Review

"Made for Each Other: A Hallmark Movie That Hallmark Might Sue For Being Too Hallmark-y"

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a Hallmark holiday movie had a baby with another Hallmark holiday movie, and then that baby grew up and decided to make its own Hallmark holiday movie, Made for Each Other (2023) is here to answer that question. Spoiler alert: it’s exactly what you’d expect, but with more snowflakes and fewer surprises.

The plot is as predictable as your aunt’s annual Christmas fruitcake. Girl (played by the perpetually cheerful Emma Lovely) moves to a small town to escape her big-city heartbreak. Boy (handsome lumberjack-turned-baker Jake McChiseled) is inexplicably single despite looking like he was carved out of a romance novel. They meet, they bicker, they bond over hot cocoa, and—shocker—they fall in love. Oh, and there’s a quirky best friend who runs the town’s only Christmas ornament shop because, of course, there is.

The movie is so committed to the Hallmark formula that it feels like it was written by an AI trained on a decade’s worth of Hallmark movies. There’s a snowball fight, a montage of decorating a tree, and a scene where the leads almost kiss but are interrupted by a conveniently timed phone call. The only thing missing is a wise old man who dispenses life advice while whittling wooden reindeer.

But here’s the twist: Made for Each Other knows it’s a Hallmark movie, and it leans into it harder than a toddler leaning into a plate of cookies. The dialogue is so cheesy it could be served at a fondue party, and the town is so quaint it makes Stars Hollow look like Times Square. At one point, Emma Lovely’s character literally says, “I didn’t come here looking for love, but I guess love found me anyway.” Cue the collective groan from anyone who’s ever seen a Hallmark holiday movie.

The movie’s saving grace is its self-awareness. There’s a scene where Jake McChiseled’s character jokes, “This feels like one of those Hallmark movies where everything works out perfectly in the end.” To which Emma Lovely replies, “Don’t be ridiculous. Those movies are way more unrealistic.” It’s moments like these that make you wonder if the filmmakers were winking at the audience or just accidentally stumbled into brilliance.

In the end, Made for Each Other is exactly what it promises to be: a cozy, predictable, and slightly ridiculous love story that’s perfect for curling up on the couch with a blanket and a mug of eggnog. It won’t win any Oscars, but it might win a spot in your annual holiday movie rotation—right between A Christmas Prince and The Christmas Card. Just don’t expect any plot twists, unless you count the part where the dog steals a gingerbread cookie. Classic Hallmark.