An Extra Star for Bethany Joy Lenz and the Lack of a “Frolic” Scene
This one follows the Hallmark template almost perfectly. All of the plot points and characters are straight off the mix and match stock list and hardly one is left out. The only thing it didn’t have was a cutesy snowball fight, snow angel or snowman session, baking flour fight, food fight, splashing or dunking in the water, etc., etc., etc. Of course, I did doze off for a minute or two so I may have missed the frolic scene. Bethany Joy did manage to snag herself with a fishing hook, but that was actually kind of amusing. So why a 6? That’s my grade for Ho-hum but not blatantly insulting or cringe-worthy. Lenz’s comic timing and likable portrayal bumped it up at least one star. Her love interest was a non-entity, and the romance was unbelievable and practically non-existent. I hope she goes back to Portland.
April 1, 2020
Rebekah's Readings and Watchings 
Your review is so good. I like that you’re to the point. I’ve seen several of Bethany Joy Lenz’s Hallmark films. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes she seems like a chameleon. Is it her changes in hairstyle?? She had bangs in the one with Andrew Walker in Bottled With Love. Liked that movie better than Just My Type (yawn).
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Bethany Joy is one of my favorite hallmark actresses. Her comic timing is tops. 5 Star Christmas is my favorite so far.
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Okay, let’s look at this a little differently. She SHOULD go back to Portland…….absolutely……but she can return to work remotely and on weekends, to her world class friend with multiple benefits. Both are attractive, intelligent, no kids, not kids themselves, no agenda(well, there was that one time with her:-) comfortable in their own skins, no problematic exes, no money problems, no demanding business to run, no disaproving families, no unrealistic expectations on either part, no ridiculously unnecessary contrived conflict at all, in a perfectly idyllic setting, and it gets a 6? Plus there’s all that wine and pot is legal in Washington…….I’m just sayin’ 😉 these could be the two most happily in love 40 somethings west of the Mississippi. Now we have another, P&P with snowmen, an attractive couple who are worth a 6 any day, and you add a controlling and often unpleasant sister, a domineering father, the WORST FRENCH ACCENTS in the history of speech, a socially awkward lawyer paired with the equally awkward sister(you want to ask me on a duh, a duh, a duh, a date??? I hate that s***!!!), a patented even more ridiculous than usual flounce-off by Erin who seemed to only grudgingly accept the explanation……goodluck with that, Luke, and all that only adds 4 more points???? 🙂
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I’ve wondered how you felt about this comment? I meant S&S instead of P&P of course but I stand behind the gist. I was proud of it…….what’s your position? Also, and way off topic, I wonder if you’ve seen this remarkably good film?:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4481414/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
If you have, and then sat on it all these years without letting us all know about it, perhaps your credentials should be revoked.😉
Here’s one more off topic video series that enthralled me. In 1939 only one British farm in 10 was on the electric grid! Only marginally better than 1815, right?🤔 This is extremely watchable for the right person(s). There was so much more than armaments that had to be dealt with for those 6 years of the war.
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I may have been unnecessarily harsh on Just my Type. I will have to look at it again when it comes around. I find it hard to believe I could give anything with BJL a “6”. As for SS and S: “a socially awkward lawyer paired with the equally awkward sister(you want to ask me on a duh, a duh, a duh, a date??? I hate that s***!!!). While I LOVE that s***. Love nerdy awkward shy heroes and they are few and far between with Hallmark. (see Midnight Masquerade) In addition to my usually beloved Luke, it has Sustad who is one of the most talented and appealing actresses at Hallmark. And I do like Anna Van Hooft as a villain. Plus the Jane Austen connection. My 10 was in disgusted reaction to the reviews which preceded mine. They were very harsh of the “Jane Austen would roll over in her grave variety.” Which I find to be a silly criticism of any modern take on any classic. And I thought the parallels were actually pretty well done. I also liked that they branched out a bit with S & S rather than the overdone P & P.
I haven’t seen Gifted. It looks good, and I will put it on my watch list. The farm series also looks good, but it is probably too long for me to commit to at this time. I will mark it though.
Thank you for your comments, as always. They are always valuable!
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I understand. My problem was with the stuttering…..a single surprised “a date”? would suffice, that’s all. I was curious how you felt about an ongoing love story that didn’t end at the altar…..friends with benefits so to speak. The English farm series has an elysian quality about it but it is miles long. Being brand new to Jane Austen I guess I’d vote for preserving the sanctity of her work but I’m not qualified to have an opinion. As for the movie though, oh my gosh…..I kept thinking how much you’d like it!!! It didn’t need your review, there were hundreds, but if yours had been there I’d have gone straight to it. 🙂
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I’m usually against love stories that don’t end at the altar.😄
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I see. That farm program was filmed not 30 miles from Steventon and 9 miles from Southampton and 31 miles from Chawton and Jane lived in Southampton for 3 years and the farmhouse was built in the 1400s and you can easily imagine what the countryside looked like 200 years ago. That was some of the appeal.
I was glad to read that Tom Lefroy came back to England to pay his respects to Jane Austen’s family when she died which I thought was nice and he bought a memento of her……..the rejection letter of the first copy of Pride and Prejudice!!! Can you imagine that coming up for auction??? Cloud, meet silver lining. 🙃
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