By expressing their opinions, students and teachers aim to settle the sometimes controversial dispute over whether or not holiday Hallmark movies are an essential part of the holiday season.
The Hallmark channel has become known for its collection of romantic comedies, specifically holiday related rom-coms. The channel’s movies are famous for their cheesy dialogue, overuse of similar story lines and romantic tropes.
These are just some of the reasons why juniors Clinton Radcliff and Hunter Haight dislike Hallmark movies.
“Hallmark movies are cliché because they all have the same plot and overall [it’s] just disgusting how unrealistic they are,” Radcliff said.
Haight felt similarly, saying that the movies are “dumb” and repetitive. “Everything’s the same in every single movie,” Haight said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
On the flip side, there are others who love holiday Hallmark movies and everything about them.
“They are gold,” RedAlert adviser Brian Ruth said. “They are so good because they are so bad, you can’t look away.”
According to junior Sarah Thomas, she likes watching Hallmark movies, especially during the holiday season.
“Hallmark movies are cheesy, it’s true,” Thomas said. “But, they know what they are and they embrace it.”
While some people have strong feelings about Hallmark movies, many people share a more neutral view on these holiday movies.
Sophomore Shannon Stover feels that they are a nice time filler when she has nothing better to do.
“Hallmark movies are entertaining to watch when you don’t have anything else to watch at Christmas time,” Stover said.
Similarly, Spanish teacher Rebecca Beemer thinks that they are good when you want to watch something predictable.
“Hallmark movies are the perfect thing to do when you want to do absolutely nothing,” Beemer said. “You know exactly how it’s going to turn out.”
According to sophomore Jacob Snyder, they are “just okay.” At the end of the day he feels that “movies are movies.”
While the repeated storylines might be a point of disdain for some, others watch the movies for that reason specifically.
“We could definitely do without them,” freshman Caetlyn Stover said, “but it’s just fun to make fun of tropes in Hallmark movies.”
For librarian Thomas Moll, he became familiar with them because of his 84-year-old mother.
Although he has found them to be a bit “formulaic,” he likes that they are a “nice escape” from the news or other more serious shows.
“They are always very upbeat, they always have a happy ending,” Moll said.