Five More Minutes

In my opinion, Nikki DeLoach is Hallmark's best actor. Her movies aren't the fluffy ones that are stereotypical romance movies.

This movie has echoes of other movies. A beloved deceased relative leaves evidence behind of a first love before marrying the spouse that all the family knew. There's a beloved family store. This one isn't going bankrupt, but it's gotten disorganized. Widowed mom meets someone. The leading lady has a boyfriend and there was an aborted proposal at the beginning. Then back at her hometown she runs into an old flame that didn't end well when they were young.

But there's more to this movie. The title refers to Clara's expressed wish for 5 more minutes with her late Grandfather. That theme isn't a casual one. But saying more is definite spoilers.

There is a major twist with subtle clues foreshadowing it. I was very lucky to spot the clues and interpret them from the first.

Very nice ending. Sappy, but I love sappy.

It was hard to say no to watching 'Five More Minutes', with it being one of the best received 2021 Hallmark Christmas films in rating and reviews. Nikki DeLoach is also one of my favourite female Hallmark regulars and one of the few to nearly always deliver on good performances regardless of the film's quality (same with Hallmark regulars overall). David Haydn-Jones is not as consistent and his filmography is spottier, but when he is good he is very good.

'Five More Minutes' wasn't flawless, but absolutely deserves the praise it's garnered. It also is a great representation of both DeLoach and Haydn-Jones. The 2021 Hallmark Christmas films were hit and miss, 'Five More Minutes' (watched the day after watching by one of the misses 'A Nantucket Noel') is very much one of the hits and one of the best of them. For me, it's in the top 5 best of the block and one of the best 2021 Hallmark films overall.

Do agree that DeLoach's character's treatment of Haydn-Jones' when dumping him and what she does instead were incredibly cold and made me lose respect for her, this was a shame due to actually really connecting with her throughout the rest of the film.

Also agree that Haydn-Jones' character was a little too pushy at points.

So much is great too. DeLoach's performance is nuanced and incredibly powerful, while she is always compelling she had never moved me quite to the same extent that she does here. Haydn-Jones is very charming and sympathetic, the performance is subtle but never dull. Their chemistry is heartfelt and very genuine, with the development being generally realistic in how it moves (excepting some questionable behavious). Sherry Miller brings class and sincerity to her role. On the whole, the characters were ones worth caring for and easy to in a very relatable and personal scenario.

Furthermore, 'Five More Minutes' is lovingly filmed and the scenery also delivers in beauty. The music never feels melodramatic and isn't overused, or at least to me. The direction is sympathetic while still with momentum. The script is very honest and treats a serious subject with much respect, while not being over-serious. Of all the stories for the 2021 Hallmark Christmas films, the one here is one of the most poignant and did find myself connecting emotionally to the events. The mystery elements never come over as too simple while also not being over-complicated with some neat subtle clues, the big revelation was a real surprise and rang true. The ending is very sweet and tender, it is a little too neat considering what happened earlier but other Hallmark films have fared far worse in this aspect.

Overall, beautiful. 8/10.

With a sweet, warm, and magical feel to it, the opening scene in 'Five More Minutes' sets the tone for this lovely Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' Christmas movie. The story pulls at the heartstrings, providing a bit of mystery and a touch of magic, making for a wonderful viewing experience. Hands down, one of the best this season thus far. The story revolves around Clara (played by Nikki Deloach), an art teacher who will soon lose her job and is also having doubts about her current romantic relationship. So, she heads home this Christmas to help her mother with her late grandfather's candy cane confectionery. While home, she makes a wish for five more minutes with her grandpa (played by Eric Keenleyside), who had always given her the advice and support she needed. Shortly thereafter, she discovers her grandpa's journal, which provides an account of his first lost love. She decides to find this mysterious lost love, eventually teaming up with Logan (played by David Haydn-Jones), her first love, who, like her grandpa, seems to always know what she needs. It is a warm and heartfelt story that immediately pulls you in. It is rich in feeling and emotion. Indeed, I found myself shedding a few tears in this one. The writers do a great job developing all this thru some engaging dialogue and, of course, there is a magical twist to the story. The acting in this one is brilliant. Deloach, a Hallmark regular, had a very convincing performance, quite impressive. Her performance engaged me; I could feel the emotion, her emotion on-screen. Haydn-Jones too was quite good. He had this warm and supportive vibe to his performance, which I found appealing. The chemistry between the two was lovely to watch as well. It felt easy and natural. All in all, 'Five More Minutes' is a beautiful Christmas movie, a nice new edition to Hallmark's Miracles of Christmas movie line-up. I highly recommend it.

Hallmark movies come and go. I love them, but generally would give a 6-8 rating. This one gets a 9. It's a sweet story (aren't they all?), but the actors are all good, the plot a step above and the ending brought me to tears. Reminds me of the old Hallmark Hall of Fame movies of long ago. It's good enough to DVR and save. I think even the Hallmark Christmas movie haters will enjoy this one!

Clara is going home for the Holidays and runs into Logan, her ex. They parted ways when he signed up for the army. At the same time, she is helping her mom at the candy cane store, and she comes across a journal of her granpa who only passed a few months ago. Clara and Logan get very invested in the story being told in it and they connect through it.

I'm not gonna say anything else otherwise it may be considered spoiler and you don't wanna get this spoiled.

I'm gonna be honest. I put this movie as a background while I was doing something else, mainly because I wanted to watch Nikki, who is a favorite of mine. I didn't care about David or his character (i'm sorry!)

But as the movie developed I started losing interest in what I was doing and paying more attention to this. Nikki DeLoach shines, that's why she is one of my faves. She is mostly in movies that have meaning and not just cooking and misunderstandings in the end and for that i'm grateful.

This movie is about love. Not so much love between the leads but love itself: giving an old love a second chance, giving yourself a chance to find love again with someone new, and of course, the first love. The story went beyond the leads and I love that. In fact, I would say the main story is the one being told by the leads (which in the end helps them, of course).

The final scenes (and montage) are very moving. I got very emotional during those. I probably won't watch this again but it was a beautiful movie that went beyond the usual stuff Hallmark offers.