Stream It or Skip It: ‘The Blessing Bracelet’ on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, an Easter Drama About Faith and Jewelry

Hallmark celebrates the Easter holiday weekend with The Blessing Bracelet, a faith-leaning drama about how one woman (Amanda Schull) brought change to her life and those around her by having a little faith, counting her blessings, and — in true Hallmark fashion — turning that faith and those blessings into a profitable small business. But is The Blessing Bracelet a new Easter classic, or should you spend your night dyeing some eggs at the last minute?

THE BLESSING BRACELET: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Amanda Schull (Suits, 9-1-1: Lone Star) plays Dawn, a recently divorced mom who’s struggling to make ends meet after her ex-husband left them in financial ruin after some bad investments. She’s working at a veterinary clinic by day and waiting tables in the evening just to keep her house from going into foreclosure — something’s gotta give!

That’s when her sister (An Unexpected Christmas standout Alison Wandzura) reminds Dawn of the blessing bracelets that she used to make way back when — the bracelets that her ex-husband thought were a waste of time. The concept behind a blessing bracelet (which is very much a real product that you can purchase) is simple: the bracelet has four spherical beads that you can use to literally count your blessings — just four things, big or small, whenever you feel “drawn to the bracelet” as the website puts it. Dawn starts giving them out to customers at her waitressing gig, in the hopes of spreading goodwill and getting bigger tips (remember: house in foreclosure!). Things take off from there!

But that’s not all — ! Dawn meets Ben (Christmas with the Darlings’ Carlo Marks) and the two hit it off right away. She’s making money, low-key starting a bracelet empire, reconnecting with her faith, and dating a handsome man? The blessings are just stacking up! But what Dawn doesn’t realize is that Ben works for the very collection agency that’s hounding her for payments. Will these two find out about their less-than-ideal previous connection and how will it affect their deepening relationship?

Performance Worth Watching: Barbara Taylor (You’re Bacon Me Crazy, which was a real Hallmark movie in 2020 that I have to track down) plays the veteran waitress that shows Dawn the ropes and gives her the tip about leaving a little something extra for the guests in the hopes of getting a little something extra back. The character’s name is Flancy and she is perfect.

Memorable Dialogue: After Dawn’s boss says, “No try, do,” Dawn replies, “Did you just Yoda me, Greta?” I will never get tired of Hallmark movies flexing their pop culture knowledge.

Our Take: I’ll be honest: my defenses are going to be up any time a Hallmark movie has the word “blessing” in the title, especially when that movie airs on Easter Sunday of all Sundays. The fact that The Blessing Bracelet airs on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, the network that is known to go for drama, only made me warier. I was worried that The Blessing Bracelet would be a feature-length sermon but with 100% more bracelets.

Mercifully, it is not! The Blessing Bracelet is, in fact, a well-rounded movie that manages to be spiritual but not sanctimonious. It’s a movie that’s about blessings, and not just the big ones either. It struck me when Dawn counted off her four blessings and one of them was simply having a car. That alone, the way counting off a blessing for each bead made Dawn think more abstractly and honestly about her blessings, sold me on the idea of a blessing bracelet more than any sermon would. It’s thoughtful, well done, and always in character.

The Blessing Bracelet is also blessed with a pretty top-tier Hallmark cast — especially lead Amanda Schull. She has an almost Reese Witherspoonian glow about her, one that endears you to her immediately — and then the movie pulls you in by putting your new fave through a TV-G emotional wringer. There is a lot of joy to be found in watching Schull’s Dawn stick up for herself.

Surprisingly to me, since the movie found a way to stay true to its faith without sacrificing character or story, the biggest problem I had was the innate bootstraps-iness of the plot. In order for Dawn to just live and provide a home for her teenage son, she has to work two jobs and start a blessing bracelet side hustle. She has pulled herself up by her bootstraps and still can’t make enough money to stay afloat. There’s a moment when Dawn and her son start excitedly sing-chanting “A second job!” I absolutely get why this is a victory for Dawn in this fictional story, but come on — isn’t it a bummer to celebrate having to work multiple jobs in order to secure a human necessity like shelter? In The Blessing Bracelet 2, I want Dawn to embrace her inner Erin Brockovich and burn the whole system to the ground.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Blessing Bracelet is a fine way to close out your Easter Sunday — and if it gets you to count your blessings, possibly literally, then mission accomplished.