La Parade de Noël

Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of my favorite Hallmark movies of all times! The writing, the chemistry between the two leads, the touching moments interlaced with quirky humor make this a can't miss movie. I keep it on my DVR, but it's also available at Prime, but they still show it in a tiny, early window of Christmas films as of 2019. I adore Autumn Reeser and Antonio Cupo in this movie and hope that Hallmark can learn from the older movies that this movie is a model for how to make a good movie no matter what time of year. Enjoy!

Autumn Reeser makes her Hallmark debut here, and immediately shows us why she would soon go onto become of the channel's best loved stars.

Pretty, witty - she helps this film to fly along, and I liked that this didn't feel like a standard Hallmark film. The humour is broader and is all the better for it.

It's not perfect, it's very clear right from the off that her character's boyfriend will not be the one for her by the end, but minor gripes aside, this was good fun and I enjoyed it.

1. A classic antithetical romance than works, although the antipathy is one-sided most of the time.

2. In the last half of the movie, many moments made us laugh out loud.

3. Some of the laugh out loud moments are from surprisingly awkward but funny situations.

There's a LOT of screen time with the leads, which is a problem for many movies. And there's a lot of comedic denial. This movie is a treasure, and one we'll watch again. It's that funny.

These leads also appear in A Glenbrooke Christmas, which we'd watched in 2020 and in our own notes suggested it was "meh", but we plan to give it another chance after just watching this.

Yes, it's "typical" Hallmark feel-good romance, but the actors have great chemistry that makes the characters more believable as a couple than some other Hallmark movies. It's cute and quirky and refreshing compared to the many Santa-is-real movies that abound this time of year. Loved the reason behind her passion for vintage clothes -- that explanation had never occurred to me. Some of spliced scenes when they were in their respective beds thinking about each other reminded me of old classic movies which actually lended another layer of believability to her vintage clothes and determination to keep traditions alive. I like that Hallmark makes so many different kinds of Christmas movies that range from comedy to drama and different levels in between. I give this one a 10.

Emily (Autumn Reeser) is a Chicago native who has worked her way up to a job that fits her well. This beautiful young woman is in charge of the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chi-town, among other things. Also pleasing, Emily believes, is her long distance, marine biologist boyfriend Brian. They conduct a romance in most modern fashion, on Skype. Then, Emily's perfect world comes crashing down a bit. A handsome number cruncher, Henry (Antonio Cupo) has been invited, at the mayor's request, to see if there is any ways to save money on the parade. Naturally, his initial meeting with Emily goes badly, as he seems all brash and no heart to her. She learns that his consultant's job has him traveling around the country, living in hotels, and making few attachments. He even makes a fiver wager with her, as he doesn't believe Brian is going to propose on his coming-soon visit. There are other mishaps and misunderstandings that arrive for this dueling twosome. Could it be that, between sarcastic barbs, Em and Hen really like each other? You KNOW IT, romance fans! This adorable romcom, which originated on the best network in the universe, Hallmark, has all the winning elements of the best romantic comedies out there. First, it sports attractive and charming performers in Reeser and Cupo. Then, a fine supporting cast, a lovely setting in Chicago's best venues, wonderful costumes, a clever script, and a made-to-entertain direction. So, parade out to grab the DVD somewhere or hit the download button soon.