Holiday Hotline (2023 TV Movie) User Reviews

Worst British Accent Ever.

[Racingphan2 · 8/10 · 20 November 2023]

Literally, Emily Tennant's attempt at an English accent is the worst you will ever hear. Remember Lindsay Lohan's in the Parent Trap? Worse than that.

Luckily, Emily is super cute, and has a great sense of humor. I'd watch her use any kind of horrible accent.

Niall Mater does his usual great job of portraying a widowed father. (How many TV wives has he lost on Hallmark movies? I'd have to guess a dozen.) Of course, he has an awesome comedic touch, and tremendous chemistry with Emily.

I'd say this is for sure one of the ten best Hallmark Christmas movies this season. Now I'm switching over to GAC to see what they have.

Too Much Turkey Jive..

[rgilkison-61237 · 6/10 · 22 November 2023]

A light-hearted, creative movie, and funny at times, "Holiday Hotline" delves too long into "Turkey Chat", and humorous poultry puns revolving around the holiday bird. This tone doesn't allow you to take this romantic premise, seriously. The story's somewhat a farce and the jester (well -played) is "Peggy's" boss at the call center, Roger, a Steve Buscemi (Armageddon, Boardwalk Empire) mimic. After the humor was established, it felt like the story (if it's meant to be a romance) was stretched thin (how many turkey-tragedies can you laugh at?). "Peggy" and "Jack's (our primary couple's incognito names) calls were more co-counseling, than dating, so we get to know "Abby's" and "John's" backgrounds, well. Unfortunately, the director didn't succinctly crossover to Abby and John and delved more into the silliness of turkey tragedies, and even a "hotline awards ceremony". You're left getting anxious for the reveal, but their story should have reached (not dragged) a crescendo, well before the pen-ultimate scene . Instead, we have short heart-felt apologies, and an uncertain relationship (John & Abby v. Peggy & Jack) J, not one that has been duly-established (and time was up). Definitely, okay to watch (and enjoy) this once, but you won't find it memorable, or humorous, enough, for a repeat view in the future.

I don't know how, but they pulled this off

[mbiv777 · 8/10 · 20 November 2023]

If you had read me the script before I watched this movie, I'd have made a hefty bet it would be a disaster. There's probably quite a few who think it was. But I thought they made it work.

You can't tell the players without a scorecard as people are using interchangeable names and accents and somehow two people become two couples.

Emily Tennant is a tiny, little ball of gorgeousness who plays a British chef treated shamefully by her boyfriend/boss, so she comes to Chicago for Christmas. She somehow winds up working at a turkey cooking helpline.

Niall Matter is an architect in Chicago who wants to make a Christmas turkey for his daughter. It all gets very convoluted from there.

Erik Athavale was really funny in Santa Summit, and is very good here too.

Myla Volk as the daughter is a child actor new to me. She's going to be gorgeous in ten years, and does a nice job as well.

I can only say this is the kind of movie some love and some hate.

I gave it an 8.

The formula worked!

[rdubz-23518 · 6/10 · 21 December 2023]

While the idea of a holiday turkey hotline is sort of silly, the evergreen rehashing of The Shop Around The Corner/You've Got Mail as a trope in many ways never gets old. While this isn't on par with those films naturally, I think this was pretty well done! Niall Matter sure loves to play widowed single dads, lol, and this was another good performance from him.

I'm not British, but when I Googled the actress that played Abby and found out she was Canadian, I wasn't surprised. At times the accent slipped, but it wasn't too shabby.

The most unique aspect of this film was the juxtaposition of the calls. Seeing Abby and Jack fall in love over the phone while visually it looking like they're in the same room was very clever! I liked it.

I think the quirky side characters really enhanced the storyline overall. Nobody felt like they were overdoing it, which can sometimes happen in these types of movies. Since we can't input half-star ratings, I'm going with 6.5 overall. Good job Hallmark!

Let's talk Turkey!

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 21 November 2023]

There was so much humor in this tale of holiday romance...along with some pretty terrible turkey disasters. The film spans Thanksgiving and Christmas, which was nice because I am not sure I remember a thanksgiving film on hallmark. It stars Niall Matter as a widower and single dad named Jack. He is trying to make the holidays special again for his daughter...and not being a cook, he reaches out to the professionals via the turkey hotline.

This is how he starts talking to the helpful "Peggy". In real life he has an awkward first meeting with British Abby, who is on the run from a bad breakup back home in England. These two eventually smooth things over, to the delight of Jack's daughter Jessica.

The best part is all the turkey humor and the cooking catastrophes. I recommend this to anyone looking for more of a thanksgiving story especially those who like humor in their holiday romance.

" I thought this hotline was about Turkey, not chicken."

Creative and fun

[cincy-47983 · 9/10 · 21 November 2023]

Okay, there were a few standard Hallmarkish plot elements but overall this was a lot of fun. Very creative staging with the hot line girl (Emily Tennant) interacting with Niall Matter and other callers. In some ways it felt like watching a stage play. Creative dialogue from all characters. Yes, toward the end, some of the normal Hallmark components found their way in, and the ending wasn't really brought to a firm conclusion (although a fair ending was implied) but overall it worked well. One great character, in addition to the two leads, was Erik Athavale who played. Emily Tennats boss, his interactions and delivery added more fun. Well done and this added some fun to the season.

Very clever

[Jackbv123 · 10/10 · 20 November 2023]

This movie is clever in a number of ways. Some of the banter is delivered in a clever way and the visually transposing Peggy next to Jack while on the phone is a clever way to erase the distance.

The premise is a cleverly disguised You've Got Mail. Abby/Peggy and Jack spend time together live and communicate via the impersonal telephone hotline which masks Abby's true identity. On the phone, they share their personal lives while they get to know each other on a more impersonal level during their time together physically. Eventually Jack and Peggy face revealing their true identities and later meeting in person. Like other movies with this premise that doesn't go as planned.

Other "disguise" elements to make the story different from the original include Peggy changing her accent from British to American while on the phone which further hides her hotline identity from Jack. I already mentioned the visual side by side presentation while on the hotline. And there is Jack's daughter. Meanwhile Jack disguises his identity on the hotline by using his given name, John. (I happen to be a John who goes by Jack.)

There is a great scene in the second half of the movie that revolves around the idea of Peggy and John being visually together though still on the hotline call. And later the line "You're asking if the guy who asked you to his house is ... ghosting you?"

All of this is decoration. One of the big draws for me in this movie is Emily Tennant. I have enjoyed her several times in Hallmark movies. I love her personality (really). She and Nial Matter have good chemistry despite her British accent which was one turnoff to me of the whole movie.

Nice casting and acting, dumb plot points

[VetteRanger · 2/10 · 5 December 2023]

While I liked a lot of things about this movie, the plotting was lazy and in some cases .... dumb.

First we have a depressed woman who just dumped her lying, cheating boyfriend and quit her job. She's depressed. So her parents' best idea is to send her a quarter of the way around the world, alone, to a place she has no connection with, to stay in the empty apartment of a friend ... where she knows no one?

It doesn't get more contrived and dumb than that.

Then Niall Matter, who we really like, has a melt down when a door knob falls off? Strike two.

Then she's absolutely forced to take a job at a turkey hot line? Strike three.

Then Matter calls the hot line and just happens to get her? Do you get four strikes?

Don't get me wrong, there are some nice things about the movie, but PLEASE, writers, use your brains next time.

Love the manager

[hallmarkmov · 10/10 · 23 November 2023]

This movie was such a surprise! The ads really did not do it Justice which probably made the movie even better. It was debuted on a Sunday as if it would be one of the terrible movies this year but it might be the best one so far! I was pleasantly surprised by how refreshing the story was, new storyline, well written plot, and great characters. I wasn't sure about the fake accents but it was really good as part of the story. The manager was so awesome. He had a very small part in Santa summit so I'm glad he was given more lines in this one. I've rewatched it three times now and still find it much better than most of the new movies this year. Highly recommend this one!

New stories, same tired annoying tropes

[mamachikn · 5/10 · 23 November 2023]

This started out interesting. I didn't mind Emily's accent at all, I thought it was fine, and my mother was English. There are lots of Americans who are apparently experts on British accents, even accusing Brits of fake accents.

I didn't care for the physical side by side choreographed phone conversations. They were distracting to me as I watched them move back and forth in perfect synchronization.

I told my husband that it was going to be the same old same old "You lied to me, I cannot trust you" trope. He said no, it wouldn't be like that.

I was correct. It's the most annoying trope in Hallmark's arsenal.

A nice story with a blow up anger, walk away scene.

As I recall, that didn't happen in the classic movies from which these scripts copy. It's just Hallmark's standard endings. Ugh!

It's absolutely ridiculous that a guy would be offended because the 2 women he was falling in love with were the same person. He would be glad.

And to blame someone when there was no attempt to deceive. If it's coincidence, it's not deception..

Just to add an opposite view to the other hurrahs here. I would have possibly given this a 7 if it stayed pleasant and romantic. All the drama is just not necessary. The acting and characters were fine.

A classic in the making.

[tncunningham · 10/10 · 20 November 2023]

Just when you there were no more ways to remake "The Shop Around the Corner"... Hallmark has done it again. The plot may be formula, but the chemistry between these characters (and the actors) is inescapable.

While there is no actual conflict between them, the parallel relationships blooming at different rates keeps the story engaging and makes the commercial breaks seem too long.

Okay, the hidden relationship seems almost contrived, but with a hint of "meant-to-be" for seasoning. And the bad (dad) jokes sprinkled in add just the right garnish.

Overall, it's another in a long line of romances based on vague deceptions, which is bound to have the obligatory verbal sparring, but I'm sure it will all turn out fine, with the expected kiss in the last two minutes.

Oh, and of course there's the cute, spunky daughter to add the right amount of zest, and bake in the ready-made family.

(Note, I'm still about half way in, but I'm confident that my option is justified.) And sorry for the weak culinary humor, I couldn't resist.

Great twist on a telephone relationship

[jpyshny · 8/10 · 15 December 2023]

A London sous chef in a relationship with the restaurant's owner discovers not only does he not give her credit for her work, but he's cheating on her. She escapes to Chicago where she stays in her aunt's apartment which is vacant for several weeks. She allows herself to get talked into working the holiday hotline, a how to cook a turkey 800 number.

Movie mistake shows Chicago international Airport, rather than calling it by its name, O'Hare. Daisy dairy products must have paid for half the movie because their products are put in front of the viewers numerous times.

The Director uses a very unique and different technique in the movie. When two people are on the phone in different locations they are placed next to each other on the screen but not a split screen. I found it very engaging.

Abbie is from London but for the holiday hot line she uses an American accent, and uses the name Peggy. Jack doesn't want to be known as Jack on the turkey hotline so he uses a derivative of Jack, John. Needless to say, John and Peggy really connect over the telephone, but, Jack and Abbie connect in person.

How will the script writer write their way out of this situation and end it with a happy hallmark ending? You'll need to watch the movie. No spoilers here.

This one is worth your time!!

Horrendously Bad

[ajd-31256 · 1/10 · 24 December 2023]

It's difficult for me to even call this a movie because it is missing some of the key components, chiefly a plot. Sure, we have main characters, they do things that don't make any sense, we have some manufactured conflict, and one of the worst fake british accents i've ever heard.

The two main characters develop alter egos of sorts and fall in loev with each other while the british lady is working at a call center for helping people cook turkeys??? Only this apparently causes them both some anxiety after british lady figures out who jack "john" really is (How she didn't recognize him by voice alone is just silly). For some reason, the guy, after she confesses to being peggy, is really hurt by this and is like omg i cant believe this and then theyre all happy again.

The plot was just nonsensically bad. None of the actions the characters took make any sense in any context outside of a hallmark movie. None of this would ever happen, it makes no sense, and it's just, so, very bad.

A Must see

[karenmcvey · 10/10 · 2 December 2023]

Loved this movie! The storyline was different, fun, entertaining and Loved the silly Turkey stories as I know how real they are ..... but still makes my laugh..... of course the actors were a perfect choice the lead male is one of my favorites in everything he plays in. Well done and loved how the phone scenes were played out .....this could be played on Broadway .. both my husband and I enjoyed it ... love seeing the hallmark Christmas movies this year they have different, emotional, storylines that touch the heart ..some are too silly for words but this one is a definite keeper Well done Hallmark.

Shameless ads in the movie

[cynth_slayton · 1/10 · 13 December 2023]

Twice (before I turned the movie off) the camera zoomed in on a brand name product. Nothing irks me more than sneaking in a 'commercial' in between commercials. That's just greedy. Ruined the movie for me. Aside from that the movie was typical Hallmark - live Christmas tree shopping, hot cocoa, and of course the mismatched love interests. It is still a feel good Christmas movie if it were not for the annoying product placement. I hope this is not a trend that Hallmark movies pursues. They already put FIVE AND 1/2 minutes of commercials between movie breaks, which seems already excessive to me.

Turkey Hotline

[therusticapothecary · 10/10 · 29 December 2023]

This is one of our favorite new Hallmark movies. It's definitely a rewatch. How they filmed the phone conversation scenes was neat and unique. The leads had great chemistry, and his daughter was hilarious. Though the location wasn't filmed in Chicago, it definitely felt like it was. The apartment building was beautiful.

The banter between the characters was awesome. Her ex-boyfriend was a piece of work, and I'm happy she kicked him to the curb. We thoroughly enjoyed the concept. Her British accent wasn't that horrible; I've heard worse in other Hallmark movies. Niall's characters are usually combative, so it was nice to see him in a more likable role.

The Shop Around the Corner, with a Dollop of Daisy

[mapleleaves · 10/10 · 28 December 2023]

This was a fun movie - not just for the Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail storyline, but the satire on Thanksgiving cooking. I strongly suspect all the disasters that people called in about have actually happened at some point.

I'll grumble about the details - the sign at O'Hare doesn't just say "Chicago International Airport" and extravagant custom hardware like Abby's doorknob are more inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright than Daniel Burnham. And whenever someone talked about cottage cheese, the container of Daisy brand was taken out and placed squarely in front of the camera (almost poking fun at the obviously paid for product placement)

Great film, enjoyed watching! Will watch it again next time it's on.

Slight twist on a common theme

[MickyG333 · 9/10 · 8 December 2023]

9.0 stars.

Two people start a romantic relationship over the telephone. She is a holiday hotline expert who provides cooking advice, he is a floundering dad who lost his wife a few years ago and needs all the help he can get.

The twist is that before they meet on the phone, they have already met in person. We've seen this specific situation in other Hallmark films. The two have already met face to face and have begun a tenuous relationship. But, in contrast to this shaky personal relationship, the telephone meet-cute is immediate and romantic feelings intensify. Eventually the twain shall meet. Will this mutual realization positively ignite the partnership, or is their bond too fragile to survive the encounter?

I enjoy this type of romantic juggling act, because it's a constant source of anticipation, culminating when they perceive what's happening. Sometimes one person discovers the secret first and resorts to additional subterfuge for a time, escalating the expectation.

'Holiday Hotline' gradually builds up what I can only describe as the perfect conclusion. We the audience are captivated by his vulnerability and equally by her receptiveness and contrition. Thankfully each and every one of the supporting cast members contributes to an enriching and magical experience you won't soon forget. One of my all-time favorite Hallmarks.

Cheerful Christmas movie!

[lucylouise-23546 · 10/10 · 31 December 2023]

"Holiday Hotline" is a wonderful and cheerful Christmas movie! Abby is a chef in London who, after a breakup with her boyfriend, goes to Chicago at her parents' suggestion. Abby stays at her Aunt Doreen's former apartment in Chicago. Abby stops cooking, but gets a job at Holiday Hotline, which is where people call in to get help cooking turkeys. I've never heard of a Holiday Hotline before, but it is a cute idea. The boss at Holiday Hotline, Roger, is hilarious!

John calls Holiday Hotline to get help cooking turkey, and talks to Abby, who decides to call herself Peggy. They get along well, not knowing that they already met, kind of like "The Shop Around the Corner" or "You've Got Mail." All in all, a cute movie. I will definitely watch it again next year.