A Valentine's Date
Where to watch
Search Amazon.com
Amazon
Search Amazon.com for this title. Availability varies by country.
Search Amazon.comAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The premise
A working mother (Elisa Donovan of CLUELESS) is forced to return to a life she left behind in Texas when her daughter's father (Brad Rowe of TV's GENERAL HOSPITAL) files for joint custody.
How unusual is it?
Middle of the road, with a twist — an enemies-to-lovers arc and a second-chance romance keep it from being totally by-the-book.
Who’s in it
Behind the camera
ShowHide
Directed by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- The protagonist has been separated for six years without ever signing divorce papers or establishing a custody agreement.
- The lawyer suggests the protagonist could be charged with kidnapping her own daughter.
- A romantic bonding moment occurs when the protagonist is physically tackled by a pig.
- The judge is the protagonist's childhood victim of property damage (a broken attic window).
Every trope, all in one place
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 38 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Setting2
Time & season3
Characters8
Conflict8
Romance7
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
Beat by beat
Opening
Laura, a busy NYC executive, receives a subpoena for a custody hearing in Texas because she never finalized her divorce from Dylan.
Inciting Incident
Judge Cramer mandates a three-day cooling-off period, forcing Laura and Dylan to spend time together before a final ruling on Valentine's Day.
Midpoint
Laura and Dylan reconnect at a town carnival and share a kiss, but Laura is still secretly focused on her $18 billion bank merger.
Conflict Escalation
Laura discovers Dylan is bankrupt and selling his ranch; Dylan feels betrayed when he realizes Laura investigated his finances.
Climax
In the Valentine's Day court hearing, Laura and Dylan both drop their legal guards and confess their love, choosing reconciliation over divorce.
Resolution
Laura keeps her job with new family-friendly boundaries, and Dylan moves to NYC with her while maintaining the ranch.
38 tropes in one movie
We counted 38 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog A Valentine's Date belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
- Hallmark Valentine's Day MoviesSet around Valentine’s Day.
- Hallmark Winter MoviesSnow-season romance without the Christmas trappings.
- Hallmark Enemies-to-Lovers MoviesStarts with sparks of the wrong kind.
- Hallmark Second-Chance Romance MoviesA rekindled romance.
- Hallmark Dog & Pet MoviesA four-legged matchmaker.
- Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“Apparently you are unable to properly prioritize your life on your own, so maybe I can help you.”
— Judge Harriet CramerThe judge ordering Laura to stay in Texas for the weekend. “Marriage is not some kind of spiritual spackle. See, only God can fill that void.”
— Pastor FrankDuring his Sunday sermon attended by the estranged couple. “I saw you take that hit. You took that hit like a country girl.”
— Dylan HackettAfter Laura is knocked over by a pig while trying to catch it.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Laura Connors Hackett
LeadVP of Retail Banking
AmbitiousOrganizedDefensiveWorkaholicDylan Hackett
Love interestRancher and Furniture Maker
Estranged husband
HumbleStubbornDevoted FatherFinancially StrugglingPaul
AntagonistBank Executive
Boss
DemandingCorporateInsensitiveKelsey Hackett
SupportingStudent
Daughter
ObservantHopefulAnimal-loverJudge Harriet Cramer
SupportingFamily Court Judge
Former neighbor and legal arbiter
StrictTraditionalNo-nonsense
Questions people ask about A Valentine's Date
Where can I watch A Valentine's Date?
A Valentine's Date is available via Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and Plex Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
How long is A Valentine's Date?
A Valentine's Date runs about 1 hour and 36 minutes, and was released in 2011.
More like this
Browse all moviesIf you liked this one, you’ll probably like these. The chips show what they have in common.

The Secret Ingredient
6.72020 · Valentine's Day
- Valentine's Day
- Small Town
- Second Chance Romance

Appetite for Love
6.02016 · Valentine's Day
- Valentine's Day
- Small Town
- Enemies to Lovers

Welcome to Valentine
5.92023 · Valentine's Day
- Valentine's Day
- Small Town
- Enemies to Lovers

Three Wise Men and a Baby
7.42022 · Christmas
- Small Town
- Second Chance Romance
- Pet

Five More Minutes
7.32021 · Christmas
- Small Town
- Second Chance Romance
- Cute Kid

Eve's Christmas
5.92004 · Christmas
- Elisa Donovan
- Small Town
- Second Chance Romance
Talking Hallmark
Love talking about these as much as watching them?
So do we. Come hang out on the Talking Hallmark channel, where we dig into movies just like this one, episode after episode.

“This Hallmark Christmas movie is aggressively stupid”
Data and sources
HallmarkDB catalogue. How we research filmsData refreshed .













