way to go ted

Review of Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper! (2025) by screenqueeen: 👍 3.5/5

satisfying and surprisingly funny self-aware christmas cheese following a weatherman who either knows people change channels whenever his segments start or doesn't mind airing his personal business out on-air (with the anchor grinding him about contracting an illness that was named after him as if they were using a punched-up banter routine between lady and fella anchor??) to deliver the dressing of the climax of the movie. your usual hallmark stuff happens here but sometimes it takes some new little winding paths to deliver its cute romantic moments and developments of highs and lows that would threaten to derail what relationship had been built thus far, happening differently in some entertaining ways. when Ted takes Hope on their first date they go to an escape room (after which she tells her friend "i mean he took me to an escape room for a first date, what other guy would do that?" like it was such an incredibly unique choice) which looked like if jigsaw was also santa (he totally would have put a key in that teddy bear's belly) but also had some triggered scare elements like in a haunted house?? oh and before Ted leaves for his hometown to cover the fundraiser a bunch of his coworkers showed him the betting pool they set up for what would happen to him while he was away (mostly unfortunate things but of course the kiss thing was on there) à la CABIN IN THE WOODS, there was even a refit joke about the unicorn stabbing to fit a reindeer instead -- Russell Hainline, i see you 👀 -- so that added a fun layer to then every once in a while cut back to the farm and see how he was faring. i woulda liked a little bit more in the tongue in cheek stuff but for a hallmark flick this was a nice little surprise.