Since when does Netflix contain Hallmark movies? You may have heard of the frosty — or should I say hot — new Netflix Original this year: “Hot Frosty.”

While “Hot Frosty” may sound like the new hot chocolate drink from Starbucks, instead it’s a romantic Christmas movie about a snowman being granted a human life. Despite being a Netflix Original, “Hot Frosty” is written by Russell Hainline, who has written multiple Hallmark movies, so don’t be fooled. Jack, the snowman with an 8-pack who is granted a human life, is a very lighthearted character. He helped set up a middle school dance and emotionally moved an entire town, representing his mystical goodwill as a snowman in heart and soul.

However, every woman in the movie seems to thirst for his abs. And not just six like the others — eight. It seems the Hallmark plots demand men with six or eight-packs, like Jack. Good luck to any other actor. Numerous innuendos and an unusual plot made Hot Frosty an experience. Netflix was handed the torch and the silliness is still present, which is amusing yet awkward in a painful way. Speaking of torches, all of the plot points revolve around Jack melting under heat because he is a snowman, which improves the overall quality of the movie. The name now makes sense. He is supposed to be so hot he melts. But he’s ice cold. 

However, the conflict in the female protagonist trying not to fall for someone who will inevitably leave her, as Jack would melt along with the snow, echoes the pain from her past husband dying of cancer. This tragic conflict is balanced during the lighthearted, jolly romance between her and Jack, even though at the end of the movie it is revealed that Jack won’t have to leave her after all, which is very poetic and happy. Compared to Hallmark movies, the mystical nature of snowmen depicted in Jack’s generosity and cheerfulness and the conflicted but refreshing romance made “Hot Frosty” a good watch, maintaining Netflix’s reputation.

Also, to the guy who said he put more money in the hat than he did at the end to pay for Jack’s bail: at least some realism is in the movie (Yes, Jack, the snowman, got arrested)! The name is clever, and it’s nice to see Netflix contributing to the Christmas-themed romance movie scene when those such as “Hot Frosty” are entertaining and heartwarming.

Romance on the Ranch. I mean, it’s in the name. A girl leaves her home to escape her dissatisfaction and winds up with a busted car, only to get help from a sweet ranching family nearby. She stays there and meets two (that’s right, two) charming cowboys. One stern and stoic, the other fiery and flirtatious, she finds herself split between the two. 

Generally, I’m a hater towards Hallmark movies. I will admit though, this had a certain appeal. The love triangle makes watching with friends even more fun, as you see Twilight-like divisions form over who the protagonist should end up with. Besides the cookie-cutter plot which Hallmark has nearly trademarked at this point, this movie has some good plotlines and makes for a nice break from the strict Hallmark holiday diet. Although I hate to admit it, Romance on the Ranch had me impressed and glad that I watched it.

I’d recommend Romance on the Ranch to anyone mildly interested in country music, horses, or rural farmhouses. And to those who aren’t. I actually dislike all three. Overall it was another feel-good movie that, as long as you don’t take it too seriously, is fun for anyone watching.

A romantic holiday story about a foreign prince falling in love with an American girl. Amazing. I love it. It gives ‘I’m a Nigerian prince and I need you to send me $3000’. 

Our main character is a recent law school graduate looking for a job and her best friend takes her to a small European country to wind down after an interview. You can tell she’s a serious corporate girl who can’t relax because her hair is up in a ponytail. She has a meetcute with the bad boy prince after he runs over her hat with a motorcycle and buys her a new one. He pulls a reverse Aladdin on her and hides his princely title from her. Then they bond over having basic human empathy, fall in love, his mother disapproves until our main girl proves herself to her, and then they kiss. She even puts her hair down to show that she’s grown and she’s no longer a stressed out, emotionally unavailable business woman. 

Was it good? No. Was it terrible? No. It was actually pretty entertaining in some places, and if you can remove yourself from the cliches strewn through the movie, you can sit back and laugh at it. 

I’d give it a solid 6/10, not bad. A solid Hallmark movie for sure.