December 11, 2025 • 27 mins
Girls Gone Hallmark is back with a festive city spin as we unwrap Single on the 25th! This cozy Christmas-in-the-city romance follows a thirty-something spending the holiday solo… until a handsome neighbor turns her quiet December 25th into something a lot more magical. Is this the start of a holiday meet-cute for the ages, or just the universe reminding us that love can show up when we least expect it?
For full episode shownotes click here: https://www.girlsgonehallmark.com/single-on-the-25th-hallmark/
Visit our website: www.girlsgonehallmark.com
Email us: girlsgonehallmark@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram!
Check out our merch shop!
Subscribe to our Patreon for more Megan and Wendy
For full episode shownotes click here: https://www.girlsgonehallmark.com/single-on-the-25th-hallmark/
Visit our website: www.girlsgonehallmark.com
Email us: girlsgonehallmark@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram!
Check out our merch shop!
Subscribe to our Patreon for more Megan and Wendy
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is a Bramble Jam podcast. Welcome to Girls Gone
(00:23):
Hallmark on Hallmark Review Podcast. I'm Megan and I'm a
longtime Hallmark fan. I'm Wendy, I'm a former Hallmark hater.
On today's episode, we're discussing single on the twenty fifth,
which originally aired on Sunday, December seventh on the Hallmark
Channel and is currently available to stream on Hallmark Plus.
You heard it here first, folks. The annual count on
a Christmas Bracket is back for the twenty twenty five
(00:45):
season and will be happening exclusively on our Instagram, which
is Girls Gone Hallmark. Follow us there and stay tuned
for all of the details which will be forthcoming, which
just is code for we haven't figured it out quite
that is correct. Hey, come join our Facebook group. You know,
(01:05):
I always think like, oh, we have a small but
mighty group over there, but there are fifteen hundred, sixteen
hundred people over there who love daily to talk about
Hallmark movies, especially in real time. If you're like, you know,
watching on a Saturday night and you're like, hey, I
don't have anybody to talk about this movie with one,
you can jump over to our Instagram and give us
(01:26):
your first impression or come into our group because there's
tons of people there who want to dive right in
to their favorite things about these movies. Question. Yeah, would
you like to keep first impressions on Instagram going outside
of the count of Christmas season? I think so. Yeah.
I think from a business aspect it's great for engagement.
(01:48):
I think so too. And what I've noticed is it
seems like people are now starting to seek it out
to drop their opinions in there. Yeah. I think it's
me happy. I think it's great. Well, let's talk Single
on the twenty fifth, and we're gonna start with a synopsis.
Nell decides to spend Christmas on her own after her
family's plans fall through, only to cross paths with her
(02:11):
happily unattached neighbor Cooper. Their easy festive friendship starts to
feel like something more until Nell discovers he's offered help
out of pity. To save the season, both must grow
new by embracing her strength and Cooper by proving his
feelings are genuine. Jonathan Wright directed Single on the twenty fifth.
This is his second movie in the twenty twenty five
(02:33):
countdown to Christmas season. And his twenty seventh overall. He
has previously directed We Met in December, the Perfect Setting
and fan favorite A Very Merry Mix Up Pause. Do
you recall in a recent episode we talked about our
soothing podcast, which I was just reminded of because I
put on my podcaster voice. Yeah, that we should make
a nighttime sleepy time. We're gonna call it IMDb dreams.
(02:57):
I don't hate it, stay tuned. I don't hate it.
I don't have the voice to do it. You're gonna
have to get in the closet and be like Jonathan
Wright dires. I think there's a market for people who
would just turn on the IMBD. That's not what it's
called the IMDb description of shows just to hear someone talking.
(03:20):
I think you should do it as a sleeping you
should do it. Well, just start start and I say we,
and I mean you, because you can turn that voice on.
I sound like a screeching Hyaena, so that I sound
like a screeching Hyaena when I don't stop and lower
things the voice. Yeah. I was listening to our podcast
episode today because that's what I do in my car
(03:42):
as I listen to myself talk. I have to turn
myself down because I'm like so much higher sometimes not
volume wise, I'm just talking about of my voice. I
feel the same way I look. I am a misogynist
against myself most days. Okay, let's talk about jo Joa
Bachhan wrote this screenplay where big fans of her work.
(04:03):
With thirty two writing credits. She's been responsible for any
Port Christmas savoring, Paris branching out, and our Italian Christmas Memories. Guys,
if you've never seen our Italian Christmas Memories, get ready
to cry your eyeballs out. You know I've never seen
that movie. You should watch it. I'm not ready to
cry my eyeballs out. Lindsay Vonseca stars as Now. Lindsay
was last on Hallmark in twenty twenty four. Really been
(04:26):
a long time with both Holiday Crashers and the Magic
of Lemon Drops. This is her fifty fifth acting credit.
Daniel Listing co stars as Cooper, known for his longtime
role as Jack on When Calls the Heart. Daniel returned
to Hallmark in twenty twenty four for Santa Tell Me.
This movie marks his thirty fourth acting credit. Tanisha Collins
plays friend Julia. She has twenty seven acting credits and
(04:48):
has appeared in a bunch of shows like Fatherhood and
The Bold Type. This is her first time on Hallmark.
Laura Spencer Smith appears as herself performing the song single
on the twenty fifth. Victor Andre Turgen Trellis plays Thomas.
He's appeared on the show Fire Country and Star Trek Discovery.
This looks like his first role for Hallmark. Let's take
(05:10):
a quick break and come right back with our first impressions. Hey, Wendy,
what was your first impression of Single? On the twenty fifth,
This movie insists now is a tragic holiday case, but
(05:31):
from where I'm sitting, her lonely life looked kind of aspirational.
My first impression is I would very much like to
spend Christmas alone in my pajamas with a thermostat crank. Okay,
is that crazy that you and I both are like,
please leave us alone, Please leave us alone. That says
a lot about where our lives are at right now.
I was gone all day yesterday and my husband was
(05:54):
home alone and I was like, Ah, did you miss us?
And he goes nope, And I go, God, that's a dream.
I said, That's all I want for Christmas, he goes,
maybe you need to go somewhere. I'm like, please, anywhere,
go somewhere, anywhere. You should go somewhere. Book yourself, Like
I stay at an airport hotel. For goodness sakes, let
me tell you the airport at the Denver Airport is
(06:16):
pretty nice. Hotel there. Yeah, I mean we're in Orange County.
Do you remember Hotel Irvine. Yeah. I'm so sad that
place closed. It was every time I darted by it,
I'm like, there it is still I know, is it
actually like closed? Closed? If I went to the door,
it would be closed. There's nothing there, It's closed. The
hotel doesn't exist anymore. It still says Hotel Irvine on
the building it. I could have sworn they did not
(06:40):
survive twenty twenty. Yes, no, they do not exist anymore.
Is that just a Tel Irvine, closed, empty building sitting there?
I don't know. Inside Orange County folks. That was a
cute little place. Yeah. We went away, oh just for
one night, right, and we worked. That's how fun we are.
We worked. It was a good time. Well, let's talk
(07:04):
what we liked about single on the twenty fifth. Okay, So, Megan,
if you listen to our last episode. She's making a list.
Meghan said we're gonna fight over this movie. I think
she might be wrong. I don't think we're gonna fight.
I just don't think I've loved it as much as
you did. Okay, well I did. I think you've been
mesmerized by one Daniel Lissing. Dude, y'all need We interviewed
(07:28):
Daniel Lissing as part of a podcaster press junket last week,
and we meean Meghan. Okay, it's a team effort. First
of all, I show up to that press junket Daniel Stocking,
I'm like, whoa, He's I almost had Italian. He's Australian,
had no idea, no idea. Every party in the world's like, yeah, dummy.
(07:48):
And what was really funny is in the interview a
couple of times he like slides into Cooper and it
just like immediately flips a switch with his American accent.
It's impressive, but yet listen to that interview. The full
context of the junket is uploaded on our website. We've
also posted a couple of reels. He yes, it did
deepen my enjoyment of the movie, but tell the truth.
(08:09):
I watched this movie ahead of that junket and was
texting him like, this movie's really cute. I liked it
going into it. He's very introspective, has some really interesting
things to say about the movie, and it did enhance
my enjoyment of the movie. I will tell you that.
But let's talk some specific things. I think they did
a nice job being very real about some awkward moments.
(08:32):
So the neighbor small talk scene when they're like trying
to bring the tree in and he's like standing there. Yes,
She's like, I don't want to get caught in the
conversational shuffle and her friend's like, what do you mean.
She's like, you know, just the shuffle through the safe topics.
And then they're like, let's talk about the weather, let's
talk about our holiday plans, and then they okay, well
it's I feel that perfectly awkward. Yeah. Cut to her
(08:55):
having to kill some time in his apartment and she's like,
what do you do? So they really kind of sat
in those scenes and let the silence speak for itself
a little bit. Daniel does talk about that in our
interview about how that's kind of where the magic happens
in those moments where you just let it come out.
I thought it was a real, quiet comedy and enjoyed
(09:18):
it and felt very uncomfortably real. Joibot Can as our writer,
always gives us deeper than surface level story time telling
it's not just a surface level holiday romance. She gives
us characters who are doing the emotional homework. Both Daniel
says it like I'm just going to keep referencing it.
(09:39):
He says, Nell grows outward and Daniel has growth inward.
And I think, and he even says he's like Cooper's
a little bit of an ass in the movie. He
comes from kind of like a douchey plays and he
does a little bit. But I think maybe the thing,
and correct me if I'm wrong. I think maybe the
(09:59):
thing that put you off of this movie, which isn't
to say that you didn't like it, is this idea
that singleness is a problem to be solved. Ah, I
can agree with that. So I was very nervous at
the beginning of this movie. The movie's called Single on
the twenty fifth, and she's like, I'm going to go
in being single. I'm gonna I'm gonna live my life
(10:20):
and I'm thinking, oh no, because we all know they're
going to end up together because it's a Hallmark movie.
So how are we going to get from it's great,
it's okay to be single to now I'm in a relationship.
I liked the arc where they said it is okay
to explore yourself and be comfortable in yourself. And at
the very end of the movie where she's at her
(10:41):
support group, which don't worry, we're going to talk about
but she says, learning my aloneness wasn't a problem to
be solved. Yeah, and being okay with being alone is
not the same as not wanting to be in a relationship,
Like both of those things can exist. Ye, She's like,
I'm tired of you for my life to start, because
I'm that my real life starts when I have a partner.
(11:03):
My real life can start. Now. I think it is
okay to acknowledge like she wanted to be in a relationship.
She wanted the the love you seek is closer than
you think moment right. But also she figured out how
to be okay on her own and not just in
a holding pattern. When I'm with my family, I can
(11:25):
have a real Christmas. When I'm in a relationship. I
can have a real Christmas. You can go all in
on those you are enough right moments. Right, I will
get to my wishes, but I don't disagree with anything
you say. There my final big like the slow build,
it works for me. The chemistry is chemistry ing. The
(11:45):
Rudolph movie scene with the slight finger grays of the
thigh was so good, like so much more intimate than
a kiss in that moment. Yeah, totally, I loved it.
Here are my likes, and I have a list of likes.
Agree with you. I do believe this movie is like
an actual romance we're watching. All the Whollmark movies we've
(12:09):
gotten this season are like rom come or like you know,
there's the romance is like a byproduct like whatever. Like
this to me felt like, oh, this is a romantic story,
a believable these two people learning about each other. Yeah,
the romance is centered in our story. Yeah. I appreciated that.
That felt super different than a lot of the movies
(12:30):
we've gotten this year. So I really enjoyed that. I
co sign on the slow burn down right. I thought,
you know, these two like slightly awkward neighbors inching towards
each other having like real conversations, you know, like you said,
we got past like the awkward conversation shuffle to actual
(12:54):
meati conversations. I thought was done really well and worked
better than I expected. Part of me really wondered about
Daniel Lissie's character. I was like, is he socially awkward here?
Like what's the deal that whole scene when they're in
like the atrium of the hotel with the Christmas tree,
Like he was so uncomfortable, Like they were both uncomfortable,
(13:14):
but he. I was like, what's the vibe here? Is he?
Do she? Or is he truly? I thought, could this
character be on the spectrum a little bit? Like doesn't
know how to interact with people? I think what we've
come to it is like he was just uncomfortable with
his true self and so therefore you act kind of
guarded right well. In the interview, Daniel says that he
(13:37):
developed a backstory for Cooper that was not on the page,
and one of those things was that Cooper was heartbroken
and that heartbreak had occurred in a restaurant at a
corner table where if you remember, at the restaurant, he
he tells her when they're they're going to their alone
together dinner and he talks to the host and he's like,
(13:58):
I just wanted to make sure we got the perfect table,
never near the kitchen, never in a corner. And so
to him, that was his backstory, Like he's like, I
love a corner table, but that brings up that memory
for me. So that's where he was coming from. That's
where what he was bringing to the character. Of course
it's not on the page, but that's what he was
(14:19):
trying to work with for Cooper. Interesting, h interesting, which
then makes him defensive, sure and guarded. Kind of wish
for that context a little bit, right. Yeah, now that
you say that, I'm mentally putting that in my wishes,
(14:40):
I'll just drop that there. I enjoyed him a lot.
You know, we're not we're not heart ease. We didn't
watch that show. We don't watch that show. He's not
on that show. But he's great, really good. He was
in last year's Santa Tell Me he was so good
in that too. Like, I want to see him in
a non Chris this movie, Give me a summer movie. Yeah,
(15:02):
I just I don't know. Lindsay Vonseca, I love her,
She's great. Truly. She's very fun in this. She's so
fun in this. I have some wishes about her too.
But my final thing that I really like is Chicago
looked good. Chicago looked fun, festive Chicago in my mind.
And I don't know if this is propaganda, but Chicago
(15:24):
to me is a dangerous place and it looked beautiful. Oh,
that probably is propaganda. I mean this was Montreal. But yes,
they did a true job. I think they did a
really nice job with the settings. And again in the interview,
these are the kinds of things you're missing if you're
not paying attention. Daniel talks about how they spent a
(15:45):
lot of time location scouting. There was they really paid
attention to the exterior filming locations. They said, there's nothing's
a set. Everything is a real restaurant or real apartment,
and so it I thought. I thought it was beautiful
to me too, mantra Chicago. Well, let's talk wishes, Okay,
(16:07):
Can I start. Yeah. I did not totally buy that
Nell is so lonely she might shatter arc m to
I love Lindsay Vonseca, but this movie kept insisting that
she was unraveling, and I did not feel that from
her performance, she didn't read as like insecure or codependent
(16:33):
at all. To me. She read as normal functioning. Yeah,
you know, I get. I also come from a place
of I don't have FOMO and I feel like, Okay,
she was like, Oh, I'm missing out on the holidays
because my family isn't here, or I'm missing out on
having this romanticized Christmas holiday because I don't have a partner.
(16:58):
I don't feel that way in my normal life. So
like I couldn't connect with her, Like I just was like,
I don't see it. She looks like she's functioning. Yes,
I think she totally looked like she's functioning. And I
didn't get the vibe that she was like unraveling, just
that she had a missing piece. But I think you
and I can't relate Like we've been married for one
(17:18):
billion years, we have children. We not with each other, guys,
just correct, want me that clear. We're married to different people.
As we talked about at the top of this episode,
being alone as the gift, we have plenty of togetherness,
plenty of the family time during the holidays, right, and
the our dexcended families are both local. So I don't
(17:41):
know that I could fully relate, because in my mind,
I'm thinking being alone for a week at the holidays,
that's a freaking dream. Oh my god. If I could
just have a full week and one day, I'm like,
I'm gonna make cookies. That sounds heavenly to me. Heavenly
to decorate, to dance around in my underwear with the
like ornaments and whatever. Yes, but if your every day
(18:06):
was coming home to an empty apartment. Now, look, I'm
fiercely independent, so part of me is like, I think
I'd be fine. I think I would be fine. But again,
I'm forty six years old. I've been Mary for a
long time. Like I think I can appreciate that. I
don't know. I don't think I can fully understand who
she is because of the life that I have lived.
And also I think me at twenty eight would have
(18:28):
been like, no, no, I need to be in a relationship.
I need that to complete my life because I had
this vision of like marriage, family, this whole package. Yeah,
but now I have it. Yeah. So you're saying, if
you were single and twenty eight and you had this
timeline set up for yourself or what, you're just this
trajectory of how you saw your life and it was
(18:50):
not happening. You think you might be like spiraling out
a little bit. Maybe not spiraling, but I would be like, oh,
I would be hoping that was part of my future.
Of the love you seek is closer than you think. Yeah, well,
let me tell you this. I have a sister who's
much younger than me, much younger than me, who is single,
and I wonder if that's how she feels like. You know,
(19:13):
she goes home every night, but she comes and sees
us at the holidays too, and then gets bombarded with
the questions of like, I'm so sorry for her, Why
are you still single? Are you dating? Is there anybody specially? Yes?
Are you bringing any I've decided I just don't ask
her any of those questions anymore, which makes me feel bad.
Is it makes me feel like I'm disengaged from her life.
But also I don't need to bombard her. Yes, but
(19:35):
if you had information that there was something worth talking about,
you would dig deeper. Yeah, so I wonder like from
her perspective as a late twenty early thirty year old,
I wonder how she would relate watching this movie. But
I don't want to be like, here, you should watch
this movie about being single. Like that's almost as bad.
It's like Niel's uncle sending her that book. Yes, exactly exactly.
(19:59):
My second wish is I kind of felt a little
low key uncomfortable with Cooper coaching Nell into independence. Hmmm,
tell me more. Why is this man have to like
she was not unraveling, She was fully functionable. She wasn't unraveling,
(20:22):
but she wasn't comfortable with a loneness. She She was like, Oh,
I'm gonna be If they're not coming, I gotta go
to them. Like the idea of her doing these things
alone wasn't occurring to her. She wasn't settling in. She's like, oh,
I got this reservation. I got to cancel it. That's fair.
I just would feel resentful if somebody in my life
(20:43):
was like trying to coach me into being like more
olgoing oh God, or more fun or whatever, I'd be like, no, No,
I think I think it's fair to say that Nell
and you and I are very different people. Yes, no,
please do not tell me what to do. Please do
not suggest ways that you could make my life better.
(21:03):
I'm just fine, thank you, right, I'm just fine. My
last wish was the self help stuff and the lie group,
and that was a touch too far. Look, singleness does
not require a support group. Yeah, while there were moments
of wisdom in that group, and it does. It is
(21:23):
the place where she has her emotional epiphany. I just
don't think that singles need a support group. It does
suggest it's a problem to be solved, it does suggest
it's a hardship. Like I think. It's a funny note
when her friend suggests going to a single support group
and she says, it's not like I need support for
the tragedy that is my unpartnered life, and then she
(21:45):
actually goes, no, listen to a podcast, you know. Look,
I think support groups have their purpose if you're greed
at like a Greek support Sure for a divorce support group.
But then on the flip side, we are currently also
watching twelve Dates till Christmas. She should have done like
(22:08):
a matchmaking thing? Or yeah, does she have only one
single friend and single not as like as in one
friend she only has one friend? Yeah? Yeah whatever? Yeah
no more? Or last minute Christmas parties deciding to throw
a Christmas party on the twenty fifth with five days
to plan. It is fully diabolical and ascidning it to Cooper,
who is not a party planner in a company that
(22:29):
clearly has a budget. Give me a break. Yeah, there
are people who do this, And I don't like when
he calls her lonely. Don't call him in lonely. She
can make that distinction. You can't call her lonely. Yeah.
I would be offended if somebody called me lonely. Yes, Oh,
she's just this lonely woman in my apartment. Les, let's talk.
Did you see that? Okay? One is kind of a question.
(22:52):
Now and Cooper are. They're going to the Christmas market.
They run into his coworker. They're like making that awkward
chit chat. Yeah, and she goes, I'm cold, I'm going
to go inside. She goes inside to the outside market.
She doesn't go inside anywhere to get warm. They are
in an outdoor market. Yeah, funny, funny. I wonder if
(23:12):
that was supposed to be read as like I'm uncomfortable
in this making this small chit chat I'm going inside, yeah,
or if it was just not an actual indoor market. Yeah,
who knows. I don't know. The single on the twenty
fifth song tie In I guess this movie was like
based on that song, and then like we have the
artist and then the dance scene is so cute. This
(23:35):
is where, oh see, this is so funny because Cooper
is so stiff and awkward sometimes and then you have
this where he's like, I'm gonna go out there and
dance like to this fast paced sig. I don't read
him as stiff and awkward. You don't know, there's like
these I feel he's stiff and awkward, and then he
has these moments where he's like this loose, kind of
(23:59):
fun guy when he goes out on that dance floor
and he's dancing by himself and he's doing these like yeah,
it was great, it was light, and then they danced together. No,
I didn't read Cooper is stiff and awkward. The awkwardness
in this movie came from like the developing of their friendship,
which was awkward going from neighbor acquaintances to friends to
something more, and the awkwardness of those moments when he's
(24:22):
in the office there is a little bit of like
he and his coworker don't fully connect and we learn why.
But like when he goes up to the Santa and
He's like, you might have more luck on this than nonprofit.
I don't know. He's kind of smooth, he's kind of
a man of the people. He's close to his parents.
I don't know. I see all those things, but I
(24:43):
did not find him stiff and awkward my DIGITSI that's
are just some some moments. I'd like to talk about
the fortune cookie callback. I've referenced it multiple times. The
love you seek is closer than you think, and she cries,
look the setup and the payoff was worth it for me.
I like that, yep, grabbing him in the final kiss.
The kiss was hot hawt. I thought the opening scene,
(25:08):
Nell's walking on the city streets and she's just bombarded
with a couple. After a couple, the frustration on her face,
she kind of like wipes her hand across her face.
It was like top tier, this is too much for me.
Moment Cooper walking beside the carriage. She's going to take
her single carriage ride. Yes, I thought it was really funny.
And she hops in and they didn't just make the
choice to have her be like, why don't you come
(25:29):
with me? He just walks along while she's humiliated, And
again they sit in that awkwardness. I loved it. Yeah.
And finally Thomas the dude she coworker. We learned he's
a dude because he's super uncomfortable. Yeah, he's just trying
to fit in and he's doing it badly. I like
that they closed that, you know, it's not it's not
(25:50):
just Cooper who is can't be his real self? And yeah,
and I like that they had like hinted at because
we see Cooper check the sports scores at one and
then we learn like why he's doing that so he
can connect with his you know, they're like, I'm not
watching the game either. Yeah, let's talk about Hallmark movies
or whatever. They actually like, Well, what did you rate? Single?
(26:13):
On the twenty fifth? I gave it three and a
half stars. I have four and a half stars. I
really enjoyed this movie. Thank you for listening to this
episode of Girls Gone Hallmark, a Bramble Jam podcast. We'll
be back next time with more Hallmark reviews. Goodbye bye.
(26:38):
All right friends, before we go, just a quick heads up,
you're about to hear some ads. These little gems help
us keep the show running and the Hallmark love flowing.
So do with that info what you will, grab a snack,
hit the skip button, or maybe just maybe listen in
and discover your new favorite product. Byetta U
This is a Bramble Jam podcast. Welcome to Girls Gone
(00:23):
Hallmark on Hallmark Review Podcast. I'm Megan and I'm a
longtime Hallmark fan. I'm Wendy, I'm a former Hallmark hater.
On today's episode, we're discussing single on the twenty fifth,
which originally aired on Sunday, December seventh on the Hallmark
Channel and is currently available to stream on Hallmark Plus.
You heard it here first, folks. The annual count on
a Christmas Bracket is back for the twenty twenty five
(00:45):
season and will be happening exclusively on our Instagram, which
is Girls Gone Hallmark. Follow us there and stay tuned
for all of the details which will be forthcoming, which
just is code for we haven't figured it out quite
that is correct. Hey, come join our Facebook group. You know,
(01:05):
I always think like, oh, we have a small but
mighty group over there, but there are fifteen hundred, sixteen
hundred people over there who love daily to talk about
Hallmark movies, especially in real time. If you're like, you know,
watching on a Saturday night and you're like, hey, I
don't have anybody to talk about this movie with one,
you can jump over to our Instagram and give us
(01:26):
your first impression or come into our group because there's
tons of people there who want to dive right in
to their favorite things about these movies. Question. Yeah, would
you like to keep first impressions on Instagram going outside
of the count of Christmas season? I think so. Yeah.
I think from a business aspect it's great for engagement.
(01:48):
I think so too. And what I've noticed is it
seems like people are now starting to seek it out
to drop their opinions in there. Yeah. I think it's
me happy. I think it's great. Well, let's talk Single
on the twenty fifth, and we're gonna start with a synopsis.
Nell decides to spend Christmas on her own after her
family's plans fall through, only to cross paths with her
(02:11):
happily unattached neighbor Cooper. Their easy festive friendship starts to
feel like something more until Nell discovers he's offered help
out of pity. To save the season, both must grow
new by embracing her strength and Cooper by proving his
feelings are genuine. Jonathan Wright directed Single on the twenty fifth.
This is his second movie in the twenty twenty five
(02:33):
countdown to Christmas season. And his twenty seventh overall. He
has previously directed We Met in December, the Perfect Setting
and fan favorite A Very Merry Mix Up Pause. Do
you recall in a recent episode we talked about our
soothing podcast, which I was just reminded of because I
put on my podcaster voice. Yeah, that we should make
a nighttime sleepy time. We're gonna call it IMDb dreams.
(02:57):
I don't hate it, stay tuned. I don't hate it.
I don't have the voice to do it. You're gonna
have to get in the closet and be like Jonathan
Wright dires. I think there's a market for people who
would just turn on the IMBD. That's not what it's
called the IMDb description of shows just to hear someone talking.
(03:20):
I think you should do it as a sleeping you
should do it. Well, just start start and I say we,
and I mean you, because you can turn that voice on.
I sound like a screeching Hyaena, so that I sound
like a screeching Hyaena when I don't stop and lower
things the voice. Yeah. I was listening to our podcast
episode today because that's what I do in my car
(03:42):
as I listen to myself talk. I have to turn
myself down because I'm like so much higher sometimes not
volume wise, I'm just talking about of my voice. I
feel the same way I look. I am a misogynist
against myself most days. Okay, let's talk about jo Joa
Bachhan wrote this screenplay where big fans of her work.
(04:03):
With thirty two writing credits. She's been responsible for any
Port Christmas savoring, Paris branching out, and our Italian Christmas Memories. Guys,
if you've never seen our Italian Christmas Memories, get ready
to cry your eyeballs out. You know I've never seen
that movie. You should watch it. I'm not ready to
cry my eyeballs out. Lindsay Vonseca stars as Now. Lindsay
was last on Hallmark in twenty twenty four. Really been
(04:26):
a long time with both Holiday Crashers and the Magic
of Lemon Drops. This is her fifty fifth acting credit.
Daniel Listing co stars as Cooper, known for his longtime
role as Jack on When Calls the Heart. Daniel returned
to Hallmark in twenty twenty four for Santa Tell Me.
This movie marks his thirty fourth acting credit. Tanisha Collins
plays friend Julia. She has twenty seven acting credits and
(04:48):
has appeared in a bunch of shows like Fatherhood and
The Bold Type. This is her first time on Hallmark.
Laura Spencer Smith appears as herself performing the song single
on the twenty fifth. Victor Andre Turgen Trellis plays Thomas.
He's appeared on the show Fire Country and Star Trek Discovery.
This looks like his first role for Hallmark. Let's take
(05:10):
a quick break and come right back with our first impressions. Hey, Wendy,
what was your first impression of Single? On the twenty fifth,
This movie insists now is a tragic holiday case, but
(05:31):
from where I'm sitting, her lonely life looked kind of aspirational.
My first impression is I would very much like to
spend Christmas alone in my pajamas with a thermostat crank. Okay,
is that crazy that you and I both are like,
please leave us alone, Please leave us alone. That says
a lot about where our lives are at right now.
I was gone all day yesterday and my husband was
(05:54):
home alone and I was like, Ah, did you miss us?
And he goes nope, And I go, God, that's a dream.
I said, That's all I want for Christmas, he goes,
maybe you need to go somewhere. I'm like, please, anywhere,
go somewhere, anywhere. You should go somewhere. Book yourself, Like
I stay at an airport hotel. For goodness sakes, let
me tell you the airport at the Denver Airport is
(06:16):
pretty nice. Hotel there. Yeah, I mean we're in Orange County.
Do you remember Hotel Irvine. Yeah. I'm so sad that
place closed. It was every time I darted by it,
I'm like, there it is still I know, is it
actually like closed? Closed? If I went to the door,
it would be closed. There's nothing there, It's closed. The
hotel doesn't exist anymore. It still says Hotel Irvine on
the building it. I could have sworn they did not
(06:40):
survive twenty twenty. Yes, no, they do not exist anymore.
Is that just a Tel Irvine, closed, empty building sitting there?
I don't know. Inside Orange County folks. That was a
cute little place. Yeah. We went away, oh just for
one night, right, and we worked. That's how fun we are.
We worked. It was a good time. Well, let's talk
(07:04):
what we liked about single on the twenty fifth. Okay, So, Megan,
if you listen to our last episode. She's making a list.
Meghan said we're gonna fight over this movie. I think
she might be wrong. I don't think we're gonna fight.
I just don't think I've loved it as much as
you did. Okay, well I did. I think you've been
mesmerized by one Daniel Lissing. Dude, y'all need We interviewed
(07:28):
Daniel Lissing as part of a podcaster press junket last week,
and we meean Meghan. Okay, it's a team effort. First
of all, I show up to that press junket Daniel Stocking,
I'm like, whoa, He's I almost had Italian. He's Australian,
had no idea, no idea. Every party in the world's like, yeah, dummy.
(07:48):
And what was really funny is in the interview a
couple of times he like slides into Cooper and it
just like immediately flips a switch with his American accent.
It's impressive, but yet listen to that interview. The full
context of the junket is uploaded on our website. We've
also posted a couple of reels. He yes, it did
deepen my enjoyment of the movie, but tell the truth.
(08:09):
I watched this movie ahead of that junket and was
texting him like, this movie's really cute. I liked it
going into it. He's very introspective, has some really interesting
things to say about the movie, and it did enhance
my enjoyment of the movie. I will tell you that.
But let's talk some specific things. I think they did
a nice job being very real about some awkward moments.
(08:32):
So the neighbor small talk scene when they're like trying
to bring the tree in and he's like standing there. Yes,
She's like, I don't want to get caught in the
conversational shuffle and her friend's like, what do you mean.
She's like, you know, just the shuffle through the safe topics.
And then they're like, let's talk about the weather, let's
talk about our holiday plans, and then they okay, well
it's I feel that perfectly awkward. Yeah. Cut to her
(08:55):
having to kill some time in his apartment and she's like,
what do you do? So they really kind of sat
in those scenes and let the silence speak for itself
a little bit. Daniel does talk about that in our
interview about how that's kind of where the magic happens
in those moments where you just let it come out.
I thought it was a real, quiet comedy and enjoyed
(09:18):
it and felt very uncomfortably real. Joibot Can as our writer,
always gives us deeper than surface level story time telling
it's not just a surface level holiday romance. She gives
us characters who are doing the emotional homework. Both Daniel
says it like I'm just going to keep referencing it.
(09:39):
He says, Nell grows outward and Daniel has growth inward.
And I think, and he even says he's like Cooper's
a little bit of an ass in the movie. He
comes from kind of like a douchey plays and he
does a little bit. But I think maybe the thing,
and correct me if I'm wrong. I think maybe the
(09:59):
thing that put you off of this movie, which isn't
to say that you didn't like it, is this idea
that singleness is a problem to be solved. Ah, I
can agree with that. So I was very nervous at
the beginning of this movie. The movie's called Single on
the twenty fifth, and she's like, I'm going to go
in being single. I'm gonna I'm gonna live my life
(10:20):
and I'm thinking, oh no, because we all know they're
going to end up together because it's a Hallmark movie.
So how are we going to get from it's great,
it's okay to be single to now I'm in a relationship.
I liked the arc where they said it is okay
to explore yourself and be comfortable in yourself. And at
the very end of the movie where she's at her
(10:41):
support group, which don't worry, we're going to talk about
but she says, learning my aloneness wasn't a problem to
be solved. Yeah, and being okay with being alone is
not the same as not wanting to be in a relationship,
Like both of those things can exist. Ye, She's like,
I'm tired of you for my life to start, because
I'm that my real life starts when I have a partner.
(11:03):
My real life can start. Now. I think it is
okay to acknowledge like she wanted to be in a relationship.
She wanted the the love you seek is closer than
you think moment right. But also she figured out how
to be okay on her own and not just in
a holding pattern. When I'm with my family, I can
(11:25):
have a real Christmas. When I'm in a relationship. I
can have a real Christmas. You can go all in
on those you are enough right moments. Right, I will
get to my wishes, but I don't disagree with anything
you say. There my final big like the slow build,
it works for me. The chemistry is chemistry ing. The
(11:45):
Rudolph movie scene with the slight finger grays of the
thigh was so good, like so much more intimate than
a kiss in that moment. Yeah, totally, I loved it.
Here are my likes, and I have a list of likes.
Agree with you. I do believe this movie is like
an actual romance we're watching. All the Whollmark movies we've
(12:09):
gotten this season are like rom come or like you know,
there's the romance is like a byproduct like whatever. Like
this to me felt like, oh, this is a romantic story,
a believable these two people learning about each other. Yeah,
the romance is centered in our story. Yeah. I appreciated that.
That felt super different than a lot of the movies
(12:30):
we've gotten this year. So I really enjoyed that. I
co sign on the slow burn down right. I thought,
you know, these two like slightly awkward neighbors inching towards
each other having like real conversations, you know, like you said,
we got past like the awkward conversation shuffle to actual
(12:54):
meati conversations. I thought was done really well and worked
better than I expected. Part of me really wondered about
Daniel Lissie's character. I was like, is he socially awkward here?
Like what's the deal that whole scene when they're in
like the atrium of the hotel with the Christmas tree,
Like he was so uncomfortable, Like they were both uncomfortable,
(13:14):
but he. I was like, what's the vibe here? Is he?
Do she? Or is he truly? I thought, could this
character be on the spectrum a little bit? Like doesn't
know how to interact with people? I think what we've
come to it is like he was just uncomfortable with
his true self and so therefore you act kind of
guarded right well. In the interview, Daniel says that he
(13:37):
developed a backstory for Cooper that was not on the page,
and one of those things was that Cooper was heartbroken
and that heartbreak had occurred in a restaurant at a
corner table where if you remember, at the restaurant, he
he tells her when they're they're going to their alone
together dinner and he talks to the host and he's like,
(13:58):
I just wanted to make sure we got the perfect table,
never near the kitchen, never in a corner. And so
to him, that was his backstory, Like he's like, I
love a corner table, but that brings up that memory
for me. So that's where he was coming from. That's
where what he was bringing to the character. Of course
it's not on the page, but that's what he was
(14:19):
trying to work with for Cooper. Interesting, h interesting, which
then makes him defensive, sure and guarded. Kind of wish
for that context a little bit, right. Yeah, now that
you say that, I'm mentally putting that in my wishes,
(14:40):
I'll just drop that there. I enjoyed him a lot.
You know, we're not we're not heart ease. We didn't
watch that show. We don't watch that show. He's not
on that show. But he's great, really good. He was
in last year's Santa Tell Me he was so good
in that too. Like, I want to see him in
a non Chris this movie, Give me a summer movie. Yeah,
(15:02):
I just I don't know. Lindsay Vonseca, I love her,
She's great. Truly. She's very fun in this. She's so
fun in this. I have some wishes about her too.
But my final thing that I really like is Chicago
looked good. Chicago looked fun, festive Chicago in my mind.
And I don't know if this is propaganda, but Chicago
(15:24):
to me is a dangerous place and it looked beautiful. Oh,
that probably is propaganda. I mean this was Montreal. But yes,
they did a true job. I think they did a
really nice job with the settings. And again in the interview,
these are the kinds of things you're missing if you're
not paying attention. Daniel talks about how they spent a
(15:45):
lot of time location scouting. There was they really paid
attention to the exterior filming locations. They said, there's nothing's
a set. Everything is a real restaurant or real apartment,
and so it I thought. I thought it was beautiful
to me too, mantra Chicago. Well, let's talk wishes, Okay,
(16:07):
Can I start. Yeah. I did not totally buy that
Nell is so lonely she might shatter arc m to
I love Lindsay Vonseca, but this movie kept insisting that
she was unraveling, and I did not feel that from
her performance, she didn't read as like insecure or codependent
(16:33):
at all. To me. She read as normal functioning. Yeah,
you know, I get. I also come from a place
of I don't have FOMO and I feel like, Okay,
she was like, Oh, I'm missing out on the holidays
because my family isn't here, or I'm missing out on
having this romanticized Christmas holiday because I don't have a partner.
(16:58):
I don't feel that way in my normal life. So
like I couldn't connect with her, Like I just was like,
I don't see it. She looks like she's functioning. Yes,
I think she totally looked like she's functioning. And I
didn't get the vibe that she was like unraveling, just
that she had a missing piece. But I think you
and I can't relate Like we've been married for one
(17:18):
billion years, we have children. We not with each other, guys,
just correct, want me that clear. We're married to different people.
As we talked about at the top of this episode,
being alone as the gift, we have plenty of togetherness,
plenty of the family time during the holidays, right, and
the our dexcended families are both local. So I don't
(17:41):
know that I could fully relate, because in my mind,
I'm thinking being alone for a week at the holidays,
that's a freaking dream. Oh my god. If I could
just have a full week and one day, I'm like,
I'm gonna make cookies. That sounds heavenly to me. Heavenly
to decorate, to dance around in my underwear with the
like ornaments and whatever. Yes, but if your every day
(18:06):
was coming home to an empty apartment. Now, look, I'm
fiercely independent, so part of me is like, I think
I'd be fine. I think I would be fine. But again,
I'm forty six years old. I've been Mary for a
long time. Like I think I can appreciate that. I
don't know. I don't think I can fully understand who
she is because of the life that I have lived.
And also I think me at twenty eight would have
(18:28):
been like, no, no, I need to be in a relationship.
I need that to complete my life because I had
this vision of like marriage, family, this whole package. Yeah,
but now I have it. Yeah. So you're saying, if
you were single and twenty eight and you had this
timeline set up for yourself or what, you're just this
trajectory of how you saw your life and it was
(18:50):
not happening. You think you might be like spiraling out
a little bit. Maybe not spiraling, but I would be like, oh,
I would be hoping that was part of my future.
Of the love you seek is closer than you think. Yeah, well,
let me tell you this. I have a sister who's
much younger than me, much younger than me, who is single,
and I wonder if that's how she feels like. You know,
(19:13):
she goes home every night, but she comes and sees
us at the holidays too, and then gets bombarded with
the questions of like, I'm so sorry for her, Why
are you still single? Are you dating? Is there anybody specially? Yes?
Are you bringing any I've decided I just don't ask
her any of those questions anymore, which makes me feel bad.
Is it makes me feel like I'm disengaged from her life.
But also I don't need to bombard her. Yes, but
(19:35):
if you had information that there was something worth talking about,
you would dig deeper. Yeah, so I wonder like from
her perspective as a late twenty early thirty year old,
I wonder how she would relate watching this movie. But
I don't want to be like, here, you should watch
this movie about being single. Like that's almost as bad.
It's like Niel's uncle sending her that book. Yes, exactly exactly.
(19:59):
My second wish is I kind of felt a little
low key uncomfortable with Cooper coaching Nell into independence. Hmmm,
tell me more. Why is this man have to like
she was not unraveling, She was fully functionable. She wasn't unraveling,
(20:22):
but she wasn't comfortable with a loneness. She She was like, Oh,
I'm gonna be If they're not coming, I gotta go
to them. Like the idea of her doing these things
alone wasn't occurring to her. She wasn't settling in. She's like, oh,
I got this reservation. I got to cancel it. That's fair.
I just would feel resentful if somebody in my life
(20:43):
was like trying to coach me into being like more
olgoing oh God, or more fun or whatever, I'd be like, no, No,
I think I think it's fair to say that Nell
and you and I are very different people. Yes, no,
please do not tell me what to do. Please do
not suggest ways that you could make my life better.
(21:03):
I'm just fine, thank you, right, I'm just fine. My
last wish was the self help stuff and the lie group,
and that was a touch too far. Look, singleness does
not require a support group. Yeah, while there were moments
of wisdom in that group, and it does. It is
(21:23):
the place where she has her emotional epiphany. I just
don't think that singles need a support group. It does
suggest it's a problem to be solved, it does suggest
it's a hardship. Like I think. It's a funny note
when her friend suggests going to a single support group
and she says, it's not like I need support for
the tragedy that is my unpartnered life, and then she
(21:45):
actually goes, no, listen to a podcast, you know. Look,
I think support groups have their purpose if you're greed
at like a Greek support Sure for a divorce support group.
But then on the flip side, we are currently also
watching twelve Dates till Christmas. She should have done like
(22:08):
a matchmaking thing? Or yeah, does she have only one
single friend and single not as like as in one
friend she only has one friend? Yeah? Yeah whatever? Yeah
no more? Or last minute Christmas parties deciding to throw
a Christmas party on the twenty fifth with five days
to plan. It is fully diabolical and ascidning it to Cooper,
who is not a party planner in a company that
(22:29):
clearly has a budget. Give me a break. Yeah, there
are people who do this, And I don't like when
he calls her lonely. Don't call him in lonely. She
can make that distinction. You can't call her lonely. Yeah.
I would be offended if somebody called me lonely. Yes, Oh,
she's just this lonely woman in my apartment. Les, let's talk.
Did you see that? Okay? One is kind of a question.
(22:52):
Now and Cooper are. They're going to the Christmas market.
They run into his coworker. They're like making that awkward
chit chat. Yeah, and she goes, I'm cold, I'm going
to go inside. She goes inside to the outside market.
She doesn't go inside anywhere to get warm. They are
in an outdoor market. Yeah, funny, funny. I wonder if
(23:12):
that was supposed to be read as like I'm uncomfortable
in this making this small chit chat I'm going inside, yeah,
or if it was just not an actual indoor market. Yeah,
who knows. I don't know. The single on the twenty
fifth song tie In I guess this movie was like
based on that song, and then like we have the
artist and then the dance scene is so cute. This
(23:35):
is where, oh see, this is so funny because Cooper
is so stiff and awkward sometimes and then you have
this where he's like, I'm gonna go out there and
dance like to this fast paced sig. I don't read
him as stiff and awkward. You don't know, there's like
these I feel he's stiff and awkward, and then he
has these moments where he's like this loose, kind of
(23:59):
fun guy when he goes out on that dance floor
and he's dancing by himself and he's doing these like yeah,
it was great, it was light, and then they danced together. No,
I didn't read Cooper is stiff and awkward. The awkwardness
in this movie came from like the developing of their friendship,
which was awkward going from neighbor acquaintances to friends to
something more, and the awkwardness of those moments when he's
(24:22):
in the office there is a little bit of like
he and his coworker don't fully connect and we learn why.
But like when he goes up to the Santa and
He's like, you might have more luck on this than nonprofit.
I don't know. He's kind of smooth, he's kind of
a man of the people. He's close to his parents.
I don't know. I see all those things, but I
(24:43):
did not find him stiff and awkward my DIGITSI that's
are just some some moments. I'd like to talk about
the fortune cookie callback. I've referenced it multiple times. The
love you seek is closer than you think, and she cries,
look the setup and the payoff was worth it for me.
I like that, yep, grabbing him in the final kiss.
The kiss was hot hawt. I thought the opening scene,
(25:08):
Nell's walking on the city streets and she's just bombarded
with a couple. After a couple, the frustration on her face,
she kind of like wipes her hand across her face.
It was like top tier, this is too much for me.
Moment Cooper walking beside the carriage. She's going to take
her single carriage ride. Yes, I thought it was really funny.
And she hops in and they didn't just make the
choice to have her be like, why don't you come
(25:29):
with me? He just walks along while she's humiliated, And
again they sit in that awkwardness. I loved it. Yeah.
And finally Thomas the dude she coworker. We learned he's
a dude because he's super uncomfortable. Yeah, he's just trying
to fit in and he's doing it badly. I like
that they closed that, you know, it's not it's not
(25:50):
just Cooper who is can't be his real self? And yeah,
and I like that they had like hinted at because
we see Cooper check the sports scores at one and
then we learn like why he's doing that so he
can connect with his you know, they're like, I'm not
watching the game either. Yeah, let's talk about Hallmark movies
or whatever. They actually like, Well, what did you rate? Single?
(26:13):
On the twenty fifth? I gave it three and a
half stars. I have four and a half stars. I
really enjoyed this movie. Thank you for listening to this
episode of Girls Gone Hallmark, a Bramble Jam podcast. We'll
be back next time with more Hallmark reviews. Goodbye bye.
(26:38):
All right friends, before we go, just a quick heads up,
you're about to hear some ads. These little gems help
us keep the show running and the Hallmark love flowing.
So do with that info what you will, grab a snack,
hit the skip button, or maybe just maybe listen in
and discover your new favorite product. Byetta U
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.