The Hallmark Channel continues to expand its holiday content as Christmas draws nearer with this latest movie, She’s Making A List. The rom-com sees bona fide Hallmark staples and former co-stars, Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker, reunite to lead the way as a Naughty or Nice List inspector and the single father she gets too close to while on the job. Are these actors enough to turn this movie into a charming Christmas hit, or are their combined powers still not enough to earn a nice spot on your seasonal streaming list? Read on to find out!
The Gist: For as long as Santa Claus has been around, he has always had a Naughty or Nice List. While in the past, elves used to monitor all of the children across the globe to personally mark each as Naughty or Nice, modern technology has made it easier to keep tabs on everyone. But ever since Santa outsourced the work to Naughty or Nice Group, the process has seemingly grown even more streamlined as boss Rudolph (Steve Bacic) sends his fellow human operatives all over the world, following specific criteria to mark each child “Naughty” or “Nice” within a 72-hour period. With 20 years of experience, Isabel (Lacey Chabert) is one of the best inspectors in the biz, largely due to an entire lifetime spent fading into the background and blending into her surroundings. Her strength is her near-invisibility, while her charismatic coworker and top competitor, Giuseppe’s (Alessandro Miro) strength is his ability to read people. The two of them are top contenders for a promotion to partner, and Isabel is determined to prove that she has what it takes to get the gig.
However, Isabel’s next assignment poses problems unlike anything she has ever faced before. Even with the help of her kind-hearted and dedicated new assistant, Heidi (Oouriza Tronco), Isabel finds herself willing to break and bend the rules for the first time in her career as her inspection of 11-year-old Charlie Duncan (Cadence Compton) accidentally brings Isabel closer to the girl’s father, kind-hearted, handsome widower Jason (Andrew Walker). When Jason asks Isabel on a date, she agrees in order to get a closer look at Charlie, but quickly finds herself being increasingly drawn to Jason and extremely conflicted about Charlie’s case in the process. Magic-loving, mischievous Charlie was always a nice kid, but after losing her mother last year, she spent the previous Christmas on the Naughty List. Despite that, Isabel can see the good in her, but struggles to prove it due to her job’s rigid regulations. The deeper Isabel gets into this assignment, the more she questions everything she thought she knew about her work, life, and purpose, ensuring that this will be one fateful Christmas she’ll never forget.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of? She’s Making A List may remind viewers of other Santa’s List-oriented movies like Naughty or Nice and The Santa Clause 2. And although it’s not a Christmas movie, Hallmark superfans also might recall My Secret Valentine, since the 2018 rom-com similarly featured Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker as its leading lad and lady.
Performance Worth Watching: No matter what she’s doing or what’s asked of her, Lacey Chabert always brings it. She may be one of the few Naughty or Nice List inspectors I’ve ever seen in any media, but boy, does she still do it well, injecting her trademark charm and personality to breathe life into a script that doesn’t always give her the most to work with.
Memorable Dialogue: Shoutout to this one-sided phone call we hear from Rudolph just as Isabel arrives at his office:
“Look, I won’t tell you what to do, but you should fire them all immediately. They need to know that there are consequences for abusing their breaks. There’s this old Chinese proverb about a lion and a table. I’m not gonna bore you with all the details, but you do not want to be the table. Just do what I do and sweeten them up first before you-” He makes a slicing motion just as Isabel knocks on his office door. “Alright, grandma, gotta go. Love ya!”
A Holiday Tradition: Every year, Jason and Charlie (and Jason’s wife, when she was alive) go to a tree farm and find the ugliest tree they can find to put in their home for Christmas.
Does The Title Make Any Sense? It’s a fun little play on the “He’s making a list” line from the classic Christmas song “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” and it absolutely makes sense considering what this movie is all about.
Our Take: Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker do their best, but even their chemistry, charm, and experience aren’t enough to elevate She’s Making A List. Although all of the actors in this movie seem to give it their best shot, the script itself is a bit lacking in terms of cohesion, original humor, and depth, making it hard to stay fully engaged throughout the entire viewing. I truly do appreciate the actors’ commitment, but the story just doesn’t do enough to hold your attention and set itself apart from other holiday movies, despite Isabel’s extremely unconventional career.
And while Isabel’s fourth-wall-breaking and general quirkiness attempt to hammer home that she’s “not like other girls,” the character still felt ultimately a bit difficult to connect to. Chabert does her best to imbue Isabel with warmth, but again, she and her fellow performers can only do so much with what they’re given. For some viewers, it’ll be enough to watch her and Walker do their thing, but for the rest of us, this is a movie that doesn’t bring the cheesy charm and holiday magic you’d hope to see in a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Our Call: If you’re a big fan of Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker, then you should STREAM IT just to see them in action together. But if you’re not already blindly devoted to them or Hallmark, She’s Making A List is unlikely to feel worth going out of your way to watch this holiday season, so you’ll probably want to SKIP IT.
How To Watch She’s Making A List
The only way to watch Hallmark Channel live without cable is by using a live TV streaming service. We recommend DIRECTV, which comes with a five-day free trial before payment begins.
DIRECTV offers a number of flexible subscription options, including Genre Packs, so you can best choose which streaming plans fit your needs and budget. Plans start at $49.99/month.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (At least, that’s what Andy Williams promised.) The holidays are a time to celebrate with family, friends, food, and, let’s not forget, fun things to watch. Whether you’re huddled up with the whole family in your living room or cozying up under the covers with your tablet, let Decider be your guide to all things festive this holiday season.
Maddy Casale is a Chicago-based writer and comedian who covers everything from animated series to Hallmark movies. Follow her on Duolingo @MCasale.
