movie mondays: movies i wish i could find on dvd

This afternoon, I checked my TV app to see what was on later tonight, and I noticed that Hallmark was playing one of my TV movie favorites. I couldn't watch it because of work, and it's been a while since I've seen it, so I immediately checked my friend Amazon ... only to find it's not on DVD.

That got me thinking about the movies—some recent, some older—that I would gladly pay for if only they were on DVD. Here's my wishlist, in no particular order. (Except for #1!)

Chance of a Lifetime (1998)

This is my #1 DVD wish, hands down. Chance of a Lifetime is a marriage of convenience romance starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal well before their days on 8 Simple Rules. Their characters wed because Maguire (Ritter) doesn't have health insurance but needs back surgery due to an injury sustained while helping Irene (Sagal). As they try to convince everyone—including an insurance fraud investigator—that their marriage is real, they ... you guessed it ... fall in love. 

I actually still have this one on VHS, and I pull it out every now and again ... but I taped it off of TV, and our reception wasn't great, so it's pretty grainy. Every so often, I search for it on YouTube, but I've never found it.

Love's Complicated (2016)

This is the movie that prompted this post. I don't know why some Hallmark Channel films are released on DVD and others aren't. Since this one is fairly recent, I do have hope that it will be released one day. Author Leah's life is predictable and boring until her boyfriend enrolls her in a conflict resolution class. There she meets shock-jock Cinco, who's attending the class on court order. Though the two initially dislike each other, they ... of course ... fall in love 😍. Leads Holly Marie Combs and Ben Bass have more chemistry than is often present in Hallmark films, and this one actually felt a bit unique. I don't often watch a Hallmark film and think I'd like to own it, but I'd like to get my hands on this one.

Fun fact: Love's Complicated is just one of several recent Hallmark films to be adapted from Christian fiction. This one is based on Rene Gutteridge's My Life as a Doormat.

Model Behavior (2000)

This film is far from perfect, at least from what I remember, but I do remember it fondly. I had always been more of a JC girl than a Justin fan, but when I watched this movie, I thought, Hmmm, that Justin Timberlake IS kind of cute! What he wasn't was a particularly good actor (this was his first film role), but that didn't really matter. The story, about two teens (played by Maggie Lawson of Psych) who trade lives, is very The Prince and the Pauper-esque, and it's quite enjoyable. At least it was when I saw it in 2000.

This Time Around (2003)

There was a time (10-15 years ago) when ABC Family made some great romance/romantic comedy movies. Some of my favorites were released on DVD (I own Lucky Seven with Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Patrick Dempsey and Reality of Love [a.k.a. I Want to Marry Ryan Banks] with Bradley Cooper and Jason Priestley), but this one wasn't. My brother was kind enough to record it for me, since he had cable and I didn't, and I still have the VHS tape. But I'd love to find it on DVD!

This is an "ugly girl grows up to be unrecognizably pretty and gets the guy she liked in junior high" story, so, basically, completely unrealistic ... but I still really like it. There's just something about Brian Austin Green ...

Matchmaker Santa (2012)

Now we get into my Christmas movies wish list! My guess is that if Matchmaker Santa had been made a year or two later, it would be on DVD, as it seems that all of Hallmark's recent Christmas releases eventually find their way to DVD. Starring Hallmark's Christmas queen Lacey Chabert* and Adam Mayfield, it's about a woman who falls for her boyfriend's assistant when they're stranded together in a small town right before Christmas. It does have possibly one of the most "non-ending" endings ever, but the rest of the film is so delightful that I can forgive the end.

*Honestly, I'm not sure who has made more Hallmark Christmas movies, Lacey Chabert or Candace Cameron Bure. Maybe they can be co-rulers of Hallmark's Christmas Land.

Christmas List (2016)

While several of Hallmark's 2016 Christmas offerings have already been or will soon be released on DVD, Christmas List isn't one of them. And that's too bad. Starring Hallmark's Christmas princess Alicia Witt and the always charming Gabriel Hogan in their second pairing for the network, Christmas List is about a woman who seeks to complete her Christmas bucket list. It's predictable but charming, and it was the biggest surprise of Hallmark's 2016 Christmas season to me. I really enjoyed it, and it's one of the few 2016 premieres that I'd like to own. 

The Christmas List (1997)

Not to be confused with Christmas List, this film is a 1997 charmer starring Mimi Rogers (a.k.a. Mrs. Tom Cruise #1). Melody is a perfume salesgirl whose life is changed after she sends a letter to Santa. I haven't seen this one in years, so I can't really tell you if it's any good, but I remember loving it when I saw it! (I did find it on YouTube, but the audio has been dubbed in another language, so I quickly decided not to watch it.)

Have you seen any of these? What movies do you wish you could own? Does anyone else still own—and occasionally use—a VCR???