Lacey Chabert's Best And Worst Hallmark Christmas Movies

Every Christmas season, millions of viewers around the world turn to the Hallmark Channel for a cozy, feel-good escape into a magical world sprinkled with hope, romance, forgiveness, redemption, empathy, and second chances. Over the years, actors like Tyler Hynes, Bethany Joy Lenz, Andrew Walker, and Lacey Chabert have become familiar faces associated with these beloved releases. Chabert, in particular, is considered Hallmark royalty, as she's been with the network since 2014 and has starred in over 40 movies, many of which are holiday-themed. The brunette actor, whose first major role was Claudia Salinger in "Party of Five," is especially fond of the Christmas holidays and has established her own traditions with her family. They include crafting ornaments, customizing stockings, and whipping up delicious hot cocoa — in typical Hallmark fashion.

Which one of Chabert's Christmas appearances for the giant network is the most celebrated? Are all of her titles worth your time? The general consensus is that this actor is so cherished that even her least popular release overall, "A Wish for Christmas," isn't rated lower than 6/10 on IMDB (at least at the time of publishing).

Let's round up Chabert's greatest and not-so-great contributions to Hallmark's holiday programming through the years, taking into consideration factors like Reddit discussions as well as IMDB ratings and reviews.

Directed by Michael Damian, "Christmas Waltz" is currently ranked 7/10 on IMDB and a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter. Its plot centers on Manhattan-based lawyer Avery (Lacey Chabert), whose plans for her fairytale Christmas wedding to David (Jeremy Guilbaut) include taking ballroom dance lessons. After breaking off their engagement, she decides to make the most of those pre-booked lessons all by herself, and she ends up bonding with the school's owner, Roman (Will Kemp).

This festive movie works for a number of reasons, starting with the intriguing and unique premise. Chabert and Kemp have wonderful chemistry together, as previously seen in "Love, Romance, and Chocolate," and their banter is quite enjoyable. In a November 2020 interview with the Hallmark Channel, Kemp praised his character for supporting Avery, and Chabert added, "He's encouraging her to ... feel the joy of the season and just to be in the moment." This is textbook Hallmark holiday spirit.

Finally, all the dance sequences are swoon-worthy and well-choreographed. Kemp's fluid movements, in particular, are noted for their elegance. This is because he was classically trained by the Royal Ballet School and has performed lead roles in popular theatrical productions like "Swan Lake."

Ranked 6/10 on IMDB, "A Wish for Christmas" is one of Lacey Chabert's most divisive movies. Here's how the story goes. At the company Christmas party, Santa Claus grants Sara (Chabert), an unassertive junior web designer, a single wish: For 48 hours, she will finally muster the courage to fight off any form of abuse in the workplace. Her first challenge is to return from an impromptu work trip with her workaholic CEO, Peter (Paul Greene), just in time to spend Christmas with her family. Meanwhile, she unexpectedly bonds with Peter, who seems to have lost his festive spirit.

Though some fans recognize Chabert and Greene as one of the most charismatic Christmas Hallmark movie pairings, many find the storyline mediocre, and some of the characters incoherent. Moreover, the dialogue is deemed poor, and Peter, specifically, downright boring and self-absorbed. Feminist audiences, in particular, are appalled by the amount of emotional abuse that Sara has to endure.

Finally, Chabert was pregnant during filming, and the director tried so hard to conceal her belly with various objects that many viewers noticed — and found those scenes extremely distracting.

Rated 7/10 on IMDB, this movie is part of the popular "Time for... to Come Home for Christmas" franchise, executive-produced by country-music megastar Blake Shelton, who has also contributed to the soundtracks. Bear in mind that these films can be watched in no particular order because they're standalone stories.

In "Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas," five strangers, including grief-stricken lawyer Sarah (Lacey Chabert), receive an enigmatic prepaid invitation to spend the holidays at the Snowfall Inn. Sarah bonds with the inn's new owner, Ben (Stephen Huszar), as they both try to uncover any possible links between the guests and solve the mystery.

This installment owes its success to a number of factors, including the intriguing plot, which branches out with multiple connecting storylines. Not to mention all those complex, relatable characters who are all going through various challenges, such as divorce and loss of a family member. Finally, fans have noted the credible attachment build-up between the two leads as well as Chabert's exceptional performance.

Mariah Carey may be an exceptional singer, but perhaps she should steer clear of future Hallmark productions. Even her most diehard fans think so, as her various contributions to "A Christmas Melody" clearly did it (and, by extension, Lacey Chabert) a disservice. Rated 6.1/10 on IMDB, this holiday flick was directed and executive-produced by Carey, who also had a hand in the soundtrack and played the part of Melissa, the snobbish and insufferable PTA president.

The story follows Kristin (Chabert), a failing fashion designer, who moves back to her hometown with her 9-year-old daughter, Emily (Fina Strazza). She helps the latter audition for the school's Christmas variety show and thus reconnects with Danny (Brennan Elliott), a music teacher who used to like her when they were in high school.

"A Christmas Melody" features way too many unnecessary distractions and discrepancies. For instance, Carey plays a much younger character than her actual age: so, no, she couldn't have been Sarah's former high-school nemesis. Not to mention that Melissa's scenes were visibly lit and shot separately, so as to make Carey stand out. Audiences have also criticized the latter's terrible acting as well as the blatant and frequent product placement. In short, with its uneven pacing and rather mediocre dialogue, this Hallmark title is an easy skip that even Chabert can't save. 

Hallmark romances about royalty are generally a dreamy, feel-good watch for the whole family. So, it's no wonder "A Royal Christmas" has been mostly met with favorable reviews and has earned a rating of 6.6/10 on IMDB.

Its plot centers on Emily (Lacey Chabert), a kind and modest seamstress who finds out that her boyfriend, Leopold (Stephen Hagan), is the prince of the fictitious kingdom of Cordinia. When he takes her home for the holidays to introduce her to his family as his future wife, she faces the disapproval of Queen Isadora (played by veteran actor Jane Seymour), who has found her royal son a far more suitable match in her book.

This fairytale-like watch boasts great chemistry between the leads and convincing performances on all fronts, not to mention interesting subplots involving secondary characters. Plus, Seymour is clearly having the time of her life portraying the villain, which renders her interactions with Chabert all the more entertaining.

Hallmark's "Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe" is a contemporary, gender-swapped adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel "Pride and Prejudice." At the time of writing, this title is rated 6.2/10 on IMDB, and for good reason.

Here's how the story unfolds. Darcy (Lacey Chabert) is a career-driven investment banker who visits her hometown to spend the holidays with her family. There, she reconnects with her former high-school rival on the debate team, Luke (Brendan Penny). As they join forces to save a charity event organized by Darcy's mother, they start warming up to each other and eventually clear out their past misunderstandings.

Unfortunately for Hallmark aficionados, this premise severely lacks spark and intrigue. As for Luke, he truly doesn't seem interesting enough to justify any past or present feelings from Darcy. Perhaps there was more passion between them in the past? In short, those two leads barely have any on-screen chemistry, and their acting is a little stiff.

For all the historical sites and delectable restaurants it offers, it's no wonder Rome is such a popular travel destination. The so-called Eternal City has also provided a magical backdrop for several romantic movies and TV shows, including Hallmark's "Christmas in Rome," rated 6.6/10 on IMDB. In this release, Lacey Chabert plays Angela, an enthusiastic American tour guide based in Rome. Around Christmas, shortly after being let go, she accepts an offer from Oliver (Sam Page), an American executive, to help him find his way around the city and, ultimately, acquire a ceramics company.

This is an endearing holiday watch because it highlights some of Rome's most romantic, scenic spots. Angela and Oliver's romance is believable, and the sparks fly between them from the get-go, albeit subtly. Indeed, their connection develops slowly as he comes to appreciate her passion and kindness on top of her professional expertise. Plus, audiences are treated to their witty comebacks without any uncomfortable or disturbing tension, as expected from a feel-good holiday movie.

Overall, "Christmas in Rome" is a cozy watch where both Chabert and Page's looks and acting leave a memorable impression.

Rated 6.3/10 on IMDB, "Christmas at Castle Hart" is another miss for the festive season. It follows American sisters Brooke (Lacey Chabert) and Margot (Ali Hardiman) as they travel to Ireland to explore their roots. Mistaken for a high-end event planner, Brooke is commissioned by Aiden Hart (Stuart Townsend), the Earl of Glaslough, to organize a holiday feast.

Here are the reasons why this title doesn't work, even for fans of the genre. The premise itself is far-fetched: What kind of rich and affluent person hands a party of this scope to a "planner" without thoroughly researching her first? Besides, in today's Republic of Ireland, Aiden can't possibly be an Earl because the Constitution prohibits all citizens from carrying titles of nobility. Moreover, as one Irish Rotten Tomatoes user has pointed out, some of the phrases used have been poorly translated into English.

Discrepancies and inaccuracies aside, viewers have also voiced their protest over the romance itself, which is built on a lie. Some Redditors have even branded the sisters dishonest and villainous. Hardiman, in particular, is deemed a terrible actor, and her character is described as annoying and obnoxious.

Other qualms with this movie include the low-budget, poorly executed CGI scenes, fake snow and Christmas decorations included, the lack of chemistry between the leads, whose characters mostly interact professionally, and the weak dialogue.

Overall, "Christmas at Castle Hart" is considered by some of Chabert's diehard fans as her worst movie yet.

How does one determine Lacey Chabert's greatest and not-so-great Hallmark Christmas movies? I've seen enough of her titles, holiday-themed or otherwise, to assess her overall range and chemistry with other leads and secondary characters. As previously noted, she's a globally popular actor. So, instead of calling her mediocre appearances "the worst," it would be more accurate to label them as "generally less popular than her most acclaimed roles."

The next step was to consult the IMDB ranking of her entire portfolio for the channel, from highest to lowest-rated. At the time of publishing, her most and least popular Hallmark Christmas movies are "Christmas Waltz" and "A Wish for Christmas," respectively.

Finally, I've checked all of these titles' ratings and reviews on sites like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes as well as various debates on Reddit and the Hallmark Fans' Movies and Christmas Movies Discussion group. By combining the above with my unbiased professional evaluation of those different storylines and performances, I was able to complete my final selection. Meanwhile, you can enjoy Hallmark's latest movies and shows for the 2025 festive season, which include "She's Making a List," starring Chabert and Andrew Walker.