Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies love their predictable plots and happy endings — a big-city career woman finds love in a small town, a royal falls for a commoner, a holiday-hating protagonist rediscovers the Christmas spirit. Sarah Durham, associate drector of improv, says Florida Studio Theatre’s seasoned improvisers put these satisfying tropes to good use in their holiday improv show.
“’It's a Blunderful Life’ is our 90-minute improvised Hallmark movie,” said Durham. “We get a name of a Christmas town from the audience and a couple of occupations for our main characters, and then we improvise the whole movie based around those things.”
There’s no need to be a dyed-in-the-wool Hallmark fan. Anyone can play along.
“Sometimes we'll just ask for a Christmas word,” Durham explained. “Somebody might say snow globe, and then I'll say, and what's a geographic feature? So, canyon. So, the name of our town is Snow Globe Canyon, and usually there's some kind of festival that they're throwing. Probably in Snow Globe Canyon, it will be a snow globe festival, and we get, like, a high-powered job and a low-powered job and go from there.”
Like the Christmas movies, “It’s a Blunderful Life” is escapist entertainment.
The show is in Bowne’s Lab at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota through Dec. 20.
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Through Oct. 31, 2025, Hallmark had released 337 Christmas movies.
Many fans can name the actors, characters, plots and locations where each movie takes place.
Some of the common plotlines subject to parody include:
- The Big-City vs. Small-Town Dynamic: A career-driven protagonist, often from a major city, is forced to return to their small, charming hometown for the holidays and unexpectedly falls for a handsome local.
- The "Savior" Archetype: A character swoops in to save the local Christmas tree farm, bakery, or inn from a greedy corporation.
- Secret Identities: Romance ensues when one of the characters is secretly a prince, a wealthy CEO, or some other high-profile figure.
- The Christmas Wish: A character has a specific wish that, through the magic of Christmas, comes true, often leading them to find love.
- Sudden Romance: The plot moves extremely quickly, with characters falling in love and getting married within the span of a single movie.
- Character Types: Parodies often feature stereotypical characters like the busybody relative, the eternally festive small-town resident, and the cynical main character who eventually embraces the holiday spirit.
The budget for the typical Hallmark Christmas movie is $800,000 compared with $70 million for a feature film.
It generally takes about three months to complete a Hallmark Christmas movie compared with more than a year for a feature film.
Even though formulaic, unrealistic and filled with cliches, Hallmark Christmas movies are popular for a number of reasons.
- First, they don’t require close attention. Much like skimming a book or article, you can get the gist of most Hallmark Christmas movies while you’re otherwise engaged.
- Second, they’re positive even if predictable. They promise and deliver a happy ending.
- They’re nostalgic. They rely on our desire to visit the “good old days” with images, stories, and music that stimulate our sentimental and wistful associations from the past.
- Finally, their recurring themes of romance, family, and friendship reflect and satisfy our deep-seated need for social connection.
Florida Studio Theatre’s improvisers not only incorporate each of these factors into their 90-minute improvised Hallmark movies, but also involve the audience in the creative process. It’s a win-win situation.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
