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    Dear Dumb Diary

    5.3/10 · 943 ratings·2013·1h 24m·Valentine's Day·Weirdness 3/10
    Dear Dumb Diary poster

    At a glance

    3/10

    Mostly standard issue

    What bumps it up: Enemies to lovers.

    Holiday
    Valentine's Day
    Season
    Multiple
    Setting
    Suburb
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Brief Acquaintances
    Runtime
    1h 24m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBRotten TomatoesWikipediaJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇬🇧United Kingdom7 ways

    Stream

    • Amazon Prime Video
    • Amazon Prime Video with Ads

    Free

    • Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads

    Rent

    • Apple TV Store
    • Amazon Video

    Buy

    • Apple TV Store
    • Amazon Video

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    Based on the best selling series Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton. Follow Jamie Kelly, as she navigates Mackeral Middle School with the help of her best friend Isabella, her nemesis Angeline and the boy of her dreams, Hudson.

    Themes:Inner vs. Outer BeautyThe Importance of Art EducationFemale FriendshipMiddle School Social Anxiety

    How unusual is it?

    Mostly classic comfort-watch, give or take an enemies-to-lovers arc.

    Who’s in it

    Emily Alyn Lind headshot

    Our Girl

    Emily Alyn Lind

    as Jamie Kelly

    David Mazouz headshot

    Our Guy

    David Mazouz

    as Hudson Rivers

    Alongside them

    • Mary-Charles Jones headshot
      Mary-Charles JonesIsabella
    • Sterling Griffith headshot
      Sterling GriffithAngeline
    • James Waterston headshot
      James WaterstonAssistant Principal Devon
    • Lea DeLaria headshot
      Lea DeLariaMs. Bruntford
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Maddie Corman headshot
      Maddie CormanJamie's Mom
    • Laura Bell Bundy headshot
      Laura Bell BundyAunt Carol
    • Jeffrey Hanson headshot
      Jeffrey HansonJamie's Dad
    • Tom Markus headshot
      Tom MarkusMr. Vandoy

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Kristin Hanggi headshot
      Kristin Hanggi

    Written by

    • Jim Benton headshot
      Jim Benton
    • Kristin Hanggi headshot
      Kristin Hanggi

    Wait, what?

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

    • Stylized musical numbers about meatloaf and hating perfect people
    • A dog named Stinker whose primary character trait is flatulence
    • Isabella coloring her own eyes with green marker to simulate contacts
    • The protagonist stealing a permanent record and facing zero consequences
    • A plot point involving a bag of 'granny panties' used as parachutes

    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 30 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🏡Suburb🏫School

    Time & season3

    🔀Multiple💕Valentine's Day🗓️Contemporary

    Premise3

    ✨Other Secret🔒Hidden secret🏆Contest

    Characters5

    🎒Lead: Student🎒Love interest: Student🐕Dog💘Matchmaking relative🐕Pet

    Conflict5

    🧭Self-Discovery⚡Economic Downturn🏘️Community stakes📉Business in peril💔Love triangle

    Romance5

    💕Start as brief acquaintances💕First kiss: never/implied⚔️Enemies to lovers💓Instant attraction🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks5

    😂Comedic🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎞️Montage

    How it ends2

    💍Proposal ending🏪Saves the business

    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 begins with Jamie Kelly introducing her world at Mackerel Middle School, where she feels overshadowed by the genetically superior and 'perfect' Angeline. Jamie is an aspiring artist and writer who relies on her diary to vent about her frustrations, her crush on the 'eighth cutest guy' Hudson Rivers, and her cynical best friend Isabella. The status quo is disrupted when the school's art program is cut due to budget issues. To save it, the school enters a district-wide Jump-A-Thon with a $10,000 prize. Jamie is determined to win, but she is distracted by the arrival of her glamorous Aunt Carol, who takes a job at the school office and begins dating Assistant Principal Devon. Isabella convinces Jamie to help her raise money through a fraudulent charity called the 'Juvenile Optometry Federation,' which Isabella secretly uses to buy green contact lenses. Jamie's obsession with Angeline's perfection leads her to steal Angeline's permanent record from the school office, though she finds nothing incriminating. The conflict peaks when Jamie's diary is lost and found by Angeline; however, instead of humiliating Jamie, Angeline protects her by telling the school the diary belongs to a fictional cousin. Jamie eventually realizes that Angeline is actually kind and that her own 'inner beauty' has been lacking. At the Jump-A-Thon, Angeline is the school's best hope but cannot jump while holding the rope because she needs her hands to manage her hair. In a selfless act, Jamie and Isabella volunteer to turn the rope for her, allowing Angeline to win the prize and save the art program. The film concludes with Aunt Carol and Assistant Principal Devon getting engaged, making Jamie and Angeline future relatives, and Jamie accepting that everyone—even her rivals—possesses their own form of beauty.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Jamie introduces her diary and her intense jealousy of the 'perfect' Angeline.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      The school art program is cut, and the Jump-A-Thon is announced as a way to save it.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Jamie and Isabella run a fake charity scheme while Aunt Carol begins dating Assistant Principal Devon.

    4. 4

      Complication

      Jamie steals Angeline's permanent record and later loses her own diary, fearing total social destruction.

    5. 5

      Climax

      Jamie and Isabella help Angeline win the Jump-A-Thon by turning the rope for her, saving the art program.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      Aunt Carol and AP Devon get engaged, and Jamie realizes she and Angeline will be related.

    30 tropes in one movie

    We counted 30 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

    The backstory

    Dear Dumb Diary is a Hallmark Channel television film based on the book series of the same name by Jim Benton. It stars Emily Alyn Lind as Jamie Kelly, a seventh-grader who documents her experiences at Mackerel Middle School in her diary, as well as Mary-Charles Jones as her best friend Isabella and Sterling Griffith as popular girl Angeline.
    From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

    How it stacks up

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

    Rating 5.3 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 5.345678

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

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog Dear Dumb Diary belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    • ❤️Hallmark Valentine's Day MoviesSet around Valentine’s Day.
    • 💢Hallmark Enemies-to-Lovers MoviesStarts with sparks of the wrong kind.
    • 💍Hallmark Wedding MoviesWedding bells are involved.
    • 🐶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.

    • “Information is revealed on a need-to-know basis. It's all in my dear dumb diary.”
      — Jamie KellyOpening theme song/monologue.
    • “Acceptance is seeing with your heart, not with your eyes.”
      — Assistant Principal DevonDiscussing a glittery valentine.
    • “I can't tell the difference between the meatloaf and my tongue.”
      — Jamie KellyEating the mysterious school cafeteria food.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Jamie Kelly

      Lead

      Student and Artist

      ImaginativeDramaticInsecureCreative
    • Hudson Rivers

      Love interest

      Student

      Crush

      KindAthleticBug-enthusiast
    • Isabella

      Supporting

      Student

      Best friend

      CynicalSchemingLoyalPragmatic
    • Angeline

      Supporting

      Student

      Rival and future cousin

      BeautifulKindAthleticGraceful
    • Aunt Carol

      Supporting

      School Office Assistant

      Aunt

      GlamorousEccentricRomantic

    Questions people ask about Dear Dumb Diary

    Where can I watch Dear Dumb Diary?

    Dear Dumb Diary is available in the UK via Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is Dear Dumb Diary?

    Dear Dumb Diary runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2013.

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    Data and sources

    Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.·Last updated June 17, 2026.

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·Wikipedia·JustWatch

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