Five More Minutes

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.

The best Hallmark Christmas movie of 2021. What a lovely, inspirational story. Loved the twist at the end. I guess my only question is - had none of them seen pictures of grampa when he was young? Maybe not - and that might explain why her mom never had an encounter with Jay. Still - even with the question, the end had me in tears. Loved it ... will watch this one over and over.

I totally enjoyed the movie. The story line was fantastic and it did not give anything away like in most Hallmark movies. I can totally feel her emotions and cried right along with her. Thanks Hallmark for a fantastic holiday movie.

This film has to be one of Hallmarks best.

The story, the casting, everything is perfect !!

Nikki DeLoach & David Haydn-Jones were exceptional. They brought the story, spirit and emotions right to the forefront. I don't think I have ever watched a film that has hit home like this one did and on an such an emotional level, it was Truly Beautiful xx Although it's a Christmas film, it doesn't follow the normal generic formula that you tend to see in a lot of Christmas films.

Which was refreshing and made for a fantastic new Hallmark Christmas movie.

This is one that has absolutely made it to my list of top Christmas films.

Nikki DeLoach is a Hallmark Queen, she is so fabulous in everything #Queen David Haydn-Jones, omg... loved him, loved him, loved him, someone sign him up for more films tv/etc cause he's a bloody gem !!

Thank you to whoever did the casting, as you really nailed it with this one xx.

I have never cried so much at a film in my life but this one hit me at every level , and to my grandad I really do wish we had five more minutes !! Xx.

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.