HallmarkDB
    MoviesPeopleGuidesChatWatch Talking Hallmark on YouTube
    1. Home
    2. Movies
    3. Christmas
    4. The Christmas Waltz

    The Christmas Waltz

    7.0/10 · 2,727 ratings·2020·1h 23m·Christmas·Weirdness 2/10
    The Christmas Waltz poster

    At a glance

    2/10

    Comfortably conventional

    Holiday
    Christmas
    Season
    Winter
    Setting
    Big City
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Complete Strangers
    Runtime
    1h 23m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBHallmarkOfficial siteJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States14 ways

    Stream

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

    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

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    A woman dumped by her fiancé a month before her storybook Christmas wedding decides to take the series of ballroom lessons intended for her wedding dance.

    Themes:TrustSelf-DiscoveryLetting go of perfectionFollowing your passion

    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

    Lacey Chabert headshot

    Our Girl

    Lacey Chabert

    as Avery

    Will Kemp headshot

    Our Guy

    Will Kemp

    as Roman

    You’ve seen this pairing before: Lacey Chabert and Will Kemp have made 3 Hallmark movies together.

    Alongside them

    • Katrina Reynolds headshot
      Katrina ReynoldsMolly
    • Jeremy Guilbaut headshot
      Jeremy GuilbautDavid
    • Julia Harnett headshot
      Julia HarnettElina
    • John Talan Church headshot
      John Talan ChurchNicky
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Beatrice King headshot
      Beatrice KingDarna
    • Laura Soltis headshot
      Laura SoltisEvelyn
    • Lane Edwards headshot
      Lane EdwardsBob
    • Fred Henderson headshot
      Fred HendersonFergus

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Michael Damian headshot
      Michael Damian

    Written by

    • Michael Damian headshot
      Michael Damian

    Wait, what?

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

    • The protagonist pretends to be the love interest's wife at the hospital after giving him a concussion with a snowball.
    • The love interest has a confusing mix of a Russian name and a British accent explained by 'competing in Blackpool'.
    • The 'Flying Pretzel' is used as a serious name for a high-stakes dance move.

    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🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

    Characters4

    ⚖️Lead: Lawyer👥Love interest: Other👶Cute kid⏰Workaholic lead

    Conflict5

    ⚖️Career vs Home/Family💼Career stakes💔Love triangle🗺️Long distance💔An ex returns

    Romance4

    💕Start as complete strangers💕First kiss: late (final third)🔥Slow burn🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks7

    🎬Light/Heartwarming🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating❄️Snow activities💃Dance scene

    How it ends2

    💋Ends with a kiss🏪Saves the business

    Why we’d put this one on

    Lacey Chabert is a buttoned-up lawyer who gets dumped a month before her storybook Christmas wedding, then takes the ballroom lessons she booked for the wedding dance anyway. Will Kemp, an actual trained dancer, plays the instructor who pushes her to loosen up. This is one of the higher-rated entries here at a 7, and you can feel why: the dancing is genuinely good and the leads have warm, easy chemistry. It is also quietly goofy. Kemp's character has a Russian name and a British accent, explained away by his years competing in Blackpool, and the big dance move is solemnly called the Flying Pretzel.

    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)
    Avery, a successful New York lawyer, is meticulously planning a storybook Christmas wedding with her fiancé, David. However, David is constantly distracted by work and eventually blindsides Avery by accepting a position in Boston, suggesting they 'put a pin' in their wedding. Feeling devalued, Avery ends the engagement. She goes to Flurry Dance Studio to cancel the ten ballroom lessons she had booked, where she meets the owner, Roman, and his young nephew, Nicky. Roman convinces her to keep the lessons and dance for herself rather than for a wedding. Initially, Avery struggles with the 'follower' role in the waltz, exhibiting a need for control and a fear of failure. To build trust, Roman takes her ice skating, but a playful snowball fight leads to Roman sustaining a concussion. At the hospital, Avery pretends to be Roman's wife to stay by his side, and she cares for him the following morning. Their relationship deepens as Avery uses her legal expertise to help Roman draft a business plan for a second studio in Brighton Beach. Meanwhile, David returns to New York, attempting to reconcile and even visiting Roman's studio to lie and claim that he and Avery are back together. This causes Roman to distance himself emotionally. The conflict culminates on December 20th—Avery's original wedding date—at the 'Christmas Waltz' showcase. Roman's professional partner, Elina, is stuck in traffic, leaving Roman without a lead for the titular performance. Avery, encouraged by her friend Molly, arrives at the theater and agrees to step in. Before taking the stage, she and Roman clarify David's deception. They perform a flawless, emotional waltz, symbolizing Avery's new-found ability to trust and live in the moment. The film concludes with their successful performance and the beginning of their romantic life together.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Avery and David's engagement falls apart after David prioritizes a job in Boston over their Christmas wedding.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      Avery meets Roman at the dance studio and is persuaded to take dance lessons for herself to 'lift her spirits'.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Roman suffers a concussion during a 'trust exercise' on the ice; Avery pretends to be his wife at the hospital to monitor his recovery.

    4. 4

      Rising Action

      Avery helps Roman with a business plan for a new studio while David returns to NYC to try and win her back.

    5. 5

      Climax

      David lies to Roman about being back with Avery; Roman's dance partner gets stuck in traffic before the big showcase.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      Avery replaces the missing partner in the Christmas Waltz, clears up the misunderstanding with Roman, and they perform together.

    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 7.0 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 7.045678

    Higher-rated than 88% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog The Christmas Waltz belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    • 🎄Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
    • 🧁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.

    • “Put a pin in our wedding? David, who says that?”
      — AveryWhen David suggests delaying their marriage for his career.
    • “No dance studio ever answers their phones, we're too busy dancing or teaching.”
      — RomanExplaining the lack of administrative efficiency at his studio.
    • “I don't do failure as a hobby, so... Thank you so much for trying.”
      — AveryAvery quitting her first dance lesson after getting frustrated.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Avery

      Lead

      Lawyer

      PerfectionistRigidDeterminedKind
    • Roman

      Love interest

      Dance Studio Owner

      Dance instructor and romantic interest

      PatientObservantTalentedEncouraging
    • David

      Antagonist

      Financial Executive

      Ex-fiancé

      WorkaholicSelf-centeredManipulative
    • Nicky

      Supporting

      Student/Dancer

      Roman's nephew and Avery's first 'salesperson'

      PrecociousSales-drivenTalented

    Questions people ask about The Christmas Waltz

    Where can I watch The Christmas Waltz?

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

    How long is The Christmas Waltz?

    The Christmas Waltz runs about 1 hour and 23 minutes, and was released in 2020.

    Is The Christmas Waltz a Christmas movie?

    Yes. The Christmas Waltz is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

    More like this

    Browse all movies

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

    Christmas in Rome poster

    Christmas in Rome

    6.6

    2019 · Christmas

    • Lacey Chabert
    • Christmas
    • Big City
    The Most Wonderful Time of the Year poster

    The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

    7.3

    2008 · Christmas

    • Christmas
    • Big City
    • Cute Kid
    A Grandpa for Christmas poster

    A Grandpa for Christmas

    6.9

    2007 · Christmas

    • Christmas
    • Big City
    • Cute Kid
    Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas poster

    Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas

    7.0

    2020 · Christmas

    • Lacey Chabert
    • Christmas
    • Cute Kid
    A Royal Christmas poster

    A Royal Christmas

    6.5

    2014 · Christmas

    • Lacey Chabert
    • Christmas
    • Cute Kid
    Elevator Girl poster

    Elevator Girl

    6.3

    2010

    • Lacey Chabert
    • Big City
    • Cute Kid

    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.