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Hallmark films are nothing if not predictable: a career-minded, big city person goes back to their small hometown and meets or reconnects with a special someone who teaches them the true meaning of the holidays. Usually, they share hot chocolate, and one of them has a dog.
We asked what a Hallmark movie set in San Jose would look like + included a survey for our readers to provide their thoughts as well. Here’s what you came up with.
A surprising number of you want the protagonist to hail from the windy city.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Setting the Scene: where is the protagonist from?
- “Chicago.” — Mary K.
- “Salt Lake City.” — Laura M.
- “Las Vegas.” — Michelle M.
- “Los Angeles.” — KimVi T.
- “Hong Kong.” — Cecilia T.
- “New York City.” — Amy R.
- “San Francisco.” — Jesse K.
Meet-cute: Where do they meet?
- “San Jose International Airport.” — Mary K.
- “Christmas in the Park.” — Laura M.
- “She works for the Golden Knights but is originally from Canada and he’s a Sharks season ticket holder since day one.” — Greg W. (A classic “enemies to lovers” storyline)
- “X-mas in the park. He’s visiting for a job interview at the Tech that his mom, who is a board member, set up for him, although he has no desire to come back to San Jose. She is happily living in the Santa Cruz mountains with horses, chickens, and a pet goat.” — Cecilia T. (Like a reverse Hallmark movie)
Bond: How do they connect?
- “She can’t find her luggage and he helps her out.” — Mary K.
- “They bump into each other at the Mexican hot dog stand trying to decide on ‘onions’ or ‘no onions.’” — Laura M.
- “Disagreement over who has the better hockey team.” Alexandria E.
- “Chasing their kids through Happy Hollow.” — Michelle M.
- “She is setting up her non-profit (which centers on serving under-privileged kids) tree while he’s catching a break from a meeting at the Tech, getting coffee on a bench. Somehow he trips on an extension cord, coffee spills, and causes a minor fire/issue with the entire park set up. She ends up giving him a free t-shirt for his next interview.” — Cecilia T. (Let her cook. This is gold.)
- “VGK vs. Sharks rivalry. Whichever team scores first, their fan gets a Sharkarita.” — Angelina S.
Additional plot points?
- “The couple originally met at a children’s musical theatre while performing during their high school years. They both went off to college, lost contact, and happen to run into each other at Christmas in the park near the hot dog carts. They start catching up + reminiscing and they spend night at the Montgomery Theater watching CMTSJ — the same theatre company where they first met.” — Laura M.
- “Neither is from the Bay Area originally and they navigate Christmas together a year after meeting in the Chicago airport after getting stuck a few days after Christmas missing families and snow, but discover how awesome SJ and the surroundings are at Christmas in the Park, and catch a symphony. She meets his family who surprise him at one of his hockey games.” — Alexandria E. (I love the idea of a Hallmark movie lead actor being a hockey player. Like if the film “Goon” was a romance.)
- “Strolling Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen, then getting ravs at La Villa and geeking out over all the hockey memorabilia inside.” — Angela P.
- “Cameo by Tom Hanks.” — Cecilia T. (He may not be from San Jose, but I’ll take it.)
- “They work for rival tech start-ups, feverishly bringing a new product to market but they can’t talk to each other since both are under an NDA. In the end, their two companies merge and it turns out they are working on the same product. The newly formed merged companies name them the two primary contributors and the project leads to bring the product to market. The perfect merger.” — Amy R. (This is the most “Silicon Valley” story we’ve ever read, and it totally works.)
- “Female protagonist should be in some kind of executive role at the Winchester Mystery House. She does not believe in ghosts or other creepy things. In fact, she’s written a book about why the Winchester Mystery House is simply an architectural wonder — not a haunted house. Male protagonist is a ghost hunter from Miami who is obsessed with the supernatural, fate, spirits, and ghosts of the past influencing actions of the living.” — Jordan S.
More than one respondent wanted a cameo from the Bay Area’s most well-known actor.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Who should play the leads?
- “Jeremy Allen White and Ashley Park.” — Mary K. (Yes, chef.)
- “Mitchell Mosley and Valeria Maria Johnson as the love interests.” — Laura M. (Both of these actors are from San Jose, so you get bonus points.)
- “Arden Cho and Trever Donavon.” — Alexandria E.
- “Kevin McGarry and Italia Ricci (her family can be connected to La Villa, it’s perfect).” — Angela P.
- “Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.” — Greg W. (We like what you’re proposing here.)
- “Levy Tran and Brett Dalton.” — KimVi T.
- “Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons.” — Amy R. (Just so long as no one says “Bazinga.”)
- “Shemar Moore and Zendaya.” — Jesse K.
- “Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez.” — Jordan S.
Have an idea for a Hallmark movie set in the great 408? Let us know by taking our survey.