HallmarkDB
    MoviesPeopleGuidesChatWatch Talking Hallmark on YouTube
    1. Home
    2. Movies
    3. Valentine's Day
    4. Matching Hearts

    Matching Hearts

    6.8/10 · 1,853 ratings·2020·1h 24m·Valentine's Day·Weirdness 2/10
    Matching Hearts poster

    At a glance

    2/10

    Comfortably conventional

    Holiday
    Valentine's Day
    Season
    Winter
    Setting
    Big City
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Brief Acquaintances
    Runtime
    1h 24m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBRotten TomatoesHallmarkJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States18 ways

    Stream

    • fuboTV
    • YouTube TV
    • Philo
    • Hallmark+ Amazon Channel
    • Hallmark+ Apple TV Channel
    • Hallmark TV Amazon Channel

    Free

    • Hoopla
    • Pluto TV

    Rent

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home

    Buy

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home
    🇨🇦Canada7 ways

    Free

    • Hoopla

    Rent

    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube

    Buy

    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    As Valentine's Day nears, a matchmaker is tasked by her mentor to find a match for an entrepreneur who believes staying single is the key to success.

    Themes:Career vs. Personal LifeTradition vs. InnovationVulnerabilityAnimal RescueProfessional Integrity

    How unusual is it?

    Honestly? Not very — and that's the charm. It plays the hits, which is exactly the point for a cozy night in.

    Who’s in it

    Taylor Cole headshot

    Our Girl

    Taylor Cole

    as Julia Palmer

    Ryan Paevey headshot

    Our Guy

    Ryan Paevey

    as Daniel O'Connor

    Alongside them

    • Donna Benedicto headshot
      Donna BenedictoGwen
    • Osric Chau headshot
      Osric ChauTimothy Wong
    • Lossen Chambers headshot
      Lossen ChambersElizabeth Johnson
    • Debs Howard headshot
      Debs HowardChloe
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Latonya Williams headshot
      Latonya WilliamsMadison
    • Ashley Alexander headshot
      Ashley AlexanderSteph
    • Antonio Cayonne headshot
      Antonio CayonneMatt
    • Jessica Steen headshot
      Jessica SteenBarbara

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Siobhan Devine headshot
      Siobhan Devine

    Written by

    • Zac Hug headshot
      Zac Hug
    • Sarah Wise headshot
      Sarah Wise
    • Laurence Walsh headshot
      Laurence Walsh

    Wait, what?

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

    • The 'Stay Single' brand is treated like a major local news scandal.
    • A chocolate tasting event that explicitly requires participants to hold hands to simulate falling in love.
    • The protagonist is a matchmaker who has never run her own data through her own algorithm until the very end.
    • Pancake art is used as a primary personality indicator for a client.

    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

    ❄️Winter💕Valentine's Day🗓️Contemporary

    Characters5

    👥Lead: Other💻Love interest: Tech/Software🐕Dog⏰Workaholic lead🐕Pet

    Conflict4

    💼Business vs Love💼Career stakes⚖️Profession clash💔An ex returns

    Romance6

    💕Start as brief acquaintances💕First kiss: final scene only💓Instant attraction🔥Slow burn💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks4

    🎬Light/Heartwarming👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes💃Dance scene

    How it ends3

    💋Ends with a kiss🔄Career change🏪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 opens with Julia Palmer, a high-ranking matchmaker at a Portland firm, discussing her inability to take her own romantic advice while her friend plans a wedding. Julia frequently visits a local dog park to see a stray named Luna but feels too busy to adopt her. Meanwhile, a local entrepreneur named Daniel O'Connor gains notoriety for an article advising people to 'Stay Single' to achieve professional success. Julia's boss, Elizabeth, decides to head to Paris to support her husband, leaving Julia in charge of the firm and the high-stakes annual Valentine's Day party. Julia is challenged to match Daniel after he is gifted a consultation by his friends, Matt and Madison, who were Julia's successful clients. Julia and Daniel's initial interactions are prickly; he is skeptical of her algorithms, and she is critical of his 'Stay Single' philosophy. However, they begin to bond when Julia discovers Daniel is opening a pet adoption center. Throughout the film, Julia makes bold changes to the Valentine's Day party, moving it to a new venue and opening the guest list to single clients, much to the eventual chagrin of a returning Elizabeth. Julia and Daniel spend time together at a chocolate tasting and a dance class, where their chemistry becomes undeniable. A subplot involves Timothy, a new marketing hire who realizes his true passion is floral arrangement, eventually joining Julia's parents in their flower shop. The conflict peaks when a marketing mock-up using Daniel's face as 'Mr. Stay Single Finds Love' is leaked, making Daniel feel exploited. Furthermore, Julia discovers that a potential match for Daniel is actually the ex-girlfriend of another client she hired for the party. Despite these professional hurdles, Julia and Daniel continue to cross paths through Luna the dog. At the climactic Valentine's Day party, Julia's modernizations are a massive success. Elizabeth realizes Julia is ready to lead the firm and announces her retirement to Paris. Julia runs a final algorithm check and discovers she and Daniel are a 100% match. The film concludes with Daniel abandoning his 'Stay Single' mantra, Julia adopting Luna, and the two confessing their feelings for each other.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Julia is introduced as a successful matchmaker who is too busy for her own life, while Daniel is introduced as 'Mr. Stay Single.'

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      Daniel is gifted a matchmaking consultation, forcing the two 'opposites' to work together.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Julia and Daniel bond during a 'romantic' chocolate tasting and realize they have more in common than their philosophies suggest.

    4. 4

      Rising Action

      Julia takes over the Valentine's Day party planning, making risky changes while Elizabeth is away in Paris.

    5. 5

      Climax

      At the Valentine's Day party, Julia is promoted to head of the firm, and the algorithm reveals she and Daniel are a 100% match.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      Daniel and Julia commit to a relationship, and Julia finally adopts Luna the dog.

    27 tropes in one movie

    We counted 27 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.

    Rating 6.8 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.845678

    Higher-rated than 75% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog Matching Hearts 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 Dog & Pet MoviesA four-legged matchmaker.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
    • 🏙️Hallmark Big City MoviesA big-city backdrop.

    Lines worth quoting

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

    • “Don't put off being happy.”
      — Julia PalmerThe recurring advice Julia gives her clients but struggles to apply to herself.
    • “The shoemaker's children always go barefoot.”
      — Julia PalmerExplaining why she, a matchmaker, is single.
    • “I'm a lot less scared than I was seconds ago.”
      — Daniel O'ConnorDuring the final romantic confession at the party.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Julia Palmer

      Lead

      Matchmaker

      WorkaholicOrganizedEmpatheticRisk-taker
    • Daniel O'Connor

      Love interest

      Tech Entrepreneur / Pet Adoption Center Owner

      Client and love interest

      CynicalCharmingAnimal-loverFocused
    • Elizabeth Johnson

      Supporting

      Owner of Matchmaking Firm

      Boss and mentor

      TraditionalSophisticatedDemanding
    • Timothy Wong

      Supporting

      Marketing Assistant / Aspiring Florist

      Colleague

      EagerArtisticIndecisive

    Questions people ask about Matching Hearts

    Where can I watch Matching Hearts?

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

    How long is Matching Hearts?

    Matching Hearts runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2020.

    More like this

    Browse all movies

    If you liked this one, you’ll probably like these. The chips show what they have in common.

    All Things Valentine poster

    All Things Valentine

    6.5

    2016 · Valentine's Day

    • Valentine's Day
    • Big City
    • Pet
    The Art of Us poster

    The Art of Us

    6.6

    2017

    • Taylor Cole
    • Big City
    • Pet
    The Blessing Bracelet poster

    The Blessing Bracelet

    6.9

    2023 · Valentine's Day

    • Valentine's Day
    • Pet
    • Brief Acquaintances
    Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery poster

    Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery

    6.9

    2016 · Valentine's Day

    • Valentine's Day
    • Pet
    • Brief Acquaintances
    A Dash of Love poster

    A Dash of Love

    6.6

    2017 · Valentine's Day

    • Valentine's Day
    • Big City
    • Brief Acquaintances
    Playing Cupid poster

    Playing Cupid

    6.4

    2021 · Valentine's Day

    • Valentine's Day
    • Big City
    • Brief Acquaintances

    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.

    Watch the latest episode
    I watched Hallmark’s WORST Christmas movie (so you don’t have to)

    “I watched Hallmark’s WORST Christmas movie (so you don’t have to)”

    Data and sources

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

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

    HallmarkDB

    The complete Hallmark movie database. Built to surface the unusual ones, as the research desk for the Talking Hallmark YouTube channel.

    Curated by Alanna of Talking Hallmark.

    Explore

    • Movies
    • People
    • Database
    • Guides
    • Chat
    • About

    Browse

    • Christmas Movies
    • Most Unusual
    • Hidden Gems
    • Royal Romance
    • Time Travel
    • Small Town Stories

    Talking Hallmark

    • Watch on YouTube
    • Christmas Guide
    • Unusual Movies Guide
    © 2026 HallmarkDBAn independent fan project, not affiliated with Hallmark Media.