7.6 stars.

If I had to describe this movie in one sentence, I'd say: 'Sealed with a List' is quirky and original'. You have two young adults who are forced to work together. He has been given everything in his life on a silver platter by his rich father and she has earned a coveted position in his father's company. Some unfortunate things occur and lives are altered and now the pieces don't fit in the puzzle of her life. So now she is focusing solely on self-improvement and he is trying to find his place in his own life. They boost each other over the holidays and everything works out in the end.

How is this different than most UP, Family, or Hallmark films? In every single way this is original, fun, and just...fresh. She doesn't fit the norms for lead females, he is new to the scene (as is she) and they totally bring out the best in each other. This is what real friends would look like if I were on the outside looking in. And somehow these true friends turn into more than friends, but the transition is so natural and unnoticeable and feels so genuine. Great way to tell a story, so different, so entertaining, so fun, yet laid back and authentic.

I, too, am a husband that unwittingly gets involved in watching these Hallmark type rom-coms. While I try to occupy my attention elsewhere, some of these movies actually attract my attention. For the third time this season I have found another entertaining holiday movie (this one goes through the month of December to the new year). Also, the characters look different. This time the main characters didn't involve a tall, handsome man and a perfectly made up blonde leading lady (no disrespect to blonde actresses but that's all that seem to show up most times). There was a short haired brunette with a cute , quirky smile and laugh and a male lead that wasn't so big that he took up the whole scene. And they could act! It was one of the more fun movies to watch this season for sure.

Evan Roderick and Katie Findlay are wonderful in this romantic Hallmark Holiday film in which Katie's character Carley makes some New Year's Eve resolutions to change her life and then proceeds to not follow them until her best friend calls to say she is coming for Christmas and wants to know how many she has checked off her list. With limited time to do the items on her list, Carley enlists Wyatt...the boss's undeserving son who was given the job as Carley's boss...the job she should have been promoted too. Carley begins by quitting her job and Wyatt, who does know how to have a good time slowly gets Carley to loosen up as she gets him to wake up early to an alarm and read the analysis reports that make it on his desk.

This film was fun and not your typical Hallmark film. It was nice that both characters had something to offer the other...but what really made this a must see Hallmark Holiday film for 2023 was Katie Findlay and Evan Roderick. Somehow these two suited one another in the best way possible and their interactions were very natural, including their comic delivery. This is recommendation from me and one of the better Hallmark holiday films of 2023.