all of the nuanced performances of every actor, especially the two leads.

Niall Matter and Alison Sweeney portray Kevin and Lauren, a couple who are at the one-year point of a marital separation and it's the holidays. Early on it is revealed why they're separated, and I'll leave it at that. They coparent a young son; and Lauren has just found out that her mom, who isn't aware of the separation, will be making a last-minute visit. Kevin and Lauren scramble to appear like a united family, but their tension and uncertainty are palpable. They also attend therapy sessions. Do they end up together? Watch and find out.

The nuanced, but palpable tension throughout by the family members also gives this movie realism. Alison Sweeney plays uneasy beautifully, and this surprisingly turned out to be one of my favorite performances of Niall Matter. In their capable hands, I found myself genuinely rooting for the couple as they navigated through uncharted, awkward waters. This one won't give you the warm fuzzies, but all the performances are solid and that's what I appreciated most about it.