The Absolute Best And Worst Hallmark Movies Of 2022

In an interview about the 2022 Hallmark movie "Perfect Harmony," Hallmark star James Denton said, "[Hallmark movies] are fun. You know what you're going to get, you know it's going to be happy. They're — I won't say predictable, that sounds negative or pejorative — safe."

"Safe" is certainly one way to put it; formulaic, predictable, and squeaky-clean are other ways that people describe Hallmark movies. However, only some of the beloved network's movies veer into the too-safe, predictably boring territory; others push the boundaries (well, Hallmark's boundaries, at least) and offer unique stories, impressive acting, and heartfelt messages. In 2022, Hallmark released movies representing plus-size and LGBTQ+ characters, featured stories about difficult topics like mental illness and loss — and, as always, put out plenty of feel-good vibes. However, the channel also released some duds in 2022. Below, we'll let you know which of this year's Hallmark movies are worth the watch — and which to avoid at all costs.

"Where Your Heart Belongs" has a cool and unique premise: A big-city influencer, Mac, comes home to help with her best friend's wedding and reconnect with her family, but things don't go quite as planned. In fact, Mac reveals herself to be a shockingly unlikable character and a selfish friend ... which is precisely why many people disliked the movie. A character who goes through ups and downs can be relatable and enjoyable to watch, but in this case, it's difficult to enjoy a movie when the main character is as self-absorbed as Mac.

By the end of the movie, Mac has learned some lessons, and the viewers are supposed to find her redeemed, but the damage has been done. One IMDb review reads: "No redeeming features about this movie — no coherence in the story, nothing likable about the characters, nonsensical storyline, no chemistry, not fun — just plain awful." Unfortunately, many of the other reviews echo the same sentiments, and with a 5.4 rating, this one comes in as one of the worst Hallmark movies of 2022.

A common problem in Hallmark movies is that they're too squeaky-clean — whether it's unrealistic dialogue, too much sappiness, or a plot that gets tied up without a single loose end. Unfortunately, this is one of the major issues with "Butlers in Love" — it's just not believable. The movie is about Emma (Stacey Farber) and Henry (Corey Cott), who are aspiring butlers at a prestigious, competitive academy where individuals go for training to become royal butlers. The characters, while charming at times, fall flat and come across as one-dimensional. The dialogue is hokey and the chemistry is hard to come by, even in the more romantic scenes.

We also have to address the elephant in the room and say that a movie that focuses on a girl who's dying to be a butler is just really absurd, if not one of Hallmark's most ridiculous storylines of all time. "Butlers in Love" also tries to be funny at times — it is a romantic comedy, after all — but fails pretty miserably. One IMDb reviewer described the movie as "two hours of my life I will never get back" — and, well, that pretty much says it all.

The only thing worse than being on a dysfunctional road trip is having to watch a badly acted, badly written Hallmark movie about a dysfunctional road trip. "Road Trip Romance" focuses on two former high-school rivals, Margo (Natalie Hall) and Alden (Corey Sevier), who run into each other and end up taking a last-minute road trip back to their hometown when their flights get canceled.

This may sound like a cute premise, but the level of dysfunction in this movie is distractingly absurd. There's an airport shutdown, a lack of rental cars, theft, a lack of phone chargers, a car accident, and to top it all off ... a Renaissance fair in the middle of nowhere? It's almost impressive that, with so many different problems, so little happens in the plot and character development department. One IMDb reviewer said, "Honestly could go to sleep [during the movie], wake up and feel nothing of relevance was missed," while another said, "I have nothing positive to say about this movie. It was truly awful and should never air again. Ever." We'd recommend skipping this one.

A movie about a romance between a restaurant owner and her chef seems like it has a lot of potential, but unfortunately, "The Perfect Recipe" was all over the place. The movie could have focused on the food element and how it brings the characters together, or there could have been more time spent on developing the chemistry between the leads — but instead, "The Perfect Recipe" just skirts around different themes, preventing any real engagement or character development.

Diehard Italian food fans may enjoy the movie since there's some tiramisu and Chianti involved, but for a movie about a restaurant, it's pretty sparse on the cooking scenes, and many reviewers found it to be dull overall. One IMDb review (aptly titled "Welcome to boring") says, "No chemistry ... It didn't have a clear storyline ... Fine to play in the background while doing other things, but not worth watching with your full attention." Ouch.

"Girlfriendship" seems so promising from the outside — it's a chick flick about three friends who take a week-long trip together to rediscover their "passions, their purpose, and romance," per Hallmark. It stars Tamera Mowry-Housley, Krystal Joy Brown, and Lyndie Greenwood — a great, talented cast who have good chemistry. However, the chemistry between the characters is one of the only good things about "Girlfriendship."

It would be so refreshing to see a Hallmark movie about friendship (rather than romance) that's done well — one that allows the viewer to understand each character and their emotional connection to one another. But that's not the case with "Girlfriendship." While we commend the network for creating a movie focusing solely on the lives and experiences of Black women, the movie itself didn't live up to its potential and kept things too shallow instead of diving deep into the characters. One IMDb reviewer wrote, "The storylines weren't really all developed. I never got invested in any of the characters too much. I needed more in order to care."

Just when aspiring writer Angie (Natalie Hall) finally finds a nice condo in Chicago to call her own, she's shocked to find that her home already has a resident: a parrot. But her new condo has a strict no-pets policy — at least, that's what Angie thinks, until she meets her cute neighbor, Ted (Peter Mooney), who secretly has a dog. As you've probably come to expect with Hallmark movies, romance blossoms between Angie and Ted as they bond over their secret pets.

While the plot may sound okay and even funny, "Fly Away with Me" is a stunningly bad movie. The acting is iffy at best, but the main problem is the poorly written script that makes the dialogue feel forced. IMDb reviewers also say that it's boring, the characters are impossible to connect with, and the story doesn't make sense. One IMDb reviewer wrote, "[Hallmark,] please hire writers with at least one original thought. ... I couldn't finish watching it. It made me cringe." Because of all that, "Fly Away with Me" may be one of the worst Hallmark movies of 2022.

It's always tragic when a Hallmark Christmas movie fails, but "Campfire Christmas" was especially disappointing. It's a Christmas-in-July movie that focuses on a group of friends who reunite at a Christmas-themed gathering at Camp Evergreen, a summer camp they had all previously attended. The friends spend time catching up, and the main character, Peyton (Tori Anderson), finds that sparks fly with Thomas (Corbin Bleu), who was her first love.

While the plot is a bit different than usual Hallmark movies, "Campfire Christmas" ultimately comes in with a 5.5 rating on IMDb, and it appears there are very few redeeming qualities about this movie. Many reviewers note that the movie is boring and that the lead characters lack chemistry. One reviewer on IMDb wrote, "This was a tough one to finish. The immaturity level was cringe-worthy; these are adults in their 30s still acting like teenagers. The storyline was boring, and the chemistry was just off. Plus, it was predictable — every aspect of it."