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After a woman's boyfriend breaks up with her right before the holidays, she agrees to go home with an actor who will pose as her boyfriend.
Middle of the road, with a twist — a fake relationship and mistaken identity keep it from being totally by-the-book.
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 33 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Opening
Brooke's boyfriend Ethan breaks up with her right before their trip to her hometown, Whispering Pines.
Inciting Incident
Brooke recruits Joel, an actor, to pose as Ethan to avoid admitting the breakup to her family.
Midpoint
Joel reveals he is Jewish and has never celebrated Christmas, leading to the family celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas.
Rising Action
The real Ethan arrives in town and a social media tag alerts the family that something is wrong with 'Ethan's' identity.
Climax
The family confronts Brooke and Joel about the lie; Joel proves his worth by saving the town's Christmas play.
Resolution
Brooke and Joel confess their real feelings and the family accepts Joel for who he actually is.
33 tropes in one movie
We counted 33 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Higher-rated than 46% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.
The corners of the catalog Holiday Date belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“I was never in love with Ethan. I was just in love with the idea of him.”
“I'm an actor... I'm always auditioning... it's a professional hazard.”
“Acting is for the stage... not in real life.”
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Tailor and Aspiring Designer
Actor
Fake boyfriend turned real love interest
Architect
Ex-boyfriend
Retired Construction Company Owner
Father
Homemaker
Mother
Holiday Date is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
Holiday Date runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2019.
Yes. Holiday Date is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.
If you liked this one, you’ll probably like these. The chips show what they have in common.

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2014 · Christmas

2019 · Christmas

2012 · Thanksgiving

2023 · Christmas
Talking Hallmark
So do we. Come hang out on the Talking Hallmark channel, where we dig into movies just like this one, episode after episode.

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Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.Last updated .