Joey Lawrence & Emily Hampshire Get HITCHED FOR THE HOLIDAYS

If you’ve ever been single during the holidays, you know what a challenge that can be. It’s the season of events with family, friends, and co-workers, and going stag can be daunting. In The Hallmark Channel’s latest original movie, Joey Lawrence and Emily Hampshire decide to avoid the single drama by pretending to be Hitched for the Holidays.

It’s the anniversary of Julie’s (Hampshire) breaking up with her fiance, and her family is worried, especially her mother. Maxine (Marilu Henner) is determined to set up her daughter with someone so she isn’t alone during the holidays, but she seems to be focusing exclusively on Julie’s ex-boyfriends when working her matchmaking skills. They’re exes for a reason, and Julie isn’t impressed. There is a co-worker at the newspaper where Julie’s a theater critic who is keen on attracting her attention, but unfortunately the sportswriter lacks charm. And knowledge of personal space. And charm.

Meanwhile, Rob (Lawrence) has broken up with his latest lady friend because he knows that if he does share the holidays with her, she’ll assume a proposal will soon follow. Yes, he’s a commitment-phobe. Even professionally he chooses to freelance for various ad agencies rather than take a permanent position with one shop. When Rob visits his grandmother at the nursing home on Thanksgiving night, she seems to be fading fast and tells her beloved grandson that all she wants this Christmas is to meet the woman he’s going to marry.

So now we have the set up: two people feeling pressured to find someone to share the holidays with so their friends and family can focus on something else. Julie decides to post an ad for a short-term, platonic relationship to get through the holidays. Rob sees it and realizes that this could be the answer to his dilemma as well. After some less than palatable responses, Rob’s email is a breath of fresh air, and the match is made.

As the pair navigate the holidays – made just a wee bit more complicated by the fact that Julie is Jewish and Rob is Italian Catholic – they start to wonder if a real relationship is developing. There are a few clashes as they get to know each other, some fun family scenes (especially after Rob lies to both sets of parents and says he’s converting to Judaism for Julie; the way his mom responds to that news is priceless), and a couple of excellent kisses.

Hitched for the Holidays was originally written as a feature film by Gary Goldstein before Hallmark snatched it up, and the difference in quality is obvious. The characters have a bit more depth, the dialogue is a bit crisper, and the whole movie is richer. Lawrence and Hampshire manage to play charming and sweet without being caddish (him) or a doormat (her). Both have real reasons for being single this holiday season, and you’ll be rooting for both to realize that their single days are over now that they’ve met each other.

Hitched for the Holidays premieres Sunday, November 25 at 8/7c on The Hallmark Channel.