schmaltz

Her performance is just one of many surprises that highlight the show’s ability to flaunt its cleverness without smothering it in celebrity schmaltz.

Doerr, meanwhile, creates a tender kind of suspense, alive and surprising and hopeful without careening into schmaltz.

The horror factor, however, takes a back seat when Ally and Jay share comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz.

Debates about “Love Actually” are mainly about the quality of its schmaltz.

Jimmy Cagney’s old schmaltz vehicle "Yankee Doodle Dandy" looks restrained by comparison.