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    While You Were Dating

    5.8/10 · 723 ratings·2017·1h 24m·Valentine's Day·Weirdness 2/10
    While You Were Dating poster

    At a glance

    2/10

    Comfortably conventional

    What bumps it up: Second chance romance.

    Holiday
    Valentine's Day
    Season
    Multiple
    Setting
    Big City
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Former Exes
    Runtime
    1h 24m
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States17 ways

    Stream

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

    Free

    • Hoopla

    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
    🇨🇦Canada1 way

    Stream

    • fuboTV
    🇬🇧United Kingdom2 ways

    Stream

    • Amazon Prime Video
    • Amazon Prime Video with Ads

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    A divorced couple meet online and end up going on a blind date together. After an awkward reunion, they decide to set each other up with their friends, but old habits never quite die.

    Themes:Second chancesBalancing career and loveThe value of nostalgiaAuthenticity vs. Corporate greed

    How unusual is it?

    Mostly classic comfort-watch, give or take a second-chance romance.

    A rare specific

    Tap to find the other Hallmark movies that share it.

    • a Blind DateThe only one

    Who’s in it

    Stefanie von Pfetten headshot

    Our Girl

    Stefanie von Pfetten

    as Julia

    William Baldwin headshot

    Our Guy

    William Baldwin

    as Nick

    Alongside them

    • Julia Benson headshot
      Julia BensonLeslie
    • Robert Moloney headshot
      Robert MoloneyKyle
    • Michelle Morgan headshot
      Michelle MorganKim
    • Luke Roessler headshot
      Luke RoesslerTommy
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Gary Peterman headshot
      Gary PetermanAngelo
    • Lochlyn Munro headshot
      Lochlyn MunroDylan
    • Aliyah O'Brien headshot
      Aliyah O'BrienElsa
    • Matty Finochio headshot
      Matty FinochioLogan

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • David Winning headshot
      David Winning

    Written by

    • Neal H. Dobrofsky headshot
      Neal H. Dobrofsky
    • Tippi Dobrofsky headshot
      Tippi Dobrofsky

    Wait, what?

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

    • The couple was married and divorced 16 years ago but didn't recognize each other's writing style or interests after 15 days of chatting.
    • Nick's date Elsa speaks almost exclusively in inspirational clichés.
    • The 'Cakes Etc.' rival bakery is portrayed as a 'ruthless' corporate entity for selling cronuts.
    • Nick calls a chiropractor a 'bone-cracker' as a high-stakes insult.

    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 28 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🌆Big City🧁Bakery

    Time & season3

    🔀Multiple💕Valentine's Day🗓️Contemporary

    Characters5

    🧁Lead: Baker/Pastry Chef🔨Love interest: Construction/Contractor👶Cute kid⏰Workaholic lead💘Matchmaking relative

    Conflict6

    💼Business vs Love⚡Competition💼Career stakes📉Business in peril💔Love triangle💔An ex returns

    Romance6

    💕Start as former exes💕First kiss: late (final third)♻️Second chance🔥Slow burn💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks3

    🎬Light/Heartwarming👨‍🍳Cooking 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 by introducing Nick, a successful developer living in a high-rise, and Julia, the owner of 'Danny’s Confections,' a struggling but sentimental bakery. Both are single and feeling pressured by friends to date. They begin an anonymous 15-day correspondence on a photography website, where Nick uses the handle 'Picture This' and Julia uses 'Say Cheese.' When they finally meet at Angelo’s—their old favorite Italian haunt—they are shocked to discover they are ex-spouses who divorced 16 years prior. Angelo, the exuberant owner, assumes they are reconciling and forces them into a nostalgic dinner. To prove they have moved on, they strike a deal to set each other up on blind dates. Nick sets Julia up with his realtor, Logan, who spends the entire date critiquing the real estate value of her apartment before leaving for a business call. Julia sets Nick up with her friend Leslie, but the date is equally shallow. Following these failures, the two begin spending more time together. They end up accidentally locked on a rooftop overnight while chasing the perfect moon photo, leading to a confrontation about why their marriage failed—specifically Julia's move to Paris for a chef job and Nick's refusal to follow. Nick eventually offers to help Julia remodel her bakery to help her compete with 'Cakes Etc.,' a ruthless corporate rival. The tension increases when Julia's more recent ex, Dylan (a chiropractor), returns from Malibu to win her back, and Nick begins dating Elsa, a yoga instructor who puts him on a strict 'lacto-vegetarian' diet. The conflict peaks during a disastrous double date where Nick and Dylan trade insults, and Nick mocks Dylan's profession as a 'bone-cracker.' Eventually, Elsa realizes Nick is still in love with Julia and ends their relationship. Julia also realizes her rekindled romance with Dylan is a mistake. On Valentine's Day, Nick visits Julia at her newly remodeled bakery with a snow globe from a mini-mart, echoing a sentimental gift from their past. They confess their enduring love and decide that 'the original is best,' finally reconciling for good.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Nick and Julia connect anonymously on a photo-sharing site, unaware they are ex-spouses.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      The two meet at Angelo's for their blind date and realize they were married 16 years ago.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      After setting each other up on disastrous dates, they get locked on a rooftop together overnight, forcing them to confront their past.

    4. 4

      Complication

      Julia's ex Dylan returns to win her back, while Nick starts dating Elsa, a yoga instructor.

    5. 5

      Climax

      A tense double date leads to an argument where Nick and Julia's lingering feelings cause a blow-up with their current partners.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      On Valentine's Day, Nick and Julia confess their love at the bakery and decide to give their relationship a second chance.

    28 tropes in one movie

    We counted 28 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 5.8 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 5.845678

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

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog While You Were Dating belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    • ❤️Hallmark Valentine's Day MoviesSet around Valentine’s Day.
    • 🔄Hallmark Second-Chance Romance MoviesA rekindled romance.
    • 🧁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.

    • “Snow globes were like life, prettiest when they're turned upside-down.”
      — NickExplaining why he bought Julia a snow globe instead of flowers.
    • “Sometimes the original's best.”
      — NickUsing a photography metaphor to tell Julia he wants her back.
    • “I'm afraid I'm in the girlfriend zone.”
      — NickRealizing Julia is treating him like a platonic friend while dating Dylan.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Julia

      Lead

      Bakery Owner

      SentimentalTalentedStubbornArtistic
    • Nick

      Love interest

      Real Estate Developer/Architect

      Ex-husband

      NostalgicPracticalCompetitiveKind
    • Dylan

      Antagonist

      Chiropractor

      Recent ex-boyfriend

      PersistentArrogantHealth-conscious
    • Elsa

      Supporting

      Yoga Instructor

      Nick's short-term date

      Cliché-proneIntenseVegan
    • Kim & Kyle

      Supporting

      Friends

      Mutual best friends

      MatchmakersLoyal

    Questions people ask about While You Were Dating

    Where can I watch While You Were Dating?

    While You Were Dating is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is While You Were Dating?

    While You Were Dating runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2017.

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    Data and sources

    Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

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