This Time Each Year (2024 Hallmark Channel)
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Cast: Alison Sweeney, Niall Matter
Director: Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe
Writer(s): TBA
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Lauren (Sweeney) and Kevin (Matter) were once deeply in love but nearly a year after their separation, they now focus on co-parenting their young son Charlie (Ezra Wilson). Despite the split, Kevin is determined to make their family whole again. Before Lauren’s mother (Laura Soltis) visits during the holidays, Lauren asks Kevin to pretend they’re still happily married and living under one roof. The act quickly feels more real, stirring up old memories and feelings. As Lauren sees the man she once fell in love with in a new light, perhaps the magic of Christmas will rekindle their romance and spark renewed hope for their future.
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Recap/Wine Thoughts
The movie flashes through Christmas card photo shoots. It starts with a newly engaged young couple, Kevin and Lauren. Then it moves to 40-something unhappily married parents of a little boy, Kevin. They have recently started a trial separation. It is the first holiday season trying to figure out how things will work.
Kevin works at an alehouse even though he is on the wagon. His boss fires him because he is an alcoholic. The boss says the job is just a high-temptation dead end. He is nervous to tell Lauren about the financial blow. Lauren is fixing her fixer-upper/money pit, which she purchased as a mid-life crisis project. (I suggest moving to Italy, like Under the Tuscan Sun!)
Kevin’s family isn’t taking the separation too seriously and pressures Kevin and Lauren to go to couples therapy. His brother, Bart, is hilarious with his sibling hijinks. Kevin has moved into his old childhood bedroom, which also serves as a Christmas wrapping room.
At a family dinner, Kimmy is, a family friend from church, and a real estate agent shows up. She offers to take a look at Lauren’s bad home investment. Kevin’s mom slips about the job loss, and Lauren is pissed. Lauren has been keeping secrets, too; she hasn’t told her mother, Grandma Janet, about the trial separation. Lauren has to keep up appearances of her mother’s judgmental/high-maintenance ways.
Kevin agrees to pretend to be a happy family. Lauren must promise to return to the couple’s therapy. They also need to keep the tradition of a Christmas date.
When she arrives, Grandma Janet finds it strange that the Christmas lights aren’t up. It’s like Kevin hasn’t been living there. Kevin and Lauren put on the whole show, and he is loving and handsome. Lauren almost forgets about their past troubles. They go to therapy, and Lauren shares how her mother’s judgment affected her growing up as a “Little miss mess.”
Kimmy sets up a showing of Lauren’s dream home, which is more of a project. She suggests staging the house for sale. They kind of pressure Lauren to sell; even though she loves the home, she can’t afford to fix it up.
The Christmas cruise turns out to be fake, and Grandma Janet burgundy stays for the holidays. This means that Kevin and Lauren have to pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances.
Cute Movie Moment: Lauren and Kevin get wrapped up in Christmas lights and almost kiss.
The good vibes don’t last long. Lauren catches Kevin in a lie. She thinks he has fallen off the wagon. Then, Lauren has an outburst and admits everything to her mother. Grandma Janet wants an explanation, and Lauren realizes she is embarrassed and everything has fallen apart. She begs her mother to stay and support her and apologizes for keeping secrets.
A gingerbread house contest brings the conversation back to selling the house. The least exciting part of this movie. (Well, I guess Kevin gets jealous of Jason, Kimmy’s real estate partner. Eyeroll!)
Lauren and Kevin have therapy sessions and discuss the potential of dating others. The therapist does a good of navigating the conversation without flat-out telling them what to do.
Kevin’s dad has a heart attack, and he decides that it is time for him to have a heart-to-heart. Kevin promises to help more with the family business to keep the stress off his dad. Kevin also gets his license back! (We really just breezed over how bad this drunk driving incident must have been to have his license revoked.)
Kevin sets up a projector in the dilapidated home. He plays Lauren’s favorite Christmas movie and decorates the empty house for Christmas. They laugh and eat, take out of the containers, and slow dance to the credits. It is swoon-worthy. Kevin and Lauren agree that they should have made more moments like this over the years for one another. Even though thy can’t go back, there is a way forward.
UNTIL Lauren’s mother’s angel breaks. Lauren is devastated because she will always be seen as a little miss messy daughter. Kevin also misunderstands Lauren and thinks she is dating other guys.
Grandma Janet comes through with the Kintsugi!!!!! She fixes the angel and maybe Lauren and Kevin’s relationship?
Lauren rushes to find Kevin on Christmas Eve. She ends up crying alone in a church as a choir sings. Kevin is off being a sober driver for his brother, and they drop him off at the house. The for sale sign is gone. Lauren is going to keep the house. She hopes Kevin will come home for Christmas. They make out as the family cheers them on. (The weirdest thing, everytime!)
Christmas morning, the family takes a big family photo for this years Christmas card! The End.
Note/Stray Thoughts
This is Allison Sweeney’s 30th Hallmark Movie.
I wish this movie was called “Little Miss Mess.”
Precocious child alert!
My girl, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe directed! Love her.
Overall rating
Put a Cork in It
Christmas Feels
🎄🎄 (2 Christmas Trees)
Enjoyment Level: 🍷🍷 (2 glasses of wine.)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media @LifetimeUncorked
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*Photo Credit: © 2024 Hallmark
