Frozen in Love

6.5/10 · 2,510 ratings20181h 24mWeirdness 4/10Bingo card

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The premise

Bad boy hockey player Adam and struggling book-store owner Mary must work together to help rehabilitate each other's image. Their mutual animosity, and attraction, sees them struggle to achieve their goal.

How unusual is it?

Middle of the road, with a twist — an enemies-to-lovers arc keeps it from being totally by-the-book.

A rare specific

Tap to find the other Hallmark movies that share it.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

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Wait, what?

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

  • The 'Albuquerque incident' is referenced as a dark moment in Adam's past but never fully explained.
  • Mary's extreme 'book snobbery' leads her to refuse to sell coffee because it's not 'traditional' for a bookstore.
  • The concept of a professional hockey player being forced into a 'buddy system' with a librarian-type as a legalistic PR requirement.

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 29 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Why we’d put this one on

Rachael Leigh Cook plays a traditionalist bookstore owner paired up with a hot-headed pro hockey player, Niall Matter, in a PR stunt meant to save her struggling shop and soften his bad-boy image. So she finds him immature, he finds her uptight, and the buddy system slowly does its work. The details give it bite: a menacing past event called only the Albuquerque incident that nobody fully explains, and Cook's book snobbery so fierce she refuses to sell coffee because it is not traditional. At a 6.6 it is a comfortable enemies-to-lovers romance with a cozy bookstore backdrop and two appealing leads. An easy, charming watch for the book-and-banter crowd.

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 with Mary Campbell managing 'On the Same Page,' a 40-year-old bookstore in Denver that is struggling to stay afloat in the digital age. Meanwhile, Adam Clayborn, a star player for the Denver Royals hockey team, is handed a ten-game suspension after a physical altercation with a referee. Their mutual friend, PR specialist Janet Dunleavy, recognizes that both need a miracle: Mary needs customers, and Adam needs to prove he is a responsible community member. Janet proposes a 'buddy system' PR campaign where the two will work together on community events. Their first meeting is a disaster; Adam tries to buy coffee in her book-only shop and Mary refuses to accept a return on a quilting book he bought just to get the coffee. As part of the PR strategy, they co-sponsor a junior hockey team. Mary, who knows nothing of sports, clashes with Adam's 'winning is everything' mentality, while Adam is baffled by Mary's insistence on teaching the children the history of the sport. However, the ice begins to melt when Adam surprises Mary by hiring a coffee truck to sit outside her store, proving that modernization can drive sales. They begin a 'Book Chat' podcast together, where their bickering over 'War of the Worlds' becomes a local sensation. Adam reveals his vulnerable side, sharing that he grew up in the foster care system and found stability through hockey. Mary admits her fear that she is failing her retired parents by losing the store. A turning point occurs during a community cardboard box sled race, where they build a 'Tom Sawyer' raft and Adam helps a young boy, Noah, participate. Just as they grow closer, Adam's ex-girlfriend and team president, Erica, offers him a path back to the Royals: he must attend a VIP gala to apologize to the owners, but the event is scheduled for the same night as the bookstore's 40th-anniversary festival. Mary selflessly tells Adam to go to the gala to save his career, insisting she must succeed or fail on her own. At the anniversary party, Mary gives a heartfelt speech about the 'spirit of adventure' and taking chances. In a grand romantic gesture, Adam leaves the gala early, realizing that his relationship with Mary and the community is more important than his immediate standing with the team. He arrives at the bookstore to join the live podcast, revealing he has arranged for 20,000 promotional bookmarks to be distributed at the next Royals game, effectively saving the store. The film concludes with the two sharing a kiss and a new chapter together.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Mary's bookstore faces financial ruin while Adam is suspended from the Denver Royals for his third on-ice outburst of the season.

  2. Inciting Incident

    PR agent Janet Dunleavy pairs the two together for a 'buddy system' campaign to fix their respective reputations.

  3. Midpoint

    The duo starts a successful podcast and Adam brings a coffee truck to the bookstore, leading to a surge in popularity and a softening of their mutual animosity.

  4. Rising Action

    Adam and Mary bond over a cardboard box sled race and Adam's revelation about his difficult childhood in foster care.

  5. Climax

    Adam is forced to choose between a mandatory team gala to end his suspension and Mary's 40th-anniversary bookstore celebration.

  6. Resolution

    Adam chooses Mary, saves the bookstore with a massive marketing deal, and the two officially become a couple.

29 tropes in one movie

We counted 29 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

The backstory

Frozen in Love is a 2018 American-Canadian made for television romantic drama film directed by Scott Smith and starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Niall Matter. It was developed from an original idea by Cook.
From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

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

Rating 6.5 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.5567

Higher-rated than 56% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Frozen in Love belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

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

  • “It doesn't matter how many times you fall down. It only matters how many times you get back up again.”
    — Adam ClaybornTeaching Mary how to ice skate.
  • “I just don't care about some guy in cleats getting kicked out of the game. Skates. Hockey is played on skates.”
    — Mary and TylerMary dismissing Adam's career troubles.
  • “You need to spend money to make money. But you have to have the money to spend the money to...”
    — Mary CampbellDiscussing the bookstore's failing finances with Janet.

Meet the characters

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

  • Mary Campbell

    Lead

    Bookstore Owner

    IntellectualTraditionalRisk-averseStubborn
  • Adam Clayborn

    Love interest

    Professional Hockey Player

    PR Partner/Love Interest

    ImpulsiveCompetitiveProtectiveSecretly sensitive
  • Erica

    Antagonist

    Hockey Team President

    Ex-girlfriend and Boss

    ProfessionalDemandingLingering resentment
  • Tyler Campbell

    Supporting

    Business Student

    Brother

    OptimisticModern-thinkingSupportive
  • Janet Dunleavy

    Supporting

    PR Executive

    College Friend and PR Agent

    AmbitiousFixerMatchmaker

Questions people ask about Frozen in Love

Where can I watch Frozen in Love?

Frozen in Love is available via fuboTV, Philo, and YouTube TV. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Frozen in Love?

Frozen in Love runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2018.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDBWikipedia