Lacey Chabert Hallmark Movies That Didn't Land With Fans

Lacey Chabert looked destined for a long Hollywood career after regularly stealing the show as the Plastics' second-in-command, Gretchen Wieners, in 2004's teen comedy classic "Mean Girls." But whereas her co-stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Rachel McAdams went on to rule the box office, garner awards attention, and become permanent tabloid fixtures, the Mississippi native soon found herself sliding down Tinseltown's ladder. So much so that within six years, her most high-profile roles were in those saccharine, picture-perfect (sometimes problematic) wish fulfilments on the Hallmark Channel.

Chabert has starred in dozens of TV movies since making her debut on the network in 2010, the majority of which followed the 'big city girl returns to her small-town home where she finds the true meaning of love' template. But not all have been lapped up by her longtime fans. Here's a look at 14 which, according to the IMDb user ratings system, are anything but 'fetch.'

In 2012, Lacey Chabert graced the first of her many, many Hallmark Channel Christmas movies when she took center stage in "Matchmaker Santa." The actor played Melanie, a bakery owner vacationing at her CEO boyfriend's upstate lake house, who falls for his assistant and best friend. And with a little help from Santa, she inevitably gets her happy ever after.

Chabert certainly seemed excited about making her festive debut. In a Vulture interview several years later, she recalled why she signed up for the project. "It had a certain sweetness to it, and it reminded me of traditions I had with my family growing up ... People talk about the formula of them or certain things we're trying to hit, but it works really well."

Not everyone was as enamored, however, with some fans arguing it essentially glorified infidelity and others confused as to why Saint Nick was so invested in her love life. "Santa was essentially just gonna stalk this poor woman until she ended up with the right dude and it's a little sinister if you think about it too much," remarked one Letterboxd user.

Lacey Chabert also seemed enthused about making "Love on Safari," the 2018 Hallmark original in which she steps into the shoes of a Chicagoan web designer named Kira whose life changes forever when she's bestowed a South African nature reserve. Not only for the vast array of wild animals now in her care, obviously, but also for the hunky head ranger — played by Jon Cor — she ends up falling head over heels for.

"I'm so grateful to have had the chance to experience the beauty of that country," Chabert told blog It's A Wonderful Movie about the cross-continental shoot. "The people there are genuinely kind be full of love ... The land is stunning and the wildlife was awe-inspiring." The actor even enjoyed the cheeky monkeys whose noisy rooftop behavior provided a unique alarm call.

While most viewers also appreciated the picturesque scenery, they were less convinced by the romance. "I thought the chemistry between her and the leading man was pretty much non-existent, with the love story element feeling very much tacked on at the end," remarked one IMDb user. Another noted, "When they were on screen together, they looked cautious and disconnected and the relationship itself in the writing doesn't really go anywhere."

Lacey Chabert added to her canon of festive Hallmark originals in 2019 when she took top billing in "Christmas in Rome." The Mississippi native plays Angela, a tour guide who, after being fired, is hired by Sam Page's dashing ceramics company owner to show him the sights of the Italian capital. And romantic sparks inevitably ensue.

"Whenever we do movies that are in destinations, such as a magical place like Rome, I just want the audience to feel like they went there with us ..." Chabert told International Business Times, neglecting the fact that much of the TV movie was actually shot in Romania.

And many viewers noted there was a similar lack of authenticity elsewhere. "The main Italian character is named Luigi and I feel like that's all that really needs to be said," remarked one Letterboxd user. Another noted, "Every detail of Italian and Roman culture feels like it was reached by way of a game of telephone."

Lacey Chabert continued on her quest to become Hallmark's Queen of the festive season in 2014 when she took center stage in "A Royal Christmas." As its title suggests, the TV movie takes place in one of those fictitious regal lands — in this case, Cordinia — with the actor playing a seamstress whose romantic relationship with Prince Leopold (Stephen Hagan) is threatened by his meddling mother.

Unfortunately, Chabert found herself upstaged by the scheming Queen Isadora, played by British thespian Jane Seymour. In fact, many viewers ended up sympathizing with the latter. "Usually, when you're watching a love story of two beautiful young people, you're supposed to be rooting for them," commented one unimpressed IMDb reviewer. "You're not supposed to be on the side of the disapproving parent who needs to "get with the times" and give his or her blessing."

Still, at least Chabert, whose favorite Hallmark co-star isn't a secret, got the chance to relive her own magical nuptials when the Queen eventually allows the heir to the throne to marry who he chooses. The actor wore the very same wedding dress she wore when she married David Nehdar the year before.

"There's a reason why Lacey [Chabert] is who she is, and there's a reason why she's so loved by the fans. She's just so easygoing and also very dedicated to her work." "My Secret Valentine" co-star Andrew W. Walker certainly seemed impressed by his experience sharing the screen with the Hallmark queen, judging by his interview with TV Insider. So much so that he signed up to star opposite her again seven years later in "She's Making a List."

In their first joint outing, Chabert plays Chloe Grange, a restaurant manager who, upon returning to her winery-owning family's rental cottage in the wake of her mother's death, forges a connection with a mysterious handyman through nothing more than notes on a chalkboard. And wouldn't you know it, he turns out to be the big city boss who, much to her disdain, has arrived in town to take over the family business.

Interestingly, several viewers believed that Walker's businessman was done dirty in the Hallmark original. "Anyone else feel like Lacey Chabert's character is a prejudiced jerk in this movie?" asked one Reddit user rhetorically. "Walker's character never does anything to warrant such hostility. He's doing his job, he goes the extra mile to learn the business and befriend the people, and his company makes a generous offer. Yet Lacey is determined to hate him for no understandable reason."

Lacey Chabert branched out onto Hallmark Movies and Mysteries in 2019 with "Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For," the first of numerous TV films in which she starred as newspaper crossword editor-turned-crime solver Tess Harper. On this occasion, she puts her sleuthing skills to good use when the owner of a ransacked art gallery is found murdered and with a crossword on his person.

The film, which also features Brennan Elliott as new partner-in-crime Detective Logan, was obviously a popular one, having spawned multiple follow-ups including "Proposing Murder," "Riddle Me Dead," and the brilliantly titled "Abracadaver." But suggesting the franchise took a while to find its feet, it remains the lowest-rated on IMDb.

Some viewers spent more time wondering how Harper could afford a swanky New York apartment when her sole income is from writing crosswords or whether the interior scenes were filmed on a green screen. "The world in this is deadset insane ..." came the general consensus on Letterboxd.. "It's stupid and has terrible acting, but there's something charming about how absolutely, incomprehensibly dumb the premise is."

"... Life is more about the journey than the destination," Lacey Chabert answered when asked by PC Principle about the main message viewers would learn from the 2017 Hallmark original "Moonlight in Vermont." "Sometimes we need to remind ourselves to savor the present moment." Unfortunately for the actor, returning to work after giving birth, many viewers took away something completely different.

"This is small rural town propaganda and I'm not falling for it," came one Letterboxd comment that could also be applied to pretty much all of the network's content. "Small town girl returns home on a break from her successful city job to see her parents and meets a hunky local man??" another user quipped about Hallmark's rigid narrative formula. "Did NOT see that coming!"

Yes, "Moonlight in Vermont" was never going to win any awards for originality. Here, Chabert plays a recently dumped woman who, while seeking solace at her family's hometown inn, plans to make her ex jealous by inventing a fake boyfriend. Of course, the plan takes an 'unexpected' turn when Carlo Marks' head chef, Derek, proves to be as irresistible as his food.

Lacey Chabert's most recent festive film on this list, "Christmas at Castle Hart", boasts another actor who's fallen down the Hollywood ladder. Stuart Townsend was tipped as one of the next big things in the early '00s thanks to the likes of "Queen of the Damned," "Shooting Fish," and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." But two decades later, he found himself playing the cliched love interest in a Hallmark movie.

Here, the Irishman portrays a wealthy castle owner — the Earl of Glasgough to be exact — who hires Chabert's inexperienced party planner to stage his annual seasonal bash in the mistaken belief that she's the best in the business. As you'd expect, he ends up getting more than fancy vol-au-vents.

Despite the extra star power, the channel's fans didn't warm to the yuletide offering. "Hallmark try to go a bit broader with their comedy here, and it misfires badly, proving to be more embarrassing than funny, and there's a level of awkwardness about the whole thing," one IMDb user reviewed. "I didn't care about them as a couple because it felt like I was watching coworkers hanging out," remarked another unimpressed viewer.

"I had bought Hallmark cards for all of my life, but I wasn't familiar with Hallmark films," Chabert explained to Vulture about her very first venture with TV's most wholesome network. "I understood that their mission was to spread love and goodness, so I did that film, and it aired." And the rest is history.

Indeed, 2010's "Elevator Girl" was where Chabert's journey to Hallmark queen first began. Here, she played Liberty Taylor, a working-class caterer who, much to his surprise, turns the head of Ryan Merriman's high-flying lawyer after meeting in — where else but — a broken-down elevator. Can the two lovebirds overcome their differing social backgrounds? No prizes for guessing. Although it kickstarted its leading lady's lengthy film career with Hallmark, fans rate it as one of her worst.

Many viewers didn't buy the idea of the mismatched couple, with one Letterboxd user commenting, "There is not one reason these two should have gone on a date, let alone get married." Others were too busy trying not to vomit, and not for the corny storyline, either. "There is so much unneeded camera movement in this that it's actually really hard to look at for too long without getting nauseous," remarked another.

So it appears as though Lacey Chabert fans may be secret Scrooges at heart. All five of her worst-rated films take place during the festive season, including this 2014 tale, which, as its title suggests, sees the actor return to the kitchen again.

In "The Sweetest Christmas," Chabert plays Kylie Watson, a pastry chef hoping to reverse her struggling cafe's fortunes by winning the American Gingerbread Competition. Unfortunately, disaster strikes at the vital moment when her oven stops working. Fortunately, she's able to call her fellow culinary school graduate ex-boyfriend Nick (Lea Coco) for assistance. And pretty soon, he's warming her heart as well as her baked goods.

However, many viewers found it difficult to understand why she wanted to rekindle with her old flame. "What does she see in this sad mopey pathetic excuse for a person, one Letterboxd user wondered aloud. "Even his son hates him. Girl y'all broke up for a reason and you'll do it again." Another quipped, "Never have the stakes been so ... flavorless."

"I also particularly love 'Family for Christmas' because I love the 'what if' concept of that script," Lacey Chabert told blog It's A Wonderful Movie when asked about her favorite Hallmark Channel original. As her fourth worst-rated with the channel, however, it seems as though few viewers agree.

The 2015 tale sees Chabert play Hanna Dunbar, a workaholic who, after talking to her office party's Santa Claus, discovers what life would have been like had she focused on her personal endeavors rather than her professional ones. The following morning, she wakes up to find she's now a suburban mom wed to her old college boyfriend, Tyron (Ben Matthews), in a concept that bears a close resemblance to Nicolas Cage flick "The Family Man."

This being a Hallmark movie and all, it's little surprise to discover which version she chooses. And many viewers weren't appreciative of the message being sent out. "So women are not meant to have careers or have a passion, they need to be in the kitchen as a stay at home mom to be happy," one particularly disgruntled IMDb user wrote.

Following in the footsteps of "Bride and Prejudice" and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," the Hallmark Channel got in on the Jane Austen-adjacent action with its very own tenuous, festive-themed tribute. "Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe" featured several references to the 19th-century classic, naming its fictional town Pemberley and its leading man Darcy Fitzwilliam. But the story itself was pretty much typical TV movie fare.

Here, Lacey Chabert plays a career woman returning to her hometown for the holiday season to assist with a charity function. Lo and behold, she also discovers the true meaning of Christmas when she falls in love with Brendan Penny's dashing suitor.

Unlike its source material, "Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe" isn't likely to be remembered 200 years from now. Many fans took umbrage with how the finale appeared to glorify child labor, while others didn't appreciate being hoodwinked into watching a bad Austen adaptation. "All the key elements of the story were totally lacking in the movie" was the general consensus on IMDb. Here's a look at all the signs why Chabert would never leave Hallmark for GAC.

"A Christmas Melody" must surely be Lacey Chabert's only Hallmark original to get a review in The New York Times ("The movie is as blandly watchable as everything else in Hallmark's Christmas lineup"). The 2015 festive tale not only co-starred but was also directed by the new Queen of Christmas herself, the oft-tragic Mariah Carey.

The chart-topping diva played Melissa McKean Atkinson, a Parent-Teacher Association president who used to make life hell for Chabert's widowed mom, Kristin Randall Parson, back in high school. And when the latter returns to her Silver Falls hometown, the former soon proves she's still very much a mean girl at heart, jeopardizing both Kristin's romance with a music teacher and her entire holiday season in the process.

Chabert can perhaps take some heart from the fact most of the fan negativity toward "A Christmas Melody" was aimed at its double threat. "It's hard for me to remember anything else from that movie but pure horror watching Mariah Carey act," noted one Reddit user. Others questioned the blatant product placement, surprising lack of music, and whether the constant close-ups meant the two female leads were never together in the same room. Here's a look at how Chabert has made her fortune from Hallmark fame.

So out of the dozens of Hallmark Channel originals to bear Lacey Chabert's name, it's 2016's "A Wish for Christmas" that props up the rear. So why exactly did fans react to the festive film like they'd found a lump of coal in their stocking?

After all, the premise seems innocuous enough: Chabert's downtrodden web designer Sara is granted a wish by Santa Claus to become a strong, independent woman, changing her fortunes at work and in her love life. But most fans didn't appreciate the execution, particularly the gender politics.

"Are we supposed to be happy Sara ended up with the guy who just sat there while a misogynistic a**hole talked down to her," wondered one Letterboxd user, referring to the Scrooge-like romantic lead played by Paul Greene. Another remarked, "So she ends up dating her boss and also gets a massive promotion and pay rise? Sounds like a HR nightmare to me ..." There were also criticisms that the film championed corporate culture, essentially turning Sara into a 'Karen,' and failed to hide that Chabert was quite clearly several months pregnant! Here's a look at why Hollywood won't cast Lacey Chabert anymore.