This is a bramble Jam podcast.

Welcome to Girls Gone Hallmark, a Hallmark review podcast.

I'm Megan and I'm a longtime Hallmark fan.

I'm Wendy.

I'm a former Hallmark hater.

Our reviews from Mary Thanksgiving.

Wee can continue with our review of The More the Merrier, which originally aired on Friday, November twenty eighth and is currently available to stream on Hallmark Plus.

Hey keep up with us on Instagram.

We are Girls Gone Hallmark.

We also have a Facebook group.

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We're Girls Gone Hamewark everywhere.

Come find us.

Tis the season for holiday gifts, so check out our website both for our recent gift guides as well as our new March drops.

You can view the March Drops via the shop tab at the apple of our website and see what we got going on over there, Girls Gone Hallmark dot com.

I have a question for you.

Yeah, before we jump in, I have a question for you.

Do you think Mary Thanksgiving Weekend has too many premiers?

Maybe?

Well, I don't think I'm the person to answer this question.

Why, Because for you and I, this many premiers means that we don't really enjoy them.

There's so many of them.

It's like we got to turn them out and turn these reviews around.

Right, But it's not a I'm home with my family and this is an excuse to just spend the weekend on the couch getting into the holiday spirit and watching movies, right right, I feel that, you know, you want to hear a real about face for Wendy here I do.

I was making the bed.

Okay spoiler alert, we got screeners of some of these movies, so we got to watch some of them before they aired.

Yeah, and I was making a bed and I had this like feeling overcome, and I was like, I get to watch the more, the merrier.

This is probably one of those movies I have been looking forward to since it's been announced.

So I, you know, I'm like, what is happening to me?

Like I have now reached the Hallmark level of the game where I'm just throwing on the Hallmark channel in the background now because it's so comforting.

I know you guys turned me well.

I wonder wasn't there a time a couple of years ago where they dropped movies all week long, like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday instead of doing just a Thursday through Sunday draw.

I don't know.

I don't remember.

I kind of think there was, but I could have been misremembering that.

I don't know.

I'm curious when the viewers.

Do you like the two drops Friday, Saturday, Sunday?

Do you like a Thanksgiving night drop?

I know that's a tough placement.

I think I think so too, especially with like football on, and I think there's basketball on in the evening too, and people you know, doing their holiday stuff late into Thanksgiving Day, you know, well, yeah, and the trip to fan effect of the turkey.

Everyone's falling asleep early.

But that sounds so heavenly, just to be like, I'm full on pumpkin pie and now I'm gonna lay on my couch and watch Hallmark.

It does.

It does sound heavenly.

Ah, so good.

All right, Let's let's get back to our movie review.

Let's start with a synopsis of The More the Merrier.

Alice, an emergency room doctor, volunteers for Christmas Eve duty at a rural hospital.

Rural.

Yeah, it's not in the middle of a field, small town, small community hospital amid a snowy Holidayuh she and Brian, a top rated cardiologist, find themselves delivering multiple babies, an experience that sparks an unexpected and lasting bond.

The More the Merrier is directed by Peter Benson.

It's his twenty fifth directing project and his third film in this year's Countdown to Christmas lineup.

Peter also appears on screen as Jim did you have your Peter Benson moment when he just you wait?

Okay Uh.

The story is by Carolyn Fara know and mostly for her work in animated television.

This is her first Hallmark story.

The teleplay is by Zach Hugg, marking his twentieth writing credit.

His Hallmark work includes the Five Year Christmas Party, Ghosts of Christmas Always, and both sister swap movies Ghost of Christmas Always Listen.

I don't think we reviewed that movie?

Yeah we did?

Are you sure?

Am I sure?

No?

Do I think we did?

Yeah?

Did we not?

That was the couple years where we didn't do every single movie, And I know, like The Holiday Sitter is one we didn't do, Christmas House is one we didn't do, and I feel like Ghost of Christmas Always was one we didn't do.

But I think I think you're right, do we need to go back and do that?

We also need to do The Christmas House and The Holiday Sitter.

By the way, I can't believe we didn't do those.

We didn't do the Holiday Sitter.

No, that blows my mind.

I know, because I swear we've talked about that movie so many times.

We did a TikTok for it.

We did a TikTok in Denver.

Remember we were in Denver about the Holiday Sitter?

Yeah?

Really?

Yeah?

Should we go back and do those movies at some point?

Maybe?

I think we should in a quiet period through the year when we're looking for a fan favorite or whatever.

You put it on the list, Put it on the list.

Rachel Boston stars as doctor Alice Rogers.

This is her sixty eighth acting credit.

Hallmark Fans last saw her opposite Andrew Walker and Adventures and Love and Birding.

Brendan Penny plays doctor Brian Davis.

This is his sixty fourth acting credit.

He recently appeared in Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper and as Gabriel in Providence Falls.

Luccia Walters appears as Catherine.

She has one hundred and twenty five acting credits, including Virgin River for Hallmarks.

She's been in Notes of Autumn and Autumn in the City.

Adela Desani plays Monica.

She's previously appeared in Love and Jane, A Picture of Her and My Christmas Family Tree.

A J.

Kosa Nick plays Charlie Jones.

This marks his second acting credit in his first for Homework.

Carmel Amat plays Elena Jones.

Viewers last saw her as Brina in Adventures in Love and Birding.

She's also been in The Santa Clas and Field Day.

Carrie Feehan plays Max.

This is his thirty six acting credit for Hallmark.

He's appeared in The Five Year Christmas Party and The Nine Kittens of Christmas.

Iris Quinn appears as Ruthe.

She has an extensive Hallmark history, including The Wish Swap, Campfire Christmas, and Open By Christmas.

Campfire Christmas is another one we never reviewed.

Shut up, we didn't do Campfire Christmas.

No, that was a Chris forban.

We didn't do Campfire Christmas.

Are you sure?

That's pretty sure?

Like I have memories?

Yes, we did.

I'm looking at it right now.

I've never watched that movie.

We have a review.

Okay, maybe I did.

I'm looking at the at the audio but right now, thirty minutes and eleven seconds from what year from when we were long story short, but yes, we did do a campfire Christmas.

Donna Benedetto plays Samantha.

With sixty nine acting credits.

She's been on Hallmark in The Professional Bridesmaid and Sweet Carolina.

Marley Collins plays doctor Natalie Spencer.

This is her thirty fourth acting credit.

She last appeared for Hallmark in the Real west Side.

Note Marlee Collins needs more roles on Hallmark.

She's freaking hilarious.

Great.

Cardi Wong plays Rich Hallmark fans will recognize him from The Chicken Sisters, where he played Jen Or Again.

I can't remember.

I didn't watch season two.

He was only in one episode of season two?

Am I right?

You are right?

Did they call him Jen or Again?

No, idea, you can't remember.

No, he was a doctor.

He was a doctor on The Chicken Scissors and he's a nurse in this one and almost got blown away in a tornado in two of The Chicken Sisters.

Kai Holme plays Zoe.

This is her sixth acting credit and her Hallmark debut.

DeMar Hamlin appears as himself.

Let's take a quick break and come right back with our first impressions.

Hey, Wendy, what is your first impression of the More the Merrier?

Tell me this wasn't originally pitched for the Miracles of Christmas banner.

Oh ooh interesting, what's your first impression?

My first impression is so predictable.

I never miss a chance to shout Peter Benson when he shows up in one of the movies he's directing.

There it is, there, it is.

I love it, No for real, And I gotta tell you, I was moved by his little FaceTime really too.

I love you, I love I'll see you soon.

And I was like, oh my god, I know it was really sweet.

I thought that was a really it's in my likes.

I thought it was a really nice use of you know, he always does these cameos and the movies he's direct.

I'm like, that was perfect.

I loved that because you're always waiting for that moment, like, where's he gonna be, where's Welda, where's Peter Boom?

There he is FaceTime and then he pops in at the end.

Great, let's talk about our likes.

Oh my gosh.

In the scene where Alice arrives at the hospital where Alice and Brian meet for the first time in the parking lot and he helps her and she kind of stumbles into his arms and she looks at him and smiles.

The chemist in that scene is so instantaneous.

In my opinion, I thought, what's the backstory here?

Because I thought maybe I knew he was like kind of a newcomer, but I thought maybe they had already started to develop a relationship, not this is their first meeting.

H I loved that moment.

That moment stands out to me too, only because like it was so funny how she's like just save the cookies and he's like slowly setting her down on the ground.

Yeah, like that was super realistic, I thought, and very funny.

Uh huh.

You know he wasn't just gonna like prop her back up and like everything was you know, like perfectly Hallmark.

I thought it was funny, like she she was going down regardless that she was just softening the blow.

I thought that it was very funny, very very funny.

Can I talk about Rachel Boston for a second.

Yeah, Put Rachel Boston in any role and I will buy what she's self totally.

We have seen her as a mom to a teenager, a bird watcher.

Sure, she's an er doctor who can flirt between baby booms or whatever.

Like she there's just something about her that just pulls me right in, like makes everything so believable.

I adore Rachel Boston again, not used enough.

I know she was in two movies this year, but I feel like I need more.

I really like her too.

And if I can reference a recent review we did, we talked about Christmas in the Clouds and you said, that's an Aaron Kraikat movie, That's not a Tyler Ryan's movie.

I know people are gonna come.

I I know they're gonna come for me.

But what I want to say is I published a reel with that clip and people got very defensive and just relax people, We're on your team here.

But people said, every Hallmark movie has the female act her in the number one on the call sheet, every single one.

And I think this is another example of well, I will talk about the ensemble cast.

Rachel Boston carries this movie and does it well.

I mean, she is the absolute heart and soul of this movie.

Her doctor Alice character.

I loved her me too.

I loved her too, Can we talk about the ensemble cast?

Sure.

I loved our hospital crew.

I do, yes.

I loved rich and I loved I don't know anybody's names, Monica as our nurses.

I loved our charge nurse Catherine.

She was super, no nonsense.

This to me was like Hallmark does the pit and we had like a built out cast.

Now I will talk a little bit about the size of the cast, but like we had a fairly deep cast.

You know, we even got the perspective of the chef.

I really enjoyed.

I thought, are ensemble cast, our additional doctors.

Carmel Amite as the laboring mom was an absolute freaking delight.

Like the way these women work together.

Oh my goodness.

Yeah, that's really fair.

Well, I mentioned it earlier, but Marley Collins, she's doctor Natalie Spencer, she is a doctor, right, yeah, she's the OBG.

I n Yeah.

I thought she was great.

And I remember from The Real West too, she played she played the sister in that movie as well, and she's so funny.

She's so great and relatable and she's just got this like millennial vibe to her.

I really liked her a lot in this role.

Really liked her the stuff between her and Brendan as like, no, you're my brother, You're not going to be any That was kind of great.

All of that was so good.

Yeah, I loved that.

And I love that Iris Quinn comes in as Ruth as this like voice of reason and the retired nurse and I just kind of the mentor to everybody in the maternal figure in this room with all these mothers.

I really liked the vibe of this ensemble.

I agree.

I liked the Damar Hamlin tie in.

You know, it wasn't too heavy handed.

I thought, mm hmm, I'm gonna get to the well, I'll talk about it in militious about the you know, product placement partnerships they've done in this movie.

But I liked at the end.

I thought it was very sweet that he was on a FaceTime with this kid who was part of their you know, heartmates community.

I know his story is very interesting to me.

So and and I think it's super interesting that they had a Bills movie earlier this year right with DeMar Hamlin, and he's in this too, Like he's the that deal.

He's the Donna Kelce of twenty twenty five Countawda Christmas apparently so apparently so.

Yeah, I find that super interesting.

I wonder if it's just coincidental because the tie ins are totally separate between the two movies.

It's not here as a obviously he is a Bill's athlete, but it's more because of his relationship with Heartmates.

The thing I loved about that is, you know, the kids bouncing around behind him are actual Heartmats kids.

Yes, I liked that inclusion.

And I left He's like, you can call me tomorrow.

I thought it was great.

Yeah, No, I just think it was a real nice nod to uh, the cardiology world.

It was cool.

I thought they executed it super well.

It's really good.

This movie to me as a whole, it felt like I was watching I mean, it's like, and I think I've said this before and other review is like comfort food.

You know, it's Allmark comfort.

There are no big swings here, and it's soft.

It's gentle to adults meat.

It's very typical like once changing jobs, ones, maybe leaving in town, you know, And somehow they've made this er feel like it's the safest place it could be.

Yeah, where we watch the pit, we know how crazy and chaotic that can be.

So it's where you need a week to recover after each episode.

Yeah, exactly exactly.

I was like, Ah, everybody's singing along here in the er.

Yeah, I want to be in the er on Christmas Eve.

No, we don't know.

You're right, but knock on wood in that er.

Look.

You know, you say they don't take any big swings, and I do agree with that, but I do think it is you know, when you have an ensemble cast like this and you're telling multiple stories and everybody kind of has their own thing.

I thought that was incredibly well executed.

Okay, that's fair.

It's a big dance.

There's a lot of players here, right, like it all has to work together, and it does.

Yeah, you're right, it's not.

In terms of storytelling, there's nothing mind blowing.

But I did think, you know, hat tipped Peter Benson.

The directing of this was great and the storytelling all tied together nicely.

When you look at the writer, it kind of doesn't surprise me that he Ghosts of Christmas Always like all of those the movies that we referenced, five Year Christmas Party, Ghost of Christmas Always, Sister Swap, all of those weave in multiple storylines, so that is a talent of mister Huggs apparently.

Yeah.

A few little scenes that I liked.

Doctor Brian talking to his baby niece I thought was incredibly sweet while his sister is sleeping, just the way he's talking to her and having a moment.

I mean, who doesn't love Brendan Penny talking to a baby.

I loved when Carmel Emmet's character is in labor and she's on her hands and knees.

I appreciated that very real portrayal of labor.

Not everybody is laying on their back in a bed.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I loved the fake out scene at the end where Rachel's like, and when we're married in the future and she's like, I'm just kidding.

I didn't make that decision for you, but we should go on a date.

Real cool?

Was my last life.

I'm no, it's fine.

When she says, like, you know, she contstended this speech, I was like, no, do make this a career decision about a MANU met three hours ago or whatever it is.

But like, I like that she was like just kidding.

It was.

It was a real wink and a nod to Hallmark tropes.

I loved it.

I loved it thousand percent.

And finally a scene that I enjoyed is doctor Brian trying to connect with the tween boys.

It is hard to talk to kids that age, and that was very real.

I thought that was so funny.

But on the flip side of that too, then we have like your retirees making a pickle joke, a pickleball with joke that I thought was really funny too, Like we just don't like pickleball.

You know, the pickleball game here in my community is large and in charge, so oh me too.

I actually joined the pickleball club Facebook group for my neighborhood.

I've never gone to anything, but I just want to, did you Yeah, But it's it's too hard to infiltrate.

They're they're hardcore.

I am truly scared of the pickaball courts because there is like a rhythm down there, and I don't want to be like, hey, we like to play and then get yelled at by some boomers who have a schedule.

I hear that, Yes, scared scares me anyway, Are you ready to talk wishes?

I am, let's hear them.

I get the baby boom needed more boom to me, a little more chaos.

Chaos is exactly.

And again I have seen the pit, like I'm picturing babies delivered in the hallways, screamy like if you haven't seen the pit, guys, we get a real up close and personal delivery scene indeed, and maybe I'm just feel like scarred by that a little bit, like I don't know, we got like, you know, a mild bustle in this in this movie about a baby boom.

He's still sweet, but I just wanted like more like oomph, I guess, mm hmm, more more.

You know, when I was writing my notes, I was like, oh, well we needed the power to go out.

Well it did.

And then I was like, well we needed weather to be a problem.

Well it was, you know.

So I mean there were things that were making the evening harder for them.

Mm hmm.

But I think I just wanted to see like, oh my god, we got a baby crowning over here.

We need to go into a C section here, like you know whatever, Okay, Well, I think I think that speaks to my biggest wish about this movie, and that is that I think doctor Brian, being a renowned cardiologist, probably could have stepped in a little bit more.

Alice is doing everything and he only really he doesn't do a lot, Like I mean, he helps, you know, he does the cookies and all of that.

But I feel like we could have put him in a really uncomfortable position by making him have to deliver one of these babies, not his sisters, but not his sisters.

But like, I haven't done this since medical school, right, Like, yeah, you know, he kind of is, like he's a qualified doctor.

He can certainly be doing some of these emergency medicine situations.

He doesn't need to be on cookie duty.

Doesn't need to be on cookie duty, although I do appreciate how thoroughly he handles cookie duty the same, but I absolutely agree with you, like she didn't have to do everything right.

What'd you think about the pacing of this movie?

I just thought it was I liked it really.

I thought it like floated.

Well, okay, it wasn't bad.

It wasn't slow to me, but it kind of just floated along.

There was nothing that I'm like, uh it was so slow or it was too fast.

It just kind of like this is a typical night for us.

Yeah, could sure could I have used like a little bit of phrenetic energy.

Yes, but also my anxiety runs high enough as it is, so I think maybe the pacing was just right for me.

Yeah, hear you.

Any other wishes I do?

I have just a few more.

The adoptive parents twists saw that come in a mile away, but still loved it, loved it, loved it.

Thought it was very sweet.

Question were you worried when the birth mother was like, I think we should talk.

I thought she was gonna be like, I've changed my mind.

Yes, yeah, I mean that's not Allmark, But I was like, oh gosh, what's happening here?

Yeah, but I love that.

That was very sweet.

Its very sweet.

I have two more little wishes.

One is like I get that the heat wasn't working in the labor and delivery wing or whatever.

Yeah, but putting all those new moms in one room rild choice rough rough and then and then they all sing the first no, well, and I was like, no, nobody is singing after they've just pushed out a human That is not happening.

Not happening.

You're not singing silent Night with your babies.

So they do sing silent night, right right back to back.

The first Noel, you're right, You're right.

Yeah, no, no, nobody is doing that.

Yeah.

I didn't really want those babies in those stockings either.

Why.

I mean, it was cute red and white, but I was like, first of all, their shoulders are cold, and second of all, I was like, it's gotta be itchy in there.

Oh yeah, maybe, But I envisioned it as like this is this small community hospital and some grandma knitted all those little yeah que outfits.

Yeah or whatever.

It was cute my last wish.

And I know that you say that, and I agree.

I agree.

I thought that they have incredible chemistry, except they kiss after this like long night in the er.

I was like, oh, what, like, what part about that bothers you that they hadn't brushed their teeth in twelve hours?

Yeah, okay, kind of show me.

Show me she's in the break room brushing her teeth or she got to take a little nappy and then like brush your teeth after something.

I don't know.

I just was like, you guys have been on your feet for like the last twelve hours and like eating cookies and like breakroom snacks and like drinking coffee.

That sounds terrible now that you have painted that picture.

Sorry, I refuse to believe that either Rachel or Brendan had coffee and cookie breath.

I'm sure they tasted like peppermints and marshmallows.

Left talk.

Did you see that?

All right?

All right, I just have some I just have some thoughts.

Go ahead.

The scene with Rachel kicking under her car trying to get the trunk to close with a classic so freaking relatable.

I never got that to work on my last car, my current car.

Do I do it my last one out?

It only worked when I didn't want it to.

Yes, Oh my gosh, that's so funny you say that.

But that's the whole point of that thing, is like if your hands are full and you can wave your leg and it half the time it doesn't work.

Agree.

I think that's what was funny about it, Like it was well done, well done.

When Doctor Brian labels the cookies he goes through, He's like, the stars have no sugar in them.

I'm like, they have no sugar, Like who wants to eat a sugar free cookie?

I understand, like maybe we could have had like stars are sugar free.

I don't know something about the stars have no sugar in them.

I was like, nobody wants that.

Are there cookies made with no sugar?

Well, there's cookies made with sugar substitutes.

Okay, maybe he should have said that, Yeah, I'm made litting hairs here.

But something about that, I mean, this is a prime opportunity for like an alternative sweet nerd.

Yes, this is what who is Stevia?

This is what it reminded me of is I recently saw a TikTok with a woman who's like, my daughter goes to a sugar free preschool.

And then she was like, I know it's la, don't talk to me about it.

But she was like, I'm making treats for her holiday party.

She's like, so I made these cookies without sugar and she takes a bite and then she just like spits it out.

She's like, I cannot serve that to the children.

Cut to her, She's like, I made snickerdoodles.

They can yell at me.

Oh funny.

It had that same energy to me.

I was just envisioning a sugar free cookie crumbling out of their mouths.

We have an additional product placement?

Did you notice it?

And sure, yeah, yes I did this Actually didn't hate it though, like it's done quietly.

They just like, you know, stop on it for a second.

They're not like, grab me that insure meal replacement so I can get the energy of my elderly patient up, you know what I mean.

And a couple other things.

She x raysed the kid's head.

It's a CT, Like, I don't think you x ray and trying of CT kind of is an X ray.

But why do we not say CT?

Like what where's there was no medical consultant on set?

Yeah, that's a good question.

And when our Zoe goes into labor, she's like, my contractions are forty five minutes apart.

And I was like, you got two days, lady' could that's not even labor.

Like, if your contractions are forty five minutes apart and you've had like what three of them, that's been like two and a half hours you've had that's all she could have walked to the hospital.

It would have been fun.

I'm joking, obviously, Yes, I even rewounded.

I was like, did she say forty five or four two five?

Five?

Oh?

Yeah?

But she says forty five.

Because then a little while later in the bakery, they're like well, your contractions are twenty minutes apart.

Now, I'm like, how much time has passed?

Because whatever?

Anyway, I just thought it was silly min Did you see that?

Are?

We hit a lot of them?

But back at my first impression was I thought this was a Miracles of Christmas movie m HM repackaged for Hamewark only because there were a lot of like Nativity vibes happening in this movie, like I saw the light on, we don't have any heat, it's bad weather, Joseph and Mary looking for sure taking to their baby anyway, and then and then of course they sang that song at the end.

It just felt very the tone of it all was Miracles of Christmas for me.

Well, what did you rate?

The more the merrier?

I gave it three point seven five stars.

Oh, I gave it four stars.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Girls Gone Hallmark.

If you love this podcast, we love your five star ratings and reviews.

Thank you to everyone who has been leaving them in the Apple podcast app.

Here's a recent one from Jay Austin fan who says, I found this podcast about a year ago.

Wow, I really enjoy listening to it.

It feels like I'm listening to friends discussing great Hallmark TV.

Thank you for that review, and thank you in advance for the reviews.

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