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Before You Say 'I Do'

5.9/10 · 1,396 ratings20091h 27mWeirdness 8/10Bingo card
Before You Say 'I Do' poster
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The premise

George's fiancee regrets due to a bad marriage 10 years ago. George wishes that he could change things and suddenly finds himself 10 years back in time - days before the wedding. Can he change things?

Themes:Fate and DestinyCorrecting Past MistakesTrusting IntuitionThe power of a wish

How unusual is it?

Very. Time travel, magic, an actual miracle and a second-chance romance all turn up in one movie — the strangest 7% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

David Sutcliffe headshot

Our Guy

David Sutcliffe

as George Murray

Jennifer Westfeldt headshot

Our Girl

Jennifer Westfeldt

as Jane Gardner

Alongside them

Show all 10 cast

Behind the camera

Show

Directed by

Written by

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The protagonist uses his knowledge of the future to plagiarize famous ad campaigns like 'Wha's up?' to get a job.
  • The time travel is triggered by a 'yellow light wish' and a car crash.
  • The protagonist is arrested for burglary while trying to stop a wedding.
  • The 'Quantum Leap' style ending where he inhabits his future self's body after ten years of a life he didn't technically live.

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 27 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Setting2

🌆Big City💼Office

Time & season3

🍂Fall⏳Dual Timeline💾1990s

Premise5

⏰Time Travel🪄Magic/Wishes🔒Secret Past✨Supernatural🔒Hidden secret

Characters2

✍️Lead: Writer/Journalist📣Love interest: Marketing/PR

Conflict4

🔮Past vs Future🫀Personal stakes💔Love triangle💔An ex returns

Romance6

💕Start as engaged💕First kiss: late (final third)♻️Second chance💓Instant attraction💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

Tone & quirks2

🎬Light/Heartwarming💃Dance scene

How it ends3

⭐A miracle💒Wedding ending💋Ends with a kiss

Why we’d put this one on

Weirdness 8 and a do-over romance with a sci-fi streak. George (David Sutcliffe) is engaged to Jane (Jennifer Westfeldt), who is still haunted by a disastrous first marriage, so when George wishes he could fix things and a yellow-light car crash flings him ten years into the past, he lands three days before her wedding to the wrong guy. The strange edges are fun: he uses future knowledge to plagiarize famous ad campaigns for a quick job, gets arrested for burglary while trying to stop a wedding, and the whole thing ends on a Quantum Leap note. Lauren Holly co-stars. A neat, oddball pick for the time-travel-romance fan.

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)
The film opens in 2009 with George Murray proposing to Jane Gardner. While Jane loves George, she is terrified of marriage because her first husband, Doug, cheated on her with their wedding coordinator on their actual wedding day. George wishes he could have met Jane before Doug ruined her perception of love. After Jane leaves a message saying she has 'cold feet,' George rushes to find her but is involved in a car accident at a yellow light. He wakes up in 1999, discovering he has traveled back in time exactly three days before Jane is set to marry Doug. George finds his friend Harvey, who in this timeline is still a lowly mailroom clerk, and manages to get a job at Jane's small newspaper, 'The Don't Throw Away.' George uses his knowledge of future advertising trends—specifically stealing the 'Wha's up?' and 'Can you hear me now?' campaigns—to impress his boss and stay close to Jane. He spends the next few days treating Jane with the kindness Doug lacks, bringing her Calla lilies and her specific coffee order. George attempts to expose Doug's affair with the wedding coordinator, but Doug is cunning and manages to frame George for burglary to keep him away from the ceremony. George is arrested but manages to escape jail with Harvey's help. He arrives at the wedding just as the vows are being exchanged. He reminds Jane of a specific detail she told him in the future: that Doug winked at the wedding coordinator during the ceremony. When Doug actually performs the wink, Jane realizes George is telling the truth. She leaves Doug at the altar and chooses George. They kiss at a yellow light, and George suddenly wakes up back in 2009. He finds himself at a ceremony and initially fears he is back at the start, but he realizes he is actually at his and Jane's 10th-anniversary vow renewal. By changing the past, he successfully spent the last decade married to the woman of his dreams.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    George and Jane get engaged in 2009, but Jane's fear of repeating her past marriage mistakes causes a rift.

  2. Inciting Incident

    George makes a wish at a yellow light and gets into a car accident, waking up in 1999.

  3. Midpoint

    George infiltrates Jane's life by getting a job at her newspaper and uses future marketing slogans to gain professional influence.

  4. Rising Action

    George attempts to expose Doug's affair with the wedding coordinator but is framed for burglary and arrested.

  5. Climax

    George escapes jail and interrupts the wedding, using the 'wink' as proof of Doug's infidelity.

  6. Resolution

    George wakes up in 2009 to find he has been happily married to Jane for ten years, having successfully altered history.

Did you know?

A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.

  • At a weirdness score of 8, it lands among the strangest 7% of Hallmark movies we've scored.

Top 7% weirdest

Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 7%.

The backstory

Before You Say "I Do" is an American television movie directed by Paul Fox. It premiered on Hallmark Channel on February 14, 2009, and was released on DVD on May 4, 2010.
From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 5.9 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 5.9567

Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Before You Say 'I Do' belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Hallmark Bingo

Your Before You Say 'I Do' card is dealt.

Twenty-four squares pulled from this movie’s own quirks — the cosy classics, a few only-in-this-one curveballs, and a couple of decoys. Mark them as you watch.

Open your card

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “Whenever we laid eyes on each other we would have fallen hopelessly, completely in love.”
    — George MurrayGeorge explaining his romantic philosophy to Jane.
  • “Roses are red, violets are blue, I hadn't met my soul mate when I said I'd marry you.”
    — George MurrayGeorge helping Jane write a 'poem' for Doug that is actually a warning.
  • “I'm a lost soul traveling through time trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered life.”
    — George MurrayGeorge telling Jane the truth under the guise of 'New Age crap'.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • George Murray

    Lead

    Advertising Executive

    Fiancé (2009) / Stalker-turned-suitor (1999)

    Hopeless romanticDeterminedResourcefulTime-traveler

  • Jane Gardner

    Love interest

    Newspaper Editor

    Fiancée

    Cynical about marriageKindTraumatizedIntuitive

  • Doug

    Antagonist

    Businessman

    Jane's first husband/fiancé

    ManipulativeUnfaithfulArrogant

  • Harvey Blinten

    Supporting

    Mailroom Clerk / Advertising Partner

    Best friend and business partner

    LoyalEasily confusedAmbitious

  • Mary

    Supporting

    Psychic / Newspaper Staff

    Jane's friend and bridesmaid

    EccentricBeliever in fateSupportive

Questions people ask about Before You Say 'I Do'

Where can I watch Before You Say 'I Do'?

Before You Say 'I Do' is available via Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, and Hoopla. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Before You Say 'I Do'?

Before You Say 'I Do' runs about 1 hour and 27 minutes, and was released in 2009.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDBWikipedia