Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Chicago divorce attorney Lucy's hard work has paid off with a Christmas Eve promotion to partner at her law firm. It has, however, come at the expense of her relationship with her family, her best friend, Nadine, and the guy she was once in love with, Matt. When she bumps into Matt at a cafe, it brings back old feelings and soon after, she is transported back to 1999 by a magical rideshare driver. At first, Lucy thinks it is an opportunity to correct the mistakes she made when she was 19 but she soon learns if she makes any changes, it will drastically alter her future and cost her the promotion. Who's in it? The movie stars Eva Bourne, Chandler Massey , Katherine Barrell, Alex Hook and Jenny Raven. Review: I've had A '90s Christmas in my movie library for about a year and as I was looking for a movie to watch, I decided to finally give the Hallmark movie a try. Overall, I think I can safely say it was better than I expected. I don't say this about a l...

Synopsis: Isabel takes her job as an inspector for Santa's naughty-or-nice list seriously and is in line for a promotion. However, when doing a re-evaluation of Charlie, an 11-year-old girl on the naughty list, she falls for Charlie's widowed father, Jason, and breaks a number of rules by dating him. As she puts her job in jeopardy, Isabel realizes there is a lot of gray area between naughty and nice and begins to question the overall system. Who's in it? The movie stars Lacey Chabert , Andrew W. Walker , Cadence Compton, Steve Bacic and Louriza Tronco. Review: My wife and I still haven't found much time to do our annual Hallmark Christmas movie watching but since we were both home at a reasonable hour this evening, I convinced her to at least watch Lacey Chabert's latest film, She's Making a List . Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the magical film we were hoping for. One common complaint I have with films is many get ruined by trying to do too much. This ...

Synopsis: Despite her name, Krissy Kringle is having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. Her water heater doesn't work, her credit cards are maxed out, she just lost her job and her boyfriend of 6 years, Lance, doesn't seem interested in marrying her. To top it off, her name and the fact she lives on Candy Cane Lane results in her getting hundreds of letters meant for Santa Claus. Things begin to change for her when she accidentally receives Santa's Naughty or Nice list. However, while she initially thinks it is a blessing, Krissy's opinion soon changes when she learns about the naughty things those closest to her have done. Who's in it? The movie stars Hillarie Burton Morgan, Matt Dallas, Gabriel Tigerman, Danneel Ackles , Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross . Review: I have had Naughty or Nice in my movie library for a couple years and since my wife and I have never gotten around to watching the Hallmark film, I figured I'd give it a shot this morni...

Synopsis: Noelle has wanted a puppy since she was a little girl and now that she has a place with her boyfriend, Todd, she decides to adopt Buster. However, Todd's reaction to the puppy is the opposite of what she expected, and she soon finds herself single and homeless a few days before Christmas. To make matters worse, she's also in danger of losing her job as a feature writer when her article about keys to a happy marriage seems to be falling through. With nowhere else to go for the holidays, she accepts an invitation from her co-worker Liam to join him on his family's Christmas tree farm, a happy experience that is dampened by the revelation Liam's grandfather is likely going to be forced to sell to a developer. Who's in it? The movie stars Cindy Busby, Greyston Holt, Christopher Russell , Allison Price and Derek McGrath. Review: I was scrolling through my library, looking for a movie to watch this morning and realized my wife and I are REALLY far behind on o...

Synopsis: Maddie, a newspaper reporter in Norfolk, is getting a bit burned out with her job and reluctantly accepts an invitation to join her Navy pilot sister and their mom on an aircraft carrier's annual holiday Tiger Cruise. After hearing the ship's captain tell a story about how he met his wife on a similar cruise, Maddie is inspired to write a story about a similar event and, with the help of the captain's son, Billy, locates a journal in the ship's archives from 1965 that may be just what she's looking for. The only problem is the journal doesn't say if the love story between a pilot, Sam, and a USO dancer, Dorothy, has a happy ending. Who's in it? The movie stars Jen Lilley, Trevor Donovan, Barbara Niven , Stefanie Butler and Brett Rice. Review: For a variety of reasons I won't get into, my wife and I have had a hard time getting into the holiday spirit this year and are behind on our traditional Hallmark Christmas movie watching. So, when I wa...

Synopsis: When Det. Francesca "Frankie" Quinn and her partner, Det. Wynton "Wyn" Rousseau discover several seemingly accidental deaths were actually murders, they learn Quinn's stepmother, Megan, is behind them and arrest her. A year later, with the scandal resulting in her father resigning as chief of police and her secret relationship with Wyn outed during the trial, Quinn now works as a private investigator and is engaged to writer Carl Wiseman, who, against Quinn's wishes, is writing a tell-all book that includes intimate details about Quinn. When Carl is murdered after a party, Quinn insists on investigating, both for her and for Carl's sister.  This leads to her and Wyn teaming up and exposing many dark secrets, including the real reason they broke up. Who's in it? The movie stars Mallory Jansen, Dylan Bruce, Teryl Rothery, Samantha Kendrick, Amy Groening and Alicia Johnston. Review: I rarely watch Hallmark movies without my wife but my pla...

Synopsis: Sarah used to spend the holidays with her grandmother, Mia, who was known for her Kismet cookies, a family recipe of magical cookies that would make you dream about the person you should be with if you put them under your pillow on Christmas Eve. However, after Sarah tried the magic for herself and dreamt about her long-time crush, Travis, only to find out he was getting married the next day, she tore up the recipe and her grandmother never baked them again. Years later, Sarah has a hit book loosely based on the Kismet cookie legend and is struggling to finish a sequel when a contest results in her returning to her grandmother's hometown and reconnecting with a now-divorced Travis and his daughter, Jasmine. Not long after, she begins to wonder if the cookies really were magical. Who's in it? The movie stars Sarah Ramos , Carlo Marks , Marilu Henner , Rubi Tupper and Zahf Paroo . Review: We've had A Kismet Christmas in our library for some time now, but it wasn...

Synopsis: Toni Andretti was well on her way to following in her father's footsteps as an attorney when a panic attack prevented her from completing Connecticut's bar exam. She now works with her friend, Bri, at a stationary store while they try to figure out their next steps. When Bri swipes some of the holiday party invitations the store prints for Connecticut's elites and suggests she and Toni crash them, Toni reluctantly agrees, and the pair are soon having the time of their lives. However, a chance encounter with business executive Justin at one of the parties leads to Toni and Bri being invited to a holiday retreat so Toni can consult on an acquisition deal, their lies might get Toni in a lot of trouble and cost her a chance at love. Who's in it? The movie stars  Lyndsy Fonseca , Daniella Monet , Chris McNally , Jag Bal and  Keith MacKechnie. Review: When I came across Holiday Crashers on Hallmark, I had some doubts about it because it was clearly a rip-off of...

Synopsis: With her daughter looking at a faraway college, Emily, a lawyer and married mother of two, is desperate to have a perfect Christmas with her family even though their clashing schedules make it seem impossible. When she comes across a Christmas star in a box of ornaments, Emily wishes for a Christmas like the one on the popular holiday movie series, Sugarplum . To her surprise, the wish brings Sugarplum herself into the real world. While Sugarplum's enthusiasm, magic and book of holiday rules seems to quickly turn the holiday around for Emily, including getting her entered in a national home decoration competition, she and Sugarplum soon learn the magic doesn't work quite the same in the real world, putting a happy Christmas in even more jeopardy. Who's in it? The movie stars Maggie Lawson , Janel Parrish , Kyra Leroux , Brendon Zub and Avan Stewart. Review: I had some doubts about this film when I first came across an advertisement for it on the Hallmark Chann...

Synopsis: Stefanie Baxter's mom spent most of her life and Stefanie's childhood searching for a mythical treasure in Iceland. When a wealthy benefactor, Victor Grimes, offers her a new clue that could allow her to complete her now-deceased mother's life's work, Stefanie decides to go on a Christmastime quest to Iceland. However, she needs help from her ex-husband, Chase, an expert in Norse languages and must contend with old feelings while trying to find the treasure before someone else does. Who's in it? The movie stars Lacey Chabert ,  Kristoffer Polaha , Derek Riddell ,  Aldís Amah Hamilton and Erin Cahill . Review: My wife and I had already seen one Lacey Chabert Christmas movie on Netflix around Thanksgiving, but I was somewhat intrigued by Hallmark's The Christmas Quest because the previews made it look like an interesting action/adventure movie as well as a romantic holiday film. My wife and I watched it last night during its debut and weren't di...

Synopsis: Natalie Morgan loves to bake and while she has had moderate success selling cupcakes out of a food truck, dreams of having her own bakery. Her wish seems to come true when a recently deceased customer leaves her a historic bakery in her will. There's just one problem, the customer's nephew, Eric, was also left the business and rather than be partners, would prefer to sell the property. Who's in it? The movie stars Nikki Deloach , Dylan Neal , Karen Holness , Alison Wandzura and  Bailey Skodje.  Review: I don't think any of us intended to have a lazy Sunday yesterday but that's pretty much what happened anyway and after spending most of the day watching re-runs of one of our favorite shows, she suggested a Hallmark movie. I've had Truly, Madly, Sweetly in my library for a while and after watching it, thought it was an OK, albeit predictable movie. As far as the plot is concerned, the movie followed the same basic format as most romantic comedies - ...

Synopsis: Lawyers Dana and Mark are happily married and celebrating their seventh anniversary when their respective firms assign them to litigate a divorce between a celebrity reality television couple, Brett and Tabby Noble. While they agree to work together to settle things quickly and as amicably as possible, their clients' refusal to compromise threatens to damage their own marriage. Who's in it? The movie stars Lacey Chabert , Brennan Elliott , Stephanie Bennett , Clayton James and Mariesa Crouse . Review: As I've mentioned before, my wife and I are big fans of Lacey Chabert Hallmark movies and when I saw this new one was coming out, I was sure to record it. We watched it this evening and it unfortunately missed the mark for us. The premise isn't a bad one, especially since there is a bit of a mystery surrounding Gwen (Crouse) the woman Brett (James) is supposedly cheating with and Tabby's (Bennett) former best friend and assistant and what secret she was ...

Synopsis: Accident prone Emily considers her best friend, Phoebe, the best friend anyone could ever have. After all, Phoebe has been there for her through every disaster, including her recent breakup. That's why, with Phoebe preparing to get married on the beach in Costa Rica, Emily wants to use her maid of honor role to make it the best wedding ever. There's just one problem, in addition to being upstaged at every turn by Ryan, the wedding's best man, she also had a monkey steal her bag which, among other things, contained the wedding rings. Determined to make things right and reluctantly accepting Ryan's help, she enters the jungle to find them. Who's in it? The movie stars Rhiannon Fish , Christopher Russell , Brittany Carel , CJ Hammond and Kourtney George . Review: This wasn't our first choice for last night's movie night but neither my wife nor I liked the first film I picked out and, after turning it off five minutes later, I picked this as the bac...

Synopsis: Addy is a former marine biology major who quit school to help her sister, Kate's, fashion design business off the ground. Now in Hawaii as her sister's maid of honor, Addy has the chance to be her sister's equal partner but also would like to return to doing something she loved. When she loses her grandmother's ring in the ocean and enlists help from a scuba instructor, Jack, to dive with her and try to find it, the decision becomes even tougher, especially when her and Jack begin to fall in love. Who's in it? The movie stars Hunter King , Beau Mirchoff , Eliza Hayes Maher , Diane Sargent and Marita de Lara . Review: Hidden Gems , which has been in our library for more than a year, was the second Hallmark movie I picked out to watch with my wife while we had a lazy Saturday today. While the first one was a murder mystery, this was a straight-up romantic comedy and, as such, was pretty much was I was expecting it to be. As is often the case with Hallmar...

Synopsis: Freelance fashion psychologist Lauren Elliott is between jobs when her best friend, Charlotte, helps land her a consultant role at a French design company during Paris fashion week. However, following the runway show one of the company's executives is found murdered and Charlotte is arrested as the primary suspect. Determined to prove her friend's innocence, Lauren pairs up with a reluctant French detective, Andre, and attempts to find the real killer. Who's in it? The movie stars Brooke D'Orsay , Gilles Marini , Francois Legrand , Paloma Coquant and Doug Rand. Review: My wife and I decided not to do too much today after a long week and since we were on the couch anyway, attempted to get caught up on some of the Hallmark movies  we've recorded but haven't watched yet. I was in the mood for a murder mystery and gave this one a try. Overall, while nothing too special, I thought it was a good choice. There were a couple things I found I really enjoyed...

Synopsis: Grace McMahon's life isn't going the way she hoped. The book she wrote has been rejected by publishers while her office temp jobs are both unreliable and don't pay the bills. Her only solace is her dreams, which have been featuring Michael Roy, a person she doesn't know but yet seems so familiar to her. However, even that is about to be taken away from her because there was a mix-up at Dream Central and she's actually been experiencing his dreams, something the dream weavers in charge want to correct by erasing him from her memories, even as she locates Michael in real life, and they fall in love. Who's in it? The movie stars Skyler Samuels ,  Kapil Talwalkar , Cecilia Lee , David Rosser and Erica Deutschman. Review: Our daughters were attending a community theater musical yesterday afternoon and since we both needed a break from our weekend projects, my wife and I decided to watch a movie together. It had been a while since we watched a Hallmark fi...

Synopsis: After a failed joint business venture results in Anna Vasquez breaking things off with her fiancé, Elliot Barnes, and going to work for her dad as a real estate agent, she is given the task of staging and selling a long-vacant property as her first assignment. Anna quickly discovers the house is still occupied by Ruby Baker, a 1920s socialite who died in a car crash the night of her 25th birthday 100 years earlier. Ruby, who has been unable to crossover and join the man she secretly loved, is determined to keep Anna from selling her home and, even when she starts to warm to the idea, continues to complicate things. Meanwhile, Anna realizes she still has feelings for Elliott, who plans to move away to Boston.  Who's in it? The movie stars  Julie Gonzalo ,  Chris McNally ,  Madeleine Arthur ,  Xavier Sotelo and William Vaughn . Review: I was getting bored with watching reruns of Worst Cooks in America and convinced my wife to watch a movie with me in...

Synopsis: Bonnie Parker likes to shop, both for her clients and for herself. A few days before Christmas, she gains a new customer, contractor Patrick Armstrong, a widower who is too busy to shop for his clients, employees and daughter. Bonnie finds Patrick to be stubborn and difficult but after bonding with his daughter, Phebe, her new client starts to grow on her. However, there is one obstacle to romance, a music teacher who has her eyes on Patrick as well. Who's in it? The movie stars Meghan Ory ,  Christopher Russell ,  Aria Publicover ,  Ellie Cluett and  Henry Keefe.  Review: I decided to find a Christmas movie for my wife and I to watch while waiting for our oldest daughter to get done with work last night. After reviewing a few different choices from Hallmark, she picked this one. And overall, it turned out to be a good choice. The plot itself was somewhat predictable, as is usually the case with movies like this (most of them have the same basic plo...

Synopsis: Still mourning the loss of her mother, Renée's life is in a rut but she's reluctant to listen to her husband Aaron's suggestion they sell her mom's house, move back to New York and start a business and family together. When her car breaks down after work, she makes a Christmas wish for a new life and wakes up in a world where her mother is still alive, and she is the CEO of a successful company. There is just one problem, her and Aaron aren't married and haven't spoken in five years. Who's in it? The movie stars  Vanessa Lengies ,  Corey Sevier ,  Paula Boudreau ,  Kimberly-Ann Truong and  Miguel Rivas .  Review: My wife had a bit of a bad day yesterday and didn't accomplish what she wanted to do. So, while I made dinner, I suggested she make herself a stiff drink and pick out a movie for us to watch. This was her choice and it ended up being the best part of her day. The overall premise isn't anything overly unique. In fact, I'm pre...

Synopsis: Broadcast journalist Avery dreams of getting out from under her successful mom's shadow and becoming a news anchor but her bosses don't think she's ready. However, when the weekend anchor comes down sick at Christmas, Avery is given an opportunity. There's just one problem, she needs to be at work before 5 a.m. and isn't able to get to sleep because she catches Chris, a man claiming to be Santa Claus, in her house. Believing he is the infamous Santa Claus robber, who has been burglarizing homes in the area, she attempts to turn Chris into the police, only to learn he's telling the truth and there is more to the burglaries than meets the eye, the latter being a scoop that could make her career. Who's in it? The movie stars  Italia Ricci ,  Luke Macfarlane ,  Katerina Maria ,  Michael Barbuto and Samantha Brown. Review: I added this Hallmark Christmas movie to my library because it seemed somewhat unique compared to the majority of them and after...