Holiday Engagement (2011 TV Movie) User Reviews

virtually Duff-less

[JaynaB · 6/10 · 15 December 2011]

If you are avoiding this movie because you dislike the Duff sisters, fear not. Even though Haley Duff gets top billing, she doesn't get more than about 10 minutes of screen time, for much of which she's in the background, and maybe five lines of dialogue.

This movie is only slightly more improbable than a lot of seasonal romantic comedies. The trope of bringing an imposter as your date to a a family event is not really grounded in reality anyway, so if you're willing to suspend disbelief that far, it's a nice enough diversion for a couple of hours around Thanksgiving.

The cast is reasonably solid, if under-exercised, with some halfway decent comedy chops available (but not accessed) in Shelley Long and Sam McMurray. The two leads are cute and sad by turns, mostly at appropriate moments, and sing well together for one nice scene. Other supporting characters... well, they look their parts and speak their lines but don't expect to find gold in their emotional range.

The script and performances didn't quite gel, leaving plenty of avenues for both comedy and heart under-utilized. Real dramatic situations were barely nodded at in passing while the most potentially humorous moments were signalled more by the characters' laughter than by any similar urge in the audience.

If you combined 'The Family Stone' (where only Sarah Jessica Parker is lacking the necessary depth of character) with 'My Best Friend's Wedding' (where everything is deliberately shallow and the moments of heart stand out better for it), and made a college film class movie, this is about what you'd get.

Could have been so much better

[dmasursky · 6/10 · 17 December 2014]

I just wanted a sweet holiday movie, but this one just isn't worth it. The leads are both easy on the eyes and appealing, but they have no particular chemistry. And the movie is just stuffed with ridiculous clichés and plot lines going nowhere. Several things are played, inappropriately, for laughs, including the father's legal trouble and Jason/David's religion (being Jewish). Shelley Long is fine, but I didn't even recognize her until halfway through the movie - her talents are wasted in such a subdued role. The movie had a lot of potential, but the writers couldn't be bothered. Clichés in holiday movies are expected and not unwelcome, but at least allow your characters to act like real people.

Really enjoyable, light and happy movie

[leaveacomment · 7/10 · 30 December 2012]

This was like reading a good G rated romance novel, but not too hokey. I liked how they did not make the characters all super cliché and cookie cutter. It was nice to see Shelly Long again in something, and I was not bored at all. Bonnie Somerville was good. She is one of those actors you keep trying to think what you have seen them in before. I really liked Jordon Bridges as the romance interest, and I did not realize until I was writing this review he is the brother on Rizzoli & Isles, a show that I watch. Wow. Totally did not but that together. They should make him more like the character he played in this movie. I would watch this movie again while wrapping presents to get in the mood for Christmas. I rarely watch a movie twice. Lighthearted and sweet fare.

Engaging choice for romantic comedy fans, although the plot line is familiar

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 13 September 2013]

Hillary (Bonnie Somerville) is finally looking forward to a Thanksgiving dinner at her demanding mother Meredith's house (Shelley Long). You see, this thirty something, newspaper writer has finally found a great catch named Jason to bring home! Jason is an up and coming attorney, good-looking, and smart; Meredith should be happy. Yet, a couple of days before the occasion, Jason dumps Hillary! He has been offered a promotion in Pittsburgh, away from the East Coast where her family lives, and she has been dragging her feet about a move. Then, too, with Hillary talking about children while Jason is trying to concentrate on torts, the break-up seems inevitable. But, Holy Fiancé, Batman, what will Hill tell Mom? She won't! With a friend's help, Hillary HIRES an actor, David (Jordan Bridges) to play Jason's role, with the promise of airline tickets Hill won in a contest. Naturally, David has to cram to get the details right, for his last job was being a costumed cell phone! Yet, when they make it to Meredith's house, all goes initially well. David/Jason charms Meredith and gets along well with Dad and Hill's sisters (one is Hayley Duff). But, small quirks do burst forth. David and Hill never seem too "kissy kissy", causing some concern, and David makes a few small mistakes in his new role. To complicate things even more, the REAL Jason comes calling on the day of the actual holiday. What a fine mess you've got us into, Hill! This is an engaging romantic comedy that genre fans will like. Yes, its a tried and true plot but its still great fun. Somerville, Bridges and Long make a great trio, while the supporting actors are nice as well. The production also looks good, with nice sets, costumes, and art direction, along with a steady pace of direction. Nuf said, for fans, so if you are on of those, hustle to the place where you grab DVDs.

Predictable, and completely unbelievable

[amber_crutcher · 5/10 · 27 December 2018]

Spoilers: Not as bad as some films I've seen around the holidays, but definitely falls into the predictable, cheesy romantic movie category. My biggest gripe is that in the end of the movie, all I could think about was how these two individuals were going to live, as they both end the film without real jobs of any kind. The film was just too far distanced from the real world.

Decent.

[kristy_b · 6/10 · 9 December 2014]

If you look past the ridiculously stupid concept that only Hollywood could come up with, and past the outrageous-ness of the whole thing, it's not too bad of a movie.

Shelley Long gave a really believable performance as the mother. When an actor is able to make you feel something (even if that feeling is intense irritability and frustration) they've done their job.

The chemistry between Jordan Bridges and Bonnie Somerville is also quite believable. So much so I wish that they were a real couple!

Overall, the plot, though sometimes slow, is very light and fun and even touching in some parts.

Didn't care for it.

[indiacarless-32-441865 · 2/10 · 18 December 2011]

I've been watching all the Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movies that I can this year. I can't believe I sat through the entire two hours of this one.

The beginning showed promise but it went down from there. The story did not work. It just didn't flow. There wasn't a feeling of connection between the characters as they were just stiff. The conclusion was rushed.

I was happy to see Shelley Long and Sam McMurray but sad if this is the only work they can find. Jordan Bridges' character is the only one that is interesting.

There are two similar movies that I would recommend over this one. One is 'Holiday in Handcuffs' with Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez. 'My Fake Fiancé' with Melissa Joan Hart and Joseph (Joey) Lawrence is another.

feel good romance

[kristinala · 9/10 · 10 December 2015]

I'm gonna give this one 9 stars. This is a general feel good romance movie. Some people may find it cheesy. And, OK, so it may be predictable like several reviews have mentioned but if you want a romance movie that leaves your heart feeling lighter and happier at the end, then this is it. I loved this movie. Something about it reminds me of my own relationship with my spouse maybe because sometimes the person you think you are supposed to be with is not the person you would be happiest with. And the somewhat ordinary person causes you to be happier than you would have ever guessed. I was having kind of a lousy day and this movie cheered me up.

I swore I saw a film like this before

[lisafordeay · 6/10 · 11 October 2018]

Holiday Engagement is a made for TV movie starring Bonnie Sonnerville,Shelley Long , Jordan Bridges and Haylie Duff and tells the story of a young woman named Hillary who's fiance Jason dumps her out of the blue and has to hire an actor that saw her ad named David (Bridges)who poses as Jason while meeting Hillary's parents. But with romance blossoming between Hillary and David,will she choose her ex fiance or David.

Overall the film is very predictable but I did enjoy it for a TV Christmas romantic comedy. The chemistry between Jordan and Bonnie was cute. Shelley Long was irritating but she was still good.

If your looking for a nice rom com then check it out or If you loved The Proposal then you'd love this.

Yet another pretend engagement

[Jackbv123 · 5/10 · 7 November 2017]

This story is very predictable and unfortunately not that well done. There are however some good moments.

Who did the lighting? It was horrendous. I don't know how many scenes there were where faces were poorly lit. In at least one, an entire face was difficult to see at all and in several scenes partial faces were badly shadowed. In one scene the youngest sister looked like her lip was bleeding or lipstick badly smudged.

Shelly Long started out horrible. Part of this was intentional, but to me she overplayed it. And she looked bad. She got a little better as the film went on.

There were some attempts at humor, many of which were ridiculous situations like Thanksgiving at the Mexican restaurant. To me most of them were barely funny and some were kind of funny.

***SPOILERS*** Bonnie Somerville and Jordan Bridges did not sell the story that justified Hillary ending up with David. Part of that was the story and that they didn't have enough screen time. David had barely admitted he was over Lindsay, and Hillary had barely decided she hated Jason and the next thing, Hillary and David are professing love for one another.

I loved when Bonnie Somerville sang with Bridges. Bridges wasn't great but Somerville was. And it was romantic.

The final montage at the church and after was nice and also romantic.

Excellent actors; a regular light Hallmark movie.

[Bobislocated · 9/10 · 10 December 2012]

I watch many of the seasonal Hallmark movies. Since they are all pretty predictable, good acting is what I need to make me happy. The actor/actresses in this light movie were excellent. Good casting. I am now a fan of Bonnie Somerville, an really good actress. Actually her acting is so real she doesn't seem to be acting. I would try to watch her in other futures movies. So glad Shelley Long played her role. She looked so much better than in Modern Family. The movie needed some script tweaking but I left feeling good, so I will forgive that. Hey, it is a typical Hallmark movie (with very good actors). When I say typical Hallmark movie I mean: very similar plots; different setting; different actors. :-)

Not your usual Hallmark

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 30 December 2022]

7.4 stars.

I've been watching nothing but Hallmark the past 5 weeks and of all the 130+ Christmas movies I've seen, this one is an anomaly. The formula is the same, but with a different feel. I am of the opinion that the whole production, and process, the very essence of this movie is a couple of deviations from the norm. This is refreshing, enjoyable, and original. I really felt the actors, all of them meshed nicely (even the Duff). The leads are both quite adorable, he's very suave, but likable and down-to-earth and the piano and singing scenes were my favorite. She has a very charismatic feel to her, far above the mainstream Hallmark in my opinion.

My ex-wife and I had that same connection, we were both in choirs growing up. I played the guitar, and a bit of piano, she sang like a bird. It's a magical thing what music can do for a relationship. Alas it did not save my marriage, but it helped us stay best friends for many years, and we collaborated with various bands and musical programs even after our divorce. You see, music is a wonderful gift.

This is quite an endearing movie, despite the various issues with the flow, lighting, and sound, which all seemed intermittently off. The script was well written, the chemistry was good, however the romance was a bit awkward, sometimes convincing, sometimes not.

Predictable. Tried to enjoy it, but that didn't work out.

[angelbaby9331 · 2/10 · 19 December 2014]

I knew how this movie was going to play out after the first line of dialogue. Pretty and perfectly nice woman is dumped by her rich, but good-for-nothing boyfriend and can't admit it to her overbearing mother. So what's a girl to do? Fall in love with her fake boyfriend, obviously.

The movie tried really hard to be good, and I guess it could have been worse. But it was so carefully planned to be so fluffy, that every moment could be called ages before it happened.

The script was just barely above being flat and the actors all gave it a valiant effort. But the message is force-fed and obvious. Twenty minutes in I was ready for it to be over. By the time it was half over, it was just excruciating.

An entertaining holiday movie!!

[loueymc · 6/10 · 15 October 2015]

I enjoyed this movie, pretty much all Actors gave it their best! It didn't feel a full-on festive type Christmas movie though, felt more like it was about the main character and her road to figuring out what she wanted from life. Also, while both of the main cast, Bonnie Somerville and Jordan Bridges did really well in their roles (albeit Bonnie Somerville was a little wooden at times)I never felt a whole lot of chemistry between them...usually in movies like this you can pretty much predict that the two will fall in love throughout and get together in the end...and I don't mind those movies, most live for happy endings! I just didn't feel much chemistry between them at all and I've watched my fair share of chic flick/romcoms, even holiday romance ones, but this....felt more of a comedy type than romance. Was still enjoyable to watch though, so that's why it still gets a 6/10

The script leaves all to be desire

[the-suey · 3/10 · 4 December 2018]

Spoiler alert: The script is both formulaic and problematic. After knowing each other for three days, two under-/unemployed adults have an expected rom-com ending with the gushing support of the protagonist's family and friends. The film ends with a faitytale wedding day but I wonder about the day after: how will they buy food for their cute puppy, and will they finally learn each other's middle names?

Internet Dating and Marriage In Three Days - And They're NOT Dating!

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 6/10 · 22 December 2016]

Okay before I get to the BIG bug bear of this film for me let me say that on the whole, this is a pretty good film with an above average cast and pretty decent direction. There are some good lines in there too so the writing isn't too bad either...

...or is it...

Because here is the major weakness of the whole movie. There will be a couple of spoilers here as examples...

Unable to tell her mother that her fiancé has dumped her Hillary Burns decides to get a "fake" Jason and puts an "add" on the net. She chooses a guy she ran into playing a big red cell phone - great credentials to play a fiancé! While they are there for the three days they become close and she gets carried away with the whole fiancé and wedding thing.

She tells her parents they'll get married at Christmas and they even buy a wedding dress. When her Mum invites the vicar to chat to the couple to arrange the wedding, both Hillary and the Vicar learn the "fake" Jason is Jewish, to which she replies, "he'll convert" and the Vicar says he'll baptise him that weekend.

All through this, though they've had a couple of "moments", the "fake" Jason keeps asking Hillary, "You do know this isn't real?"

This to me says he isn't really committed, but of course this is a love story so they do end up married at Christmas.

It's the speed of this entire situation and its outcome that smacks of ludicrousness and unbelievability. Had this series of events been handled a little more realistically then this film would've been so much better for it.

Very predictable and the worst acting performance!

[jptellezgiron · 3/10 · 10 December 2018]

I thought the movie was going to be just a sunday cheesy movie, but it is not cheesy at all! It's just a bad acting copy paste script movie! It has so many scenes ripped off from blockbusters. Don't waste your time and take 5 more minutes and search for a better option! You can always google Darjeeling Limited!

There'a something

[bheibi_shin · 8/10 · 23 November 2019]

I'm not sure. I cant point it but there's something about this movie that makes me happy. Okay, i had so many choices to watch for the holidays and this wasnt the top. Well, i gave it a try and it didnt disappoint me. Actors were great! Stroryline- light, straight and happy. Not the best but still worth watching.

Good concept but horrid writing

[lydia_ravenswood · 1 December 2013]

When I heard the concept it I remembered me of a blockbuster film that came out several years before this one that did very well...but this one, with the weird set up, the overly judgmental mother and lack luster acting...

This is becoming a staple of Hallmark films the past 5 years or so. For every good film there's like 10 bad ones, and this one was bad.

In the end it wasn't even worth using as background noise because every time I would hope the scene I wanted was gonna get better...it got worse. Only ONE good scene in the whole film, took near the end of the film... wasn't worth it.

Somewhat different plot around Thanksgiving

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 18 December 2017]

Late in the year, Hollywood and the major TV networks begin cranking out movies for the holiday season. But well before the end of the last century, all the Christmas plots imaginable had been done. Some real Christmas movies - but not very many, have been made since the late 20th century. They have themes of charity, giving, family reunions, love, reconciliations, and yes, sometimes romance. But by and large, the output that is labeled Christmas or holiday films in the 21st century is no more than comedy-romance or even drama that happens around the holidays.

Such is this 2011 Hallmark channel film, "Holiday Engagement." It takes place around Thanksgiving and that makes it a holiday film. Just about every imaginable plot has been made into one of these films, which makes them commonplace. So, the only thing that sets one off usually is the characters as played by the cast.

This film has some fine, better than normal performances by three of the cast. But it also has just enough of a different twist in the plot to hold one's interest. The lead, Hillary Burns (played by Bonnie Somerville) gets dumped by her fiancé just before going home for Thanksgiving. She hires an actor to play his part, rather than disappoint her mother. There's much more at play here in the family, and this is far out. But the leading cast make it work as a gentle comedy romance and mild family drama.

Hillary's role is OK - her crying and sad scenes with her mother and before that are not very realistic. The six stars for this film are due mostly to her parents, with some extra credit for her hired fiancé. Shelley Long is very good as Hillary's mother, Meredith Burns; and Sam McMurray is very good as her father, Roy Burns. Finally, Jordan Bridges is very good as David, the actor whom she hires to stand in as her fiancé. He is the son of Beau Bridges and grandson of Lloyd Bridges.

Of course, everyone knows where this story will go right away. As with all such the films, the fun (or lack thereof) is in the details of how the story gets to the end. This one is watchable but not special to run out and buy.

The funniest line in the movie happens after Roy's effort to deep fat fry the turkey fails. The outdoor cooker he has rigged ejects the turkey. So, the family heads for a Mexican restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. Meredith hands her water glass to the waiter and says, "Oh, um, I asked for seltzer. This looks like tap water with cheese floating in it."

Mother is too annoying and cliched

[neilfitzgeraldsholing · 4/10 · 16 December 2019]

I'm currently watching this and really wanted it to work but the mother is simply dreadful. I can't watch a scene with her in it. She is every cliche in the book and I feel for the actress who has to use such a poorly developed character. This film has potential but goodness me but the mother ruin it all.

A Delightful Christmas Movie

[tabuno · 8/10 · 8 January 2019]

19 November 2017. Somehow Holiday Engagement manages to avoid the blatant stereotypical, over the top performances of the typical romance comedies. Instead, the script allows the actors to make dumb fools of themselves in a more authentic way, putting themselves in situations that oftentimes, real people can laugh at afterwards. Like Sandra Bullock in The Proposal (2009), the dialogue is witty and intelligent, the storyline is consistent and thoughtfully believable. This a funny and enjoyable movie experience that is a notch above most Christmas romance comedies.

Not the worst

[etruxell · 5/10 · 26 November 2017]

This is definitely not one of the worst cheesy Christmas movies I've seen, nor the best. The characters start out weak, but I think as the movie goes on the characters get better. The two leads, Hillary and David grow to have very nice chemistry. There are a few cute scenes with the two of them. Some of the supportive characters are pretty bad and annoying. What really bugged me throughout the movie was the lighting. Everyone's faves are tinted green. At times I wondered if someone got punched in the face or maybe had terrible concealer on. All in all it wasn't the worst.

Painful

[sunil-vishal · 1/10 · 6 December 2018]

I actually created an account just to say this: Save yourself from the physical pain you'll experience after siting through this movie!

This is Aweful

[desireeyates · 13 November 2019]

This was so painful and aweful to watch.

The premise was good. But the main actress, she is terrible, and that raspy smoker voice.. gag. Bonnie Somerville just can't act The mom's acting, was so overly comical and terrible. I couldn't decide which was worse. The whole rich parents, so tiresome. We need more Holiday movies with REAL people. This is so much "rich people problems" it's irritating.