Hallmark Movies: Small Town Royalty Magically Celebrating Rekindled Love! - General Discussion

[SusanwatchingTV]

On 2/3/2020 at 4:13 PM, In2You said:

It's become a joke at this point. It's actually funny how all these small towns have these huge festivals on Hallmark because one complaint I always hear about small towns is the lack of festivals and big events.

Interesting.  I come from a small town and we had multiple festivals (Christmas, Folk Life, Fall Tour of Homes, etc) when I was growing up... in fact, they have even more festivals these days than they did then, but I no longer live there.  All the small (tiny) towns around had some kind of festival.  It's VERY common... maybe it's a Southern thing?  Or maybe they do that in Canada too (where all these movies are filmed)? 

Do Northern towns not have festivals every year?

On 2/2/2020 at 6:53 PM, Luckylyn said:

I really liked A Valentine’s Match.   It included the tropes but managed to be charming.  The chemistry with the leads was great.

I liked it okay, but I just don't like that guy (can't remember the actor's name). I think it's his haircut.  He looks scalped. They need to let his hair grow back or something.  There's also something about the way he talks I don't like (I'm weird about that, I know), but I did like the girl better than I thought, and the Valentine Festival was fun.

[Suzysite]

2 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Do Northern towns not have festivals every year?

Definitely not in the winter.  We have a summer fest of some sort...  for the town's anniversary or to commemorate what the town is known for.   Fourth of July has fireworks and maybe some kind of celebration.  And the in the fall there are harvest festivals in orchards or farms, but that's about it.

[Guest]

17 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

Interesting.  I come from a small town and we had multiple festivals (Christmas, Folk Life, Fall Tour of Homes, etc) when I was growing up... in fact, they have even more festivals these days than they did then, but I no longer live there.  All the small (tiny) towns around had some kind of festival.  It's VERY common... maybe it's a Southern thing?  Or maybe they do that in Canada too (where all these movies are filmed)? 

Do Northern towns not have festivals every year?

I’m in California and yearly festivals are very common around me. It’s a huge tourism boost for many of the small towns. 
Now that I think about it I’ve always found Hallmark Christmas festivals unrealistic but I live in a large city with a two mile long Christmas Tree Lane. Every year there are walk nights where it is pretty similar to a Hallmark movie complete with free hot chocolate and Santa at the end. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Guest

[ehall1052]

What gets me is that these small town festivals have hardly any people attending them!  I realize it would cost more for pay all those people as extras, but they should at least use CGI to make it look like more people attending.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, ehall1052 said:

What gets me is that these small town festivals have hardly any people attending them!  I realize it would cost more for pay all those people as extras, but they should at least use CGI to make it look like more people attending.

Good point. I couldn’t figure out why the festivals seem unrealistic and you just hit the nail on the head. The lack of people make them feel more like a neighborhood get together then an actual festival. It reminds of the Christmas scavenger hunt movie where we only see two teams competing. 

[SusanwatchingTV]

15 hours ago, Dani said:

I’m in California and yearly festivals are very common around me. It’s a huge tourism boost for many of the small towns. 
Now that I think about it I’ve always found Hallmark Christmas festivals unrealistic but I live in a large city with a two mile long Christmas Tree Lane. Every year there are walk nights where it is pretty similar to a Hallmark movie complete with free hot chocolate and Santa at the end. 

Cool!  Yes, it's a tourism boost.  My hometown had about 17000 people in it when I was growing up. I think there's a little more than 20,000 there now.  Our annual Christmas festival would always draw upwards of 100,000. It was a huge thing.  Of course, my hometown is known for tourism anyway.

They recently added a "Blush and Bashful" Weekend festival because of a movie that was filmed there 30 years ago.  LOL

They're always having a festival for something.  Of course, winter has nothing to do with anything in the south.  Everything is open and functioning as normal.  In fact, that's the best time to have a festival because it's not as hot as the summer months.

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

 

They recently added a "Blush and Bashful" Weekend festival because of a movie that was filmed there 30 years ago.  LOL

 

I recognize the "blush and bashful" reference from "Steel Magnolias"!  They were Shelby's (Julia Roberts) chosen colors for her wedding (a stark contrast to the armadillo cake that was red inside).   They'd be good colors for a Valentine festival, now that I think of it.

[SusanwatchingTV]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

I recognize the "blush and bashful" reference from "Steel Magnolias"!  They were Shelby's (Julia Roberts) chosen colors for her wedding (a stark contrast to the armadillo cake that was red inside).   They'd be good colors for a Valentine festival, now that I think of it.

Yup.  It looked like the chapel had been spayed down with Pepto Bismol. LOL

Proof that anything is worthy of a festival in a small town. I guess that's why I love the festivals in the Hallmark Movies so much.

Edited February 5, 2020 by SusanwatchingTV

[In2You]

On 2/4/2020 at 8:45 PM, Suzysite said:

Definitely not in the winter.  We have a summer fest of some sort...  for the town's anniversary or to commemorate what the town is known for.   Fourth of July has fireworks and maybe some kind of celebration.  And the in the fall there are harvest festivals in orchards or farms, but that's about it.

Yep and the orchard or farm festivals are small and not that big of a deal. I live ina mid size city and we only recently started getting alot of festivals. Before it was just holiday parades and two summer festivals. The smaller surrounding towns just started trying to do summer and festivals as well.

[TVFan17]

I just spotted this on Hallmark's website a few minutes ago and nearly fell out of my chair due to the glee of it all.   Love on the Air (from 2015, with Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe) -- one of my favorite Hallmark Channel rom coms -- has not aired on any of Hallmark's actual channels in at least a solid 2 years, and possibly even 3 full years.  I know it stopped running on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries long before it moved to the Hallmark Movies Now streaming service, where it has been held hostage for a long time.

Love on the Air is scheduled several times in March, on the Hallmark Drama Channel (I am posting it here in this thread because the movie originated on the Hallmark Channel, and is not really a Hallmark Drama-ish movie, even though that's where it is airing, nor is it really a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries-ish movie, even though it aired there for a while before being shuffled off to HMN). 

If you haven't seen LOTA, and if you have the Hallmark Drama channel, it's worth a watch.  Remember it is a rom com and not a Hall of Fame movie or anything with substance.  So expect a rom com formula with some witty banter. 

Here is the page with the assorted showtimes -- https://www.hallmarkdrama.com/love-on-the-air

Edited February 6, 2020 by TVFan17

[Luckylyn]

4 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

I just spotted this on Hallmark's website a few minutes ago and nearly fell out of my chair due to the glee of it all.   Love on the Air (with Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe) -- one of my favorite Hallmark Channel rom coms -- has not aired on any of Hallmark's actual channels in at least a solid 2 years, and possibly even 3 full years.  I know it stopped running on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries long before it moved to the Hallmark Movies Now streaming service, where it has been held hostage for a long time.

Love on the Air is scheduled several times in March, on the Hallmark Drama Channel (I am posting it here in this thread because the movie originated on the Hallmark Channel, and is not really a Hallmark Drama-ish movie, even though that's where it is airing, nor is it really a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries-ish movie, even though it aired there for a while before being shuffled off to HMN). 

If you haven't seen LOTA, and if you have the Hallmark Drama channel, it's worth a watch.  Remember it is a rom com and not a Hall of Fame movie or anything with substance.  So expect a rom com formula with some witty banter. 

Here is the page with the assorted showtimes -- https://www.hallmarkdrama.com/love-on-the-air

I really enjoyed Love on the Air.  I think I tend to like Alison Sweeney movies.  I also liked The Irresistible Blueberry Farm.  

[TVFan17]

25 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

I really enjoyed Love on the Air.  I think I tend to like Alison Sweeney movies.  I also liked The Irresistible Blueberry Farm.  

I really liked her Christmas at Holly Lodge movie (w/ Jordan Bridges and Sheryl Lee Ralph) from a couple of years back too. 

It's an odd thing because Alison is not necessarily among my favorite Hallmark actresses -- but she is not one of my least favorites either.  She is just kind of right in the middle somewhere.  I don't have strong opinions about her one way or the other.  However, I tend to think that Alison has good instincts about which projects to do most of the time.  She often uses the same writer on her projects, and Alison often has an Exec. Producer role on her movies as well.  Several of her Hallmark movies have been good, and she doesn't necessarily make a lot of movies all the time.

 

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by TVFan17

[twoods]

I am trying with the Valentine’s Match movie because I like both leads, but the moms meddling is already grating. She has a boyfriend and you guys are scheming to get your kids together again? I may FF that nonsense to get to the fair.

[TVFan17]

Prior to TV Insider posting about this movie, I had been following along with it because it had a generic working/temporary title and I wasn't sure if it was going to end up with Hallmark or not.  It was hard to tell until I saw Sheryl Lee Ralph post about it being for Hallmark on Instagram. 

So the newest title is Fashionably Yours, which fits better into the Spring Fever event.  I have seen a couple of different details to indicate that this might have originally been planned as a Winter movie - maybe even an early February movie -- but was ultimately changed to fit a Spring theme.  I could be wrong about that hunch, but, if I am correct, it wouldn't be the first time a Hallmark movie was re-themed to fit a different seasonal event.

"Kat Graham, Kendrick Sampson & Sheryl Lee Ralph Cast in Hallmark's 'Fashionably Yours'"

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by TVFan17

[dalek]

On 2/4/2020 at 5:46 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

Do Northern towns not have festivals every year?

When I worked at a summer camp in Maine, we went to the Yarmouth Clam Festival on one of our nights off.

[kirinan]

On 2/4/2020 at 5:46 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

Do Northern towns not have festivals every year?

In SE Michigan, where I'm from, a couple of the small towns have ice festivals that spotlight carved ice sculptures in their downtown area. But they're more geared toward encouraging people to patronize downtown restaurants and merchants instead of putting up activity booths. And downtown Detroit has a Winter Blast Weekend that is really popular. But in my many years on this earth, I don't recall seeing any Hallmark-type winter festivals in my state.

Now in the summer and fall? That's a different story. There are scads of them.

[Misslindsey]

My hometown is in West Michigan and they have some festivals in the winter. My hometown has a winter sports complex that has a festival. There are some in the neighboring cities as well. Though a lot of the time they just call these annual events instead of festivals, but it is the same sort of feel. In the summer there are a lot of festivals because it is along the lakeshore.

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, kirinan said:

Now in the summer and fall? That's a different story. There are scads of them.

My resort town in NE MI does have one winter event every year but I wouldn't call it a festival.  As a matter of fact, it's this weekend.  And there is no hot chocolate and cookie obsession - we do have a chili cookoff.  And people of all colors and nationalities are welcome as opposed to the Hallmark festivals.

In the summer we have an art show and a couple of craft shows but, again, I wouldn't call them festivals like they show on Hallmark.  No hot chocolate then, either.  Or kissing booths. Or puppies.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Kohola3

[Scarlett45]

Matching Hearts I liked this one a lot! The leads were mature, the angst was believable, Ryan Pavey is one of my fav Hallmark Leading Men so🥰. The fashion was nice (isn’t Portland far colder in Feb?) and there were a number of POC actors with lines. 
 

Also did my eyes deceive me that it was implied the former marketing guy/new florist was gay?

[Infiltr8]

2 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Matching Hearts I liked this one a lot! The leads were mature, the angst was believable, Ryan Pavey is one of my fav Hallmark Leading Men so🥰. The fashion was nice (isn’t Portland far colder in Feb?) and there were a number of POC actors with lines. 
 

Also did my eyes deceive me that it was implied the former marketing guy/new florist was gay?

I totally agree! And not one mention of hot chocolate (I think ...)  

[TVFan17]

3 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Matching Hearts I liked this one a lot! The leads were mature, the angst was believable, Ryan Pavey is one of my fav Hallmark Leading Men so🥰. The fashion was nice (isn’t Portland far colder in Feb?) and there were a number of POC actors with lines. 
 

Also did my eyes deceive me that it was implied the former marketing guy/new florist was gay?

Yes. 

There was a quick shot of the same sex duo at the end of the movie, laughing and talking, at the party.  And, by the way, this movie was filmed before the whole controversy in December (with pulling the Zola ad due to the pressure from the Million Moms).  So they had already put that scene in before caving into the Million Moms and pulling the ad, then trying to reinstate the ad.  I mean, it was just two men talking to each other and laughing -- no big deal -- but I'm sure the Million Moms will be upset about it anyway.

 

Edited to add:  Sure enough, I already see one comment in the Visitor Posts on Hallmark's Facebook page, complaining about the scene with the two men in the (super-quick) shot at the end of the movie.  I'm sure I would see more comments like that if I looked further, but I don't have the patience or energy for it.

Edited February 9, 2020 by TVFan17

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

🥰

Also did my eyes deceive me that it was implied the former marketing guy/new florist was gay?

Definitely implied and I caught that early on when Timothy the marketing guy went into the restaurant with Julia. Timothy definitely gave the maitre d the once over and lo and behold the maitre d was at the Valentine's party ( for some reason).

 

[Irlandesa]

On 2/7/2020 at 2:20 PM, TVFan17 said:

So the newest title is Fashionably Yours, which fits better into the Spring Fever event. 

OMG, I don't want to "spoil" the movie but the details indicate that it might be about falling in love with the city over the hometown?  What is this craziness?

Ryan Paevy is one of my least favorites but I will give the movie a chance based on the fact that you all liked it.

[Scarlett45]

7 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Definitely implied and I caught that early on when Timothy the marketing guy went into the restaurant with Julia. Timothy definitely gave the maitre d the once over and lo and behold the maitre d was at the Valentine's party ( for some reason).

 

Yup I noticed that too. They couldn’t have some flirty lines together????

[Luckylyn]

I found Matching Hearts boring.  It just did not spark for me.  The leads had some chemistry but something in the script maybe was lacking. I used to think Ryan Paevy was nice to look at but wooden as an actor.  He has improved a lot.
 

 I noticed the mini blink and you miss it romance between the two guys.  I wish they’d done more with it but the little they did is a lot for Hallmark.  It’s a shame what little bread crumbs same sex couples get.

[TVFan17]

35 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

I found Matching Hearts boring.  It just did not spark for me.  The leads had some chemistry but something in the script maybe was lacking. I used to think Ryan Paevy was nice to look at but wooden as an actor.  He has improved a lot.
 

 I noticed the mini blink and you miss it romance between the two guys.  I wish they’d done more with it but the little they did is a lot for Hallmark.  It’s a shame what little bread crumbs same sex couples get.

I, personally, preferred last week's A Valentine's Match over Matching Hearts -- mainly because it had more of a comedic tone to it (which I like) for the majority of the movie, and I think that Bethany Joy Lenz is really good within that kind of format.  But that's just my own taste, and not everyone's preferences are the same.

Matching Hearts wasn't quite as humorous as I would have wanted it to be.  But, with the exception of a couple of actors, most of the cast has been in many other Hallmark projects, so for me it was like identifying a who's-who of all-star Hallmark supporting talent as they each appeared onscreen! 

Ryan and Taylor make a striking pair. 

Edited February 9, 2020 by TVFan17

[Bronx Babe]

On 2/8/2020 at 1:21 PM, Kohola3 said:

  Or kissing booths. Or puppies.

As soon as I saw the Puppy Kissing Booth in A Valentine's Match I switched over to Snapped.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Bronx Babe said:

As soon as I saw the Puppy Kissing Booth in A Valentine's Match I switched over to Snapped.

And my eyes about rolled out of my head with the "Miss Addy made this quilt with a hanky 100 years old".  Blergh.

[Bronx Babe]

3 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

And my eyes about rolled out of my head with the "Miss Addy made this quilt with a hanky 100 years old".  Blergh.

Ironically Hallmark, imo, can't get it right when it comes to honest human sentiment.  They just never get into the rhythms, lol, and instead the scripts come across as creepy and/or campy to me.  I want to be emotionally stirred but unfortunately wind up laughing my head off like it was an episode of Mystery Science Theatre.

 

3 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

And my eyes about rolled out of my head with the "Miss Addy made this quilt with a hanky 100 years old".  Blergh.

Ironically Hallmark, imo, can't get it right when it comes to honest human sentiment.  They just never get into the rhythms, lol, and instead the scripts come across as creepy and/or campy to me.  I want to be emotionally stirred but unfortunately wind up laughing my head off like it was an episode of Mystery Science Theatre.

 

Looks like the Hallmark small town aliens are messing with my posts, lol.

[Kohola3]

18 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Ironically Hallmark, imo, can't get it right when it comes to honest human sentiment.  They just never get into the rhythms, lol, and instead the scripts come across as creepy and/or campy to me. 

I know what you mean. It's so robotic.  They have to hit certain points and use the same tropes in e;very single movie so I can't work up any enthusiasm or even care what happens since it's always the same.  Cue kiss in the last 2-3 minutes.  The end.

[Bronx Babe]

Every one of these things seem like Saturday Night Live, Mad TV or SCTV parodies.  

I hope it's clear that I'm not denigrating or making fun of viewers who love Hallmark and get emotional satisfaction from them.  In these crazy times I can understand what makes people retreat to the company's unique fantasy world.  My gripe is that the stories are paradoxically not grounded in any kind of human reality which I feel is necessary as a springboard to the flights of fancy and wish fulfillment.  It's not just that I come from a "city" background that makes me unable to relate to the characters, but that they are cardboard figures without depth or inner life, existing only to serve the tropes and bring the plot to its formulaic conclusion.  I know many people are drawn to this very familiarity but for me, it's a hollow triumph.  I don't equate "feel-good" or "family values" with lack of passion or an absence of grit and strife.  Even Walt Disney acknowledged the existential, dark terrors of life!    

On 2/2/2020 at 10:25 AM, TVFan17 said:

I have no problem with it.  I like what I like.  You like what you like.  It's not tiresome and trite to me.  (Or if it is trite, I don't care because I am watching specifically for that kind of element.)

I understand.  I love holidays, seasons, decorations.  I grew up with Family Circle and Woman's Day magazine.  I don't know if you're as old as I but I remember that wonderful and evocative Woman's Day pull-out calendar they included in their end-of-the-year editions.  The calendar was illustrated with the most evocative and beautiful water-color images of home and hearth, pertaining to every month, and punctuated by inspirational Biblical verses.

Gradually the calendar, which I and so many others looked forward to, was phased out.  I'm guessing political correctness and even wrote Woman's Day to ask if they would bring it back.  I received a very polite response telling me in effect that the calendar was just no longer a part of the magazine anymore.

I still miss that calendar.  And though I am not of that particular faith, I did take comfort in the Bible verses that were included along with the nostalgic and poignant illustrations.  

So I think I can understand the rise and popularity of Hallmark in this day and age even as I harshly critique them. 

[ehall1052]

On 2/9/2020 at 10:23 AM, Luckylyn said:

I used to think Ryan Paevy was nice to look at but wooden as an actor.  He has improved a lot.

I was coming here to say the same thing! In the last couple of movies he did, he was definitely less stiff. Maybe it was the script or maybe the leading lady, I’m not sure. He was also on Home and Family recently and was very personable. 

[Bronx Babe]

Back to my wise-cracks, lol -- Every time the male or female lead is offered cake, pie or cookies, someone invariably says "It's the best in town!"  Or:  "the entire county!"  

This also applies to savory food items, although off the top of my head I don't remember any character waxing poetic over lasagna or chicken noodle soup. 

[Kohola3]

22 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

It's not just that I come from a "city" background that makes me unable to relate to the characters, but that they are cardboard figures without depth or inner life, existing only to serve the tropes and bring the plot to its formulaic conclusion.

Whilst using the same B grade actors over and over just in different combinations, all Caucasian, all heterosexual.  This is not the face of America.  Diversity enriches us and could add some much needed interest to these bland stories.

[Bronx Babe]

4 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Whilst using the same B grade actors over and over just in different combinations, all Caucasian, all heterosexual.  This is not the face of America.  Diversity enriches us and could add some much needed interest to these bland stories.

I notice that the African American characters are either relegated to portraying the supportive best friend (even though their main chunk of dialogue runs along the lines of "So…….how are things working out?") or laughably stern, let's-get-it-done workaholic boss ("We need you back here thirty seconds after Christmas.  Is this going to be a problem?")   

[Kohola3]

8 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

I notice that the African American characters are either relegated to portraying the supportive best friend (even though their main chunk of dialogue runs along the lines of "So…….how are things working out?") or laughably stern, let's-get-it-done workaholic boss ("We need you back here thirty seconds after Christmas.  Is this going to be a problem?")   

Well, there is an occasional tradesman or garage owner.  But the limit is two per movie.  All other 50 actors and extras are lily-white.  And no Asians or Hispanics need apply.

[Bronx Babe]

30 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Well, there is an occasional tradesman or garage owner.  But the limit is two per movie.  All other 50 actors and extras are lily-white.  And no Asians or Hispanics need apply.

I think I've seen a few Asian (or "Asian"-looking) characters who fall into Hallmark's all-purpose "ethnic" category but Hispanics do seem to be missing.  Even in one of their few-and-far-between Mexican restaurants (as you know it's mainly Italian, lol) the waiters look Caucasian to me.  Even in a mariachi band!

[Bronx Babe]

Campfire Kiss

"There's hot chocolate in the rec room!"

CLICK

Back to Indiscretion of an American Wife on Turner Classic Movies

[Bronx Babe]

Watching Peyton Place on TCM this evening made me realize the dark underbelly of secrets percolating in those small picturesque towns that Hallmark idealizes.  Of course wherever human beings reside there's going to be bad behavior and attitudes, although some people seem to think the aberrations only exist in "urban" or "coastal" (i.e. New York and California) areas of our country.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Stumbled on an old movie with Meghan Markle in it -- Dater's Handbook or something like that. She had a dog named "Duke". Somehow, I thought that was funny now that she is married to a Duke 🙂

The Dater's Handbook will be shown on Hallmark overnight  at 4:30 am EST (Sunday). 

 

[Bronx Babe]

"That's...…….just...…...great"

"Good...…….morning"

Are the actors directed to talk this way because it's supposed to show us their characters' insecure, tentative selves underneath the corporate, workaholic veneers?

But who speaks like this in real life?

The alien creatures behind all these Hallmark productions?  (that is, if they have mouths) 

 

Interestingly (and I think I've posted before about this) the characters sometimes reference science fiction -- I've heard H.G. Wells and aliens mentioned -- also robots.

Makes one ponder, doesn't it?

Edited February 17, 2020 by Bronx Babe

[susannot]

I'm watching Matching Hearts now.  Just love Ryan.  Has he had a theme involving animals in most of his movies?

[Luckylyn]

I really liked Love in Store.  I think it was more fun and the tropes worked well.  I liked that she 

Spoiler

Rejected her ex’s proposal.  Sometimes theses movies have the lead  get back together and/or accept a proposal even when they have fallen for someone else just because in that moment they think the one they want is unavailable.  I liked that she wasn’t getting back together with her ex regardless of whether or not the other guy was willing to be with her.  I appreciate character who would rather be alone than with the wrong person.

 

[In2You]

I'm surprised Hallmark is airing The Bad Date Chronicles after it aired on Pixl 3 years ago

Edited February 23, 2020 by In2You

[Irlandesa]

21 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I really liked Love in Store.  I think it was more fun and the tropes worked well.  I liked that she 

  Reveal spoiler

Rejected her ex’s proposal.  Sometimes theses movies have the lead  get back together and/or accept a proposal even when they have fallen for someone else just because in that moment they think the one they want is unavailable.  I liked that she wasn’t getting back together with her ex regardless of whether or not the other guy was willing to be with her.  I appreciate character who would rather be alone than with the wrong person.

 

I found it pretty enjoyable as well.  I think it helps that I like Alexandra Breckenridge quite a bit.  I first saw her in Virgin River and while I wasn't wild about the series, I thought she was a good lead. Robert Buckley was pretty good as well.

I think the fact that neither have starred in a zillion Hallmark movies before helped.  As much as I have my favorites, having fresh faces with capable actors can spice things up.

 

[EyewatchTV211]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I found it pretty enjoyable as well.  I think it helps that I like Alexandra Breckenridge quite a bit.  I first saw her in Virgin River and while I wasn't wild about the series, I thought she was a good lead. Robert Buckley was pretty good as well.

I think the fact that neither have starred in a zillion Hallmark movies before helped.  As much as I have my favorites, having fresh faces with capable actors can spice things up.

 

I liked the leads in this movie as well, which helped make it enjoyable. I just wish they wouldn't insist on having some sort of misunderstanding or other obstacle with 15 minutes left that requires the ending to be so rushed. Either have the obstacle earlier or none at all. 

[Irlandesa]

5 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

I just wish they wouldn't insist on having some sort of misunderstanding or other obstacle with 15 minutes left that requires the ending to be so rushed.

I agree about a misunderstanding but one thing I did like about this is that it was made pretty clear to him that she turned down the proposal and that she wanted something with him.  His hang ups seemed silly but I find it easier to take when it's internal conflict rather than a silly misunderstanding.

[EyewatchTV211]

2 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I agree about a misunderstanding but one thing I did like about this is that it was made pretty clear to him that she turned down the proposal and that she wanted something with him.  His hang ups seemed silly but I find it easier to take when it's internal conflict rather than a silly misunderstanding.

This was one of the better obstacles, I agree. That's why I added the word obstacle in addition to misunderstanding - it's the misunderstandings that drive me crazy. But it still led to a rushed ending, which was annoying. 

[kirinan]

WHAT is up with the Hallmark Channel? I'm seeing the same 5 or 6 movies on the schedule, over and over and over. It seems worse than it's ever been. I just turned it on hoping to see something different, and Love, Romance & Chocolate (which I used to love but am now extremely tired of) is on for--and I don't think this is much of an exaggeration--the dozenth time in the last two weeks. Followed by Marrying Mr. Darcy, which I've seen in the guide several times over the same period. Followed by Love on the Menu, ditto, and in coming days, All of My Heart: The Wedding, Very, Very Valentine, Love at First Glance, ditto, ditto, ditto...ARRGGHH!

Did they run out of money after the commercial debacle and can't afford to pay royalties to too many actors? Are all the old Hallmarks streaming fodder now? Seriously, I barely watch the channel anymore because every time I turn it on something I just saw two days ago is on again. I miss my evenings of coming home after a crazy day at work and relaxing after dinner with a movie I haven't seen in a while. You're killin' me, Hallmark!

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

ditto, ditto, ditto...ARRGGHH!

Stick a fork into Hallmark, it's done. Just about as lame as it can get.